ESPN’s ‘February Frenzy’ to Support Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund in partnership with The V Foundation
Lineup includes No. 1 Connecticut and Eight More Top 25 Teams; Promo Spot Featuring the Late Kay Yow during Women’s and Men’s Basketball Coverage
To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/bJ5Wh7
For the third consecutive year, ESPN will support Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund for women’s cancer research in partnership with The V Foundation during its annual “February Frenzy” women’s college basketball games on Sunday, Feb. 14, and Monday, Feb. 15. The Cancer Fund is named in memory of legendary North Carolina State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow, who died Jan. 24, 2009, after a courageous battle with cancer.
February Frenzy will showcase games on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com, including six regionalized games within two telecast windows Sunday and two Big Monday games featuring Top 25 teams, making for two of the biggest days of basketball in the women’s college basketball regular season. During the games, ESPN will encourage fans to contribute to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Research Fund in partnership with the V Foundation via The V Foundation’s official Web site: www.jimmyv.org/support-us/donate-now.html.
February Frenzy features a total of 20 teams, nine of them ESPN/USA Today Top 25 teams, including No. 1 Connecticut and No. 3 Notre Dame. The six regional games will include frequent switches to and updates from the other games as action dictates. In the 12 home markets of the competing teams, ESPN2 will start and remain with the game of local interest. ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband digital sports network, will offer every February Frenzy game in its entirety, as will ESPN FULL COURT.
ESPNU’s telecasts Sunday, Feb. 14, will include a BIG EAST Conference matchup between No. 13 Georgetown and No. 8 West Virginia at 1 p.m. ET and an SEC showdown between No. 16 Kentucky and No. 22 Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. The Feb. 15 edition of Big Monday on ESPN2 gets started with No. 20 North Carolina against No. 21 Virginia at 7 p.m. ET, followed by defending national champion and No. 1 Connecticut at No. 12 Oklahoma at 9 p.m.
Throughout February Frenzy, ESPN’s Kara Lawson and Carolyn Peck will provide in-depth coverage and analysis from the studio in Bristol, Conn.
In December 2007, The V Foundation for Cancer Research, in collaboration with Coach Yow and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, established the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund to raise money for and awareness of women’s cancer research. Coach Yow’s inspirational battle with breast cancer served as a catalyst for this effort. Yow, a colleague of the late Jim Valvano, an ESPN commentator and an NCAA championship basketball coach while at North Carolina State, had served on the board of directors of The V Foundation.
Yow’s coaching career spanned more than 38 years, including 34 with North Carolina State. She had a record of 737-344, which encompassed 20 NCAA tournament bids, a Final Four appearance in 1998 and four ACC Tournament championships. She also coached the U.S. Olympic women’s team to a gold medal in 1988 and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
To further support the cause, in 2008 ESPN produced a special promotional spot featuring Yow to endorse the fight against cancer. The promo spot will again be aired during every men’s and women’s college basketball telecast on the ESPN networks Feb. 14-15. The promo spot can be viewed at the top of this release.
2010 Schedule (with tipoff times for regional telecasts)
CLICK HERE FOR FEBRUARY FRENZY MAPS/SCHEDULING INFORMATION
| Date | Time (ET) | Tipoff | Matchup | Network |
| Sun, Feb 14 | 1 p.m. | No. 13 Georgetown at No. 8 West VirginiaMaggie Gray, Meg Bulger | ESPNU / ESPN360.com | |
| 3 p.m. | 3:05 p.m. | Houston at SMU ^Bob Wischusen, Rebecca Lobo | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 3 p.m. | 3:10 p.m. | Arkansas at South Carolina ^Carter Blackburn, Brenda VanLengen | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 3 p.m. | 3:15 p.m. | DePaul at No. 3 Notre Dame ^Pam Ward, Brooke Weisbrod | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 5:30 p.m. | 5:25 p.m. | Mississippi at Mississippi State ^Cara Capuano, LaChina Robinson | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 5:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Louisville at Pittsburgh ^Dave Pasch, Kayte Christensen | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 5:30 p.m. | 5:35 p.m. | Miami (FL) at N.C. State ^Beth Mowins, Deb Antonelli | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 6 p.m. | No. 16 Kentucky at No. 22 VanderbiltSam Gore, Abby Waner | ESPNU / ESPN360.com | ||
| Mon, Feb 15 | 7 p.m. | Big Monday: No. 20 UNC at No. 21 VirginiaBob Wischusen, Stephanie White | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com | |
| 9 p.m. | Big Monday: No. 1 UConn at No. 12 OklahomaDave O’Brien, Doris Burke | ESPN2 / ESPN360.com |
^ – Regional telecast
The V Foundation for Cancer Research
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has raised more than $90 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide and proudly awards 100 percent of all donations and net proceeds of events directly to cancer research and related programs. The Foundation, which has received a coveted 7th consecutive (best possible) 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s premier on-line rating service for charitable organizations, awards grants through a competitive awards process strictly supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board. For additional information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org or call 1-800-4JimmyV.
-30-
