ESPN Unveils Network's 2010-11 Women's College Basketball Schedule
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com and ESPN FULL COURT will combine to present approximately 250 women’s college basketball games during the 2010-11 season, including all 63 games of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship in March. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU’s schedule features 64 games during the regular season and 13 conference tournaments for 85 total telecasts. ESPN3.com will simulcast all of the ESPN and ESPN2 games.
ESPN will showcase the Vanderbilt at Tennessee game during its Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV on Jan. 15. Game time is set for 8 p.m. ET, with the day also including the Tennessee and Vanderbilt men’s programs playing at noon. It will mark the first time College GameDay Driven by State Farm has originated from a site that has featured a men’s and women’s game being played in the same day. ESPN will also televise the BIG EAST Championship title game Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m.
ESPN2 is set to air 35 women’s college basketball regular-season contests, including the season-opening game featuring preseason top 5 favorites Connecticut and Baylor in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic as Part of the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon on Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m., from Hartford, Conn. ESPN2 will be the home to the Big Monday series, as well as February Frenzy on Sunday and Monday, Feb. 13 & 14. The Sunday games are an entire afternoon devoted to eight regionalized women’s basketball games, while Monday night’s doubleheader is a full national telecast. The Big Ten and SEC Tournament finals will be aired Sunday, March 6, at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively, along with the Atlantic 10 Championship game Monday, March 7, at 5 p.m.
ESPNU will televise 47 games, including 30 regular-season games and 17 conference championships. The 24-hour college sports network begins its 2010-11 women’s basketball coverage at the Maggie Dixon Classic on Sunday, Dec. 19. Rutgers and Texas A&M will open the event at noon, followed by UConn and Ohio State at 2 p.m. ESPNU features at least one game each Sunday in January and February, including several doubleheaders.
2010-11 Schedule Special Events & Highlights:
- State Farm Tip-Off Classic as Part of the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon on ESPN2 – Tuesday, Nov. 16
Two-time defending National Champion Connecticut and Final Four participant Baylor will participate in the 18th annual State Farm Tip-Off Classic at 6 p.m., from the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., to begin the 2010-11 season. The game is part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, which will include 21 live games – 20 men’s and one women’s – in a minimum of 25.5 hours across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com. - Jimmy V Women’s Classic on ESPN2 – Monday, Dec. 5
ESPN, in conjunction with The V Foundation for Cancer Research, will stage and televise the ninth annual Jimmy V Women’s Classic. This year’s premier women’s event pits Duke against Texas A&M, the defending ACC and Big 12 Champions, respectively, at 7 p.m., from Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. The event will take place the night before the men’s Jimmy V Classic from Madison Square Garden. - Maggie Dixon Classic on ESPNU – Sunday, Dec. 19
Madison Square Garden will once again be the home to the fifth annual Maggie Dixon Classic. The doubleheader is named in honor of the late women’s basketball coach of Army, who died just over a month shy of her 29th birthday of an arrhythmic episode to her heart. Texas A&M will play Rutgers at noon, followed by Ohio State against Connecticut at 2 p.m. All four teams are expected to start the season ranked in the top 25. Women’s Basketball Hall of Famers Rutgers’ C. Vivian Stringer and UConn’s Geno Auriemma, along with Ohio State’s Jim Foster and Texas A&M’s Gary Blair, have combined for over 2,850 victories. - College GameDay Driven by State Farm & Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV on ESPN – Saturday, Jan. 15
For the second straight year, ESPN will feature a women’s matchup during its College GameDay Driven by State Farm and Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV schedules. The 2011 series will open from Knoxville, Tenn., site of the Tennessee Volunteers men’s and women’s teams hosting the men’s and women’s Vanderbilt Commodores programs at noon and 8 p.m., respectively. Both the Tennessee and Vanderbilt women’s programs are preseason top 25 teams. - Big Monday on ESPN2 – Every Monday from Jan. 17 – Feb. 28
ESPN2’s Big Monday primetime Game of the Week women’s basketball series, in its fifth season, features seven weeks, 10 games and three straight doubleheaders in February. The series will showcase 16 of the best programs in Division I women’s basketball, which are all expected to be ranked in the top 25 of the preseason polls. The Big Monday games will air at 7 p.m. and on the nights of doubleheaders during the 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. windows. - February Frenzy on ESPN2 & ESPNU – Sunday and Monday, Feb. 13 & 14
February Frenzy returns with eight regionalized games within two telecast windows, in which the majority of the country will see the best action of the day with switches between sites and updates from other games. In the 16 home markets of the competing teams, ESPN2 will start and remain primarily with the game of local interest. Beginning at 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 will feature Michigan at Michigan State, LSU at Kentucky, East Carolina at Houston and Georgetown at St. John’s. The 5 p.m. window features Kansas State at Iowa State, West Virginia at Louisville, Auburn at Arkansas and NC State at Georgia Tech. ESPNU will air Tennessee at Vanderbilt nationally at 6 p.m. For the fourth straight year, ESPN will help raise awareness in support of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, in partnership with The V Foundation, during the telecasts. The Big Monday doubleheader of Oklahoma at Connecticut (7 p.m.) and Texas A&M at Baylor (9 p.m.) will also participate in the initiative. - Championship Week Presented by DICK’s Sporting Goods on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU & ESPN3.com – Thursday, March 3 – Sunday, March 13
As part of ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com’s week-long men’s and women’s conference tournament coverage, ESPN networks will present 13 conference championships, including every game from the quarterfinals through the final for the BIG EAST, plus the SEC semifinal and championship games. Other women’s championships include: Atlantic 10, Big Ten, Horizon League, MAAC, MEAC, NEC, SWAC, Summit League, Sun Belt, West Coast Conference and WAC. - NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship
ESPN will present the exclusive live announcement of the 64-team NCAA Championship field as part of Selection Monday on March 14, at 7 p.m., with ESPNU offering a bonus hour of coverage on the NCAA Women’s’ Basketball Selection Special: Extended Coverage at 8 p.m. All 63 games of the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship will air on ESPN networks for the eighth consecutive year. ESPN and ESPN2 will present its telecasts in a whip-around format with home market protection through the first two rounds. ESPN FULL COURT, the pay-per-view package, will offer first- and second-round games in its entirety as a supplement to ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage. ESPN3.com will offer complete telecasts of all 63 games, while ESPNU will offer select ESPN and ESPN2 early-round games in their entirety. The final 15 games, beginning with the Regional Semifinals, will have national telecast windows on ESPN or ESPN2. The complete schedule will be announced at a later date.
ESPN Network’s 2010-11 Women’s Basketball Schedule (Schedule subject to change; All ESPN/ESPN2 games to be simulcast on ESPN3.com)
Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
Tue, Nov 16 | 6 p.m. | State Farm Tip-Off Classic as Part of College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon (Hartford, Conn.): Baylor at Connecticut | ESPN2 |
Sun, Dec 5 | 2 p.m. | Purdue at Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
Mon, Dec 6 | 7 p.m. | Jimmy V Women’s Classic: Texas A&M at Duke | ESPN2 |
Tue, Dec 14 | 7 p.m. | Tennessee at Baylor | ESPN2 |
Holiday Hoops Presented by Kay Jewelers (Dec. 18-24) | |||
Sun, Dec 19 | Noon | Maggie Dixon Classic (New York City): Texas A&M vs. Rutgers | ESPNU |
2 p.m. | Maggie Dixon Classic (New York City):Ohio State vs. Connecticut | ESPNU | |
7 p.m. | Stanford at Tennessee | ESPN2 | |
Tue, Dec 21 | 7 p.m. | Florida State at Connecticut | ESPNU |
Thu, Dec 30 | 9 p.m. | Connecticut at Stanford | ESPN2 |
Tue, Jan 4 | 7 p.m. | Kentucky at Duke | ESPNU |
Thu, Jan 6 | 11 p.m. | Idaho at Nevada | ESPNU |
Sun, Jan 9 | Noon | Pittsburgh at Louisville | ESPNU |
2 p.m. | Georgia at Kentucky | ESPNU | |
3 p.m. | Dayton at Xavier | ESPN2 | |
5 p.m. | Tulane at Alabama-Birmingham | ESPN2 | |
Conference Tip-Off (Jan. 11-17) | |||
Thu, Jan 13 | 9 p.m. | Louisiana Tech at Fresno State | ESPNU |
Fri, Jan 14 | 4:30 p.m. | Fairfield at Loyola (Md.) | ESPNU |
Sat, Jan 15 | 8 p.m. | Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV: Vanderbilt at Tennessee |
ESPN |
Sun, Jan 16 | 1:30 p.m. | Oklahoma at Texas | ESPNU |
2 p.m. | Central Florida at Southern Methodist | ESPN2 | |
3:30 p.m. | Marquette at South Florida | ESPNU | |
4 p.m. | Illinois at Penn State | ESPN2 | |
Mon, Jan 17 | 7 p.m. | Big Monday: Connecticut at North Carolina | ESPN2 |
Sun, Jan 23 | 2 p.m. | St. John’s at Notre Dame | ESPNU |
4 p.m. | Vanderbilt at Kentucky | ESPNU | |
5 p.m. | North Carolina at Maryland | ESPN2 | |
Mon, Jan 24 | 4:30 p.m. | Texas Southern at Mississippi Valley State | ESPNU |
7 p.m. | Big Monday: Iowa at Ohio State | ESPN2 | |
Fri, Jan 28 | 4:30 p.m. | Manhattan at Canisius | ESPNU |
Sun, Jan 30 | 2 p.m. | Florida at Mississippi State | ESPNU |
4 p.m. | West Virginia at DePaul | ESPNU | |
5 p.m. | Georgia at LSU | ESPN2 | |
Mon, Jan 31 | 4:30 p.m. | Maryland- Eastern Shore at Hampton | ESPNU |
7 p.m. | Big Monday: Duke at Connecticut | ESPN2 | |
Sun, Feb 6 | Noon | Syracuse at Rutgers | ESPNU |
2 p.m. | Baylor at Oklahoma State | ESPNU | |
4 p.m. | South Carolina at Arkansas | ESPNU | |
Rivalry Week Presented by Cisco (Feb. 7-14) | |||
Mon, Feb 7 | 7 p.m. | Big Monday: Duke at North Carolina | ESPN2 |
9 p.m. | Big Monday: Tennessee at Kentucky | ESPN2 | |
Fri, Feb 11 | 4:30 p.m. | Marist at Iona | ESPNU |
Sun, Feb 13 | 2:30 p.m. | **February Frenzy: Michigan at Michigan State | ESPN2 |
2:30 p.m. | **February Frenzy: LSU at Kentucky | ESPN2 | |
2:30 p.m. | **February Frenzy: East Carolina at Houston | ESPN2 | |
2:30 p.m. | **February Frenzy: Georgetown at St. John’s | ESPN2 | |
5 p.m. | **February Frenzy: Kansas State at Iowa State | ESPN2 | |
5 p.m. | **February Frenzy: West Virginia at Louisville | ESPN2 | |
5 p.m. | **February Frenzy: Auburn at Arkansas | ESPN2 | |
5 p.m. | **February Frenzy: North Carolina State at Georgia Tech | ESPN2 | |
6 p.m. | February Frenzy: Tennessee at Vanderbilt | ESPNU | |
Mon, Feb 14 | 4:30 p.m. | Hampton at North Carolina A&T | ESPNU |
7 p.m. | February Frenzy/Big Monday: Oklahoma at Connecticut | ESPN2 | |
9 p.m. | February Frenzy/Big Monday: Texas A&M at Baylor | ESPN2 | |
Sun, Feb 20 | 3 p.m. | Maryland at Florida State | ESPN2 |
5 p.m. | Ohio State at Purdue | ESPN2 | |
5:30 p.m. | Georgetown at DePaul | ESPNU | |
Judgment Week (Feb. 21-27) | |||
Mon, Feb 21 | 4:30 p.m. | Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Prairie View A&M | ESPNU |
7 p.m. | Big Monday: Georgia at Tennessee | ESPN2 | |
9 p.m. | Big Monday: Texas at Iowa State | ESPN2 | |
Sun, Feb 27 | 2 p.m. | LSU at Tennessee | ESPNU |
4 p.m. | Xavier at Temple | ESPNU | |
5 p.m. | Baylor at Oklahoma | ESPN2 | |
Mon, Feb 28 | 4:30 p.m. | Morgan State at North Carolina A&T | ESPNU |
7 p.m. | Big Monday: St. John’s at West Virginia | ESPN2 | |
11 p.m. | Louisiana Tech at Nevada | ESPNU |
** Regionalized coverage
Championship Week Presented by DICK’s Sporting Goods (All games live, unless otherwise noted)
Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
Sat, Mar 5 | 4 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Semifinals (Nashville, Tenn.) | ESPNU |
6 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Semifinals (Nashville, Tenn.) | ESPNU | |
Sun, Mar 6 | Noon | BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle: Quarterfinal 1 (Hartford, Conn.) | ESPNU |
2 p.m. | BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle: Quarterfinal 2 (Hartford, Conn.) | ESPNU | |
3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Tournament: Final (Indianapolis, Ind.) | ESPN2 | |
5:30 p.m. | SEC Tournament: Final (Nashville, Tenn.) | ESPN2 | |
6 p.m. | BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle: Quarterfinal 3 (Hartford, Conn.) | ESPNU | |
8 p.m. | BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle: Quarterfinal 4 (Hartford, Conn.) | ESPNU | |
Mon, Mar 7 | 1 p.m. | MAAC Championship: Final (Bridgeport, Conn.) | ESPNU |
3 p.m. | West Coast Conference Championship:Final (Las Vegas, Nev.) | ESPNU | |
5 p.m. | Atlantic 10 Championship: Final (Lowell, Mass.) | ESPN2 | |
6 p.m. | BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle:Semifinal 1 (Hartford, Conn.) | ESPNU | |
8 p.m. | BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle:Semifinal 2 (Hartford, Conn.) | ESPNU | |
Tue, Mar 8 | 2 p.m. | Sun Belt Championship: Final (Hot Springs, Ark.) | ESPNU |
4 p.m. | Summit League Tournament: Final (Sioux Falls, S.D.) | ESPNU | |
7 p.m. | BIG EAST Championship Presented by American Eagle:Final (Hartford, Conn.) | ESPN | |
Sat, Mar 12 | 4 p.m. | WAC Tournament: Final (Las Vegas, Nev.) | ESPNU |
6 p.m. | SWAC Championship: Final (Garland, Texas) | ESPNU | |
Sun, Mar 13 | 11 a.m.* | MEAC Tournament: Final (Winston-Salem, NC) | ESPNU |
1 p.m. | Horizon League Championship: Final(campus of higher seed after quarterfinals) | ESPNU | |
3 p.m. | NEC Tournament: Final (campus of higher seed) | ESPNU |
* – Tape delay
NOTE: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU & ESPN3.com’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship schedule will be announced at a later date.
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