• State Farm Champions Classic, Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona and ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by Continental Tire Highlight Early-Season Schedule
• Former Kansas Jayhawk and Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning Joins ESPN

ESPN networks are expected to present nearly 2,500 men’s college basketball games across 27 conferences during the 2020-21 season. Bringing the best players, matchups and stories to viewers, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ABC, ESPNEWS, SEC Network, ACC Network, Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and Longhorn Network will air hundreds of games each week, including digital platforms ESPN3, ESPN+, SEC Network+ and ACCNX.

Schedule Highlights

• State Farm Champions Classic will tip off December play on ESPN, with No. 9 Duke vs. No. 13 Michigan State and No. 6 Kansas vs. No. 10 Kentucky on Tuesday, Dec. 1 (7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET)
• Jimmy V Men’s Classic Presented by Corona to be played Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, featuring 12 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Gonzaga (7 p.m., ESPN) and No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 8 Illinois (10 p.m., ESPN)
• College Hoops on ABC: ABC will have a number of men’s college basketball matchups on Saturday afternoons this January and February
• Under the Spotlight: Franchise programming, including Big Monday, Super Tuesday Presented by Progressive, Saturday Primetime Presented by H&R Block and Sonic Blockbuster return, highlighting marquee matchups throughout the season
• Challenge Accepted: ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by Continental Tire (Dec. 8-9) and SEC/Big 12 Challenge Presented by Continental Tire (Saturday, Jan. 30)
• ESPN+, the industry-leading direct-to-consumer streaming service, will feature more than 20 conferences, including The American, America East, Atlantic 10, ASUN, Big South, Horizon, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Southern and Southland, as well as Big 12 Now on ESPN+

College Networks

• SEC Network: SEC Network is home to upwards of 100 men’s basketball preseason and regular season showdowns. Regular season action tips off with Morehead State vs. Kentucky on Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 6 p.m. For more info, click here.
• ACC Network: ACCN is slated to air more than 100 regular-season games this season, with Evansville at Louisville tipping off the season on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The network game schedule is available here.
• Big 12 Now on ESPN+: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ will carry nearly 50 men’s college basketball games this season, with all ten Big 12 schools making multiple appearances on the platform. Fans can subscribe at espnplus.com.
• Longhorn Network: LHN, ESPN’s 24-hour network devoted to The University of Texas, will televise eight men’s basketball matchups during the 2020-21 basketball season.

Best Voices in the Sport
ESPN’s college basketball coverage will be enhanced by the best voices in the sport, with commentators bringing their knowledge, experience and analysis across all ESPN platforms. Danny Manning, all-time leading scorer at the University of Kansas and former Wake Forest head coach for the past six seasons, brings playing and coaching experience to the network as he joins ESPN’s commentator roster.

• Play-by-play duties will be handled by a number of commentators, including Jason Benetti, Kevin Brown, Mike Corey, Mike Couzens, Rece Davis, Dave Flemming, Tom Hart, Rich Hollenberg, Courtney Lyle, Sean McDonough, Beth Mowins, Dave Pasch, Roy Philpott, Jon Sciambi, Doug Sherman, Dan Shulman, Anish Shroff, Karl Ravech, and Bob Wischusen, among others
• Game analysts include Cory Alexander, Deb Antonelli, Jay Bilas, Jon Crispin, Dan Dakich, Jimmy Dykes, Sean Farnham, Fran Fraschilla, Robbie Hummel, Chris Spatola, Bill Walton, Brooke Weisbrod, Dick Vitale and others.
• Fans will continue to see familiar faces as Kris Budden, Molly McGrath, Holly Rowe and Allison Williams, as well as Katie George (ACCN), return to bring news and reports from the sidelines
• The College GameDay Covered by State Farm team of host Rece Davis and analysts Bilas, LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg return this season.
• SEC Network will feature analysts Antonelli, Pat Bradley, Dane Bradshaw, Daymeon Fishback, Joe Kleine, Jon Sundvold and Mark Wise, as well as play-by-play commentators Richard Cross, Kevin Fitzgerald, Tom Hart, Mike Morgan, Dave Neal and Philpott
  • Studio coverage will be provided by Bradley, Dykes and Fishback
• ACC Network coverage will include analysts Alexander, Dan Bonner, Paul Biancardi, Jordan Cornette, Malcolm Huckaby and Spatola
  • Play by play duties will be handled by Jay Alter, Chris Cotter, Wes Durham, Mike Monoco, Dave O’Brien and Anish Shroff; ACCN’s signature basketball studio show, Nothing But Net, will include Carlos Boozer, Dalen Cuff and Luke Hancock

• Longhorn Network will surround the network’s exclusive Texas men’s basketball games with studio programming that includes Game Plan with Shaka Smart and Lowell Galindo. Galindo will call play-by-play for the network alongside analyst Lance Blanks

To welcome back the sport and kickoff the new season, this year’s tip-off marketing campaign showcases the best of college hoops on ESPN featuring Jay Bilas.

ESPN Networks Television Schedule (subject to change)
Please note: Due to the ongoing changes related to the college basketball season, ESPN will unveil TV and digital schedules on a week-to-week basis. Schedule changes will be reflected here, as well as @ESPNPR.

ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by Continental Tire

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Media contact: Anna Negrón at [email protected] or 860-256-1757; @ItsAnnaNegron