Men's Hoops Selection Sunday Coverage Includes ESPNU Bracketology, Bob Knight, Second Annual MasterCard NIT Selection Show

Also, Four Hours of Coverage on ESPN Radio, Coverage on SportsCenter, ESPN.com and ESPN360.com

March 12, 2008 -- The final day of Championship Week, Sunday, March 16, will include daylong, multimedia coverage of Selection Sunday, when the men’s basketball NCAA Tournament brackets are determined. Selection Sunday will be highlighted by three hours of ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples on ESPN: a one-hour edition at 5 p.m. ET and a two-hour show at 7 p.m. (simulcast on ESPNU).

Also, Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Knight, the winningest coach in Division I men’s college basketball with 902 victories, will be one of ESPN’s many studio analysts during Selection Sunday.

ESPN’s Selection Sunday programs will feature on-screen graphics similar to the network’s NFL Draft coverage. The on-screen information before the release of the brackets will include bubble teams, records, teams that already have earned an automatic bid and more. After the brackets have been announced, the on-screen information will include game matchups and what team America is picking to win each game via ESPN.com polling.

Additional highlights (details below):

* ESPNU (simulcast on ESPN2) will televise the second annual MasterCard NIT Selection Show at 9 p.m. followed by a 90-minute ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples at 9:30 p.m. (simulcast on ESPN2).
* SportsCenter at 6 p.m. will provide up-to-the-minute analysis of the selections and brackets immediately after they are announced, as well as coaches’ interviews;
* ESPN Radio’s four-hour Selection Sunday show at 6 p.m. will provide extensive coverage of the NCAA Tournament brackets immediately after they are announced, along with analysis and interviews with coaches.
* ESPN.com will provide in-depth analysis, a breakdown of each bracket and the annual men’s and women’s tournament challenges. ESPN360, ESPN’s customized broadband service, will also offer coverage.

SELECTION SUNDAY SCHEDULE
Date Time (ET) Network Show
Sun. 3/16

5 p.m.
ESPN ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples
6 p.m. ESPN Radio Selection Sunday special
7 p.m. ESPN and ESPNU ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples
9 p.m. ESPNU and ESPN2 MasterCard NIT Selection Show
9:30 p.m. ESPNU and ESPN2 ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples

ESPN, ESPNU AND ESPN2 SELECTION SUNDAY SHOW DETAILS

* ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples at 5 p.m. on ESPN will provide the last word before the bracket is announced. Host Rece Davis, analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Bob Knight will discuss their number one seeds, the last teams in and out, the coaches on the bubble and more.
* ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples at 7 p.m. on ESPN (simulcast on ESPNU) will break down the bracket from top to bottom of each region. Host Davis and analysts Bilas, Phelps, Knight and Dick Vitale will discuss topics such as who was left out and provide their Elite Eight, Final Four and Championship teams. The show will include live interviews with several teams and coaches, as well as the NCAA Selection Committee Chairman.

* MasterCard NIT Selection Show at 9 p.m. on ESPNU (simulcast on ESPN2) returns as the first show dedicated to the announcement of the MasterCard NIT field. Host Mike Gleason and analysts Adrian Branch and Andy Katz will offer in-depth analysis of the matchups and discuss who was left out. The show will include a live interview with NIT Chair C.M. Newton about the bracket and selection process.
* ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU (simulcast on ESPN2) will feature additional analysis of the NCAA Tournament bracket. Host Lowell Galindo and analysts Branch and Katz will discuss every first-round game, who was left out and will project what teams will face each other in subsequent rounds.

Three of ESPN and ESPNU’s Selection Sunday analysts were head college basketball coaches who coached in the NCAA Tournament: Dick Vitale, Digger Phelps and Bob Knight (Jay Bilas was an assistant at Duke). In addition, analysts Knight, Bilas and Adrian Branch played in the NCAA Tournament.

SPORTSCENTER

The 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter will feature updates and analysis immediately after the tournament field is announced, with Rece Davis and studio analysts Phelps, Bilas and Knight, as well as Vitale. Additionally, SportsCenter will have reports from bubble teams as they watch their fate being decided. The 11 p.m. SportsCenter will offer comprehensive analysis of the brackets. Each show will feature interviews with coaches.

ESPN RADIO

Mike Tirico will host ESPN Radio’s special Selection Sunday coverage March 16 from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Tirico will be joined by Scott Van Pelt (6-8 p.m.) and Bob Valvano (8-10 p.m.) to announce and analyze the NCAA men’s basketball tournament seedings with opinion and interviews with key players, coaches and tournament officials.

ESPN.COM AND ESPN360

On both Selection Sunday (Men’s) and Selection Monday (Women’s), ESPN.com will integrate with ESPN’s television coverage, providing dynamically updated “National Bracket” information that reflects the real-time collective tournament predictions of sports fans nationwide. Within minutes of team selections, complete brackets will be available, along with profiles of all 65 teams, breakdowns of each regional by ESPN.com’s Andy Katz, interactive polls and a special NCAA Tournament edition of Pat Forde's “Forde Minutes” column.

Additionally, ESPN.com and ESPN’s mobile initiatives will also deliver in-depth coverage and interaction leading up to, and straight through, both Selection Sunday and Selection Monday. Coverage includes:

Selection Sunday

* Bracketology: Fans can consult the original “Bracketologist” Joe Lunardi in the Bracketology section of ESPN.com. Each year, Lunardi breaks down the NCAA Tournament hopefuls, maintains a constantly changing bracket of potential seedings, and provides analysis. In the past eight seasons, Lunardi has missed just 10 teams in his final projections.
* Bubble Watch: ESPN.com’s special section returns and examines the up-and-down fortunes of teams on the bubble, trying to earn a tournament bid.
* News, Information, Analysis: ESPN.com’s Katz, Forde, Dana O’Neil and Kyle Whelliston, along with ESPN’s Dick Vitale, Fran Fraschilla and Jay Bilas provide news, insight, analysis and commentary on the latest developments in college hoops.
* Online Video: ESPN.com will feature extensive online video from ESPN studio programs and analysis from ESPN experts.

* ESPN Podcasts: ESPN’s Podcenter and the Apple iTunes Store will feature the ESPNU College Basketball Insider podcast throughout the tournament.
* Mobile Video: ESPN MVP, available at no charge as part of VCAST vPak from Verizon Wireless, will feature exclusive video on teams to watch, potential busts and expert analysis featuring ESPN personalities. ESPN Mobile TV will offer individual team capsules (available via MediaFlo and MobiTV).
* College Hoops Blogs: ESPN.com blogs maintained and updated regularly by Bilas, Katz and other ESPN experts.
* Live Chat: ESPN’s SportsNation’s live chat will give fans the floor from 5-8 p.m. on Selection Sunday, to consult analysts and experts and add to the nationwide dialogue and debate.
* Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Tournament Guide: Exclusive to ESPN.com, the online guide offers more than 100 pages of insight and analysis, including in-depth statistics, for all 65 teams.
* Matchup simulations: Accuscore statistical game simulations on ESPN.com will forecast the outcome of every tournament game, with each result based on the average outcome for 10,000 game simulations.
* ESPN Mobile Web: ESPN’s industry-leading wireless Web site will have special featured sections on each bracket region and a bracket tips and insights section.

Source: ESPN

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