CBS College Sports Network
Since its corporate parent, CBS, holds the television rights to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, the rebranded CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) will have the most extensive lineup of any collegiate channel related to March Madness.
For the second year in a row, CBS College Sports Network will carry two live, first-round tournament games, one on March 20 and one on March 21. It also plans to telecast the “Official March Madness Highlight Show,” with scores, highlights and analysis, in addition to “March Madness Central,” which will air throughout the tournament during CBS Sports’ live game coverage.
CBS College Sports Network will be on location at various sites and plans to provide live coverage of all news conferences. The channel plans to carry the NABC All-Star Game from the Final Four site in San Antonio on April 4 (6 p.m. ET). It also plans to telecast the Division III men’s and women’s championships March 22.
ESPNU
The network will feature games from the postseason NIT tournament (six first-rounders and four second-rounders), plus eight games from the first two rounds of the NCAA women’s tournament.
It plans a “MasterCard NIT Selection Show” March 16 (9 p.m. ET), to be followed by “ESPNU Bracketology Presented by Staples” at 9:30 p.m. The next day, March 17, it plans to simulcast the “NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Special” (8 p.m. ET).
Coverage of the NIT and women’s NCAA
tournaments are among ESPNU’s plans.
ESPNU plans to telecast each of the Final Four news conferences after the semifinals during the men’s tournament, and plans to simulcast “SportsCenter” (April 6, 11 p.m. ET), “College GameDay” (April 7, 7:30 p.m. ET) and the “NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Special” (April 8, 7:30 p.m. ET).
Big Ten Network
The Big Ten Network will have its own NCAA selection show getting reactions from Big Ten Conference teams headed to the tournament. The studio show will feature Dave Revsine, Gene Keady and Jim Jackson offering analysis of teams and brackets.
The channel will follow conference teams throughout their tournament run, with on-site reports. The channel also plans to select one team that it will follow, providing all-access coverage, including shoot-arounds, team meetings, sideline updates and locker-room pep talks. The network completed such a series during the regular season, with “Minnesota Basketball: The Journey,” offering a behind-the-scenes look at Tubby Smith’s first year as the team’s head coach.
The mtn.
The mtn. plans to follow all Mountain West Conference teams throughout the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. It will offer an NCAA tournament preview March 19 that will focus on all Mountain West teams in the men’s and women’s tournaments, plus the NIT.
The channel plans to carry NCAA news conferences live for Mountain West teams and their opponents, and plans preview shows before Sweet 16 games involving Mountain West teams.
— Compiled by John Ourand
