ESPN, SEC Network plan blanket coverage of USC-UConn

[jostar1]

No. 2 South Carolina’s Monday showdown with No. 1 Connecticut at Colonial Life Arena will have plenty of buildup and coverage through ESPN and the SEC Network.

This season’s matchup of the nation’s top two teams will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 as part of its Big Monday lineup with Dave O’Brien, analyst Doris Burke and reporter Maria Taylor calling the game.

SportsCenter anchor Zubin Mehenti will also be at Colonial Life Arena for live segments during the 6 p.m. edition of the show.

SEC Network will be present as well with The Paul Finebaum Show broadcasting live from the Colonial Life Arena floor from 3 to 7 p.m., with scheduled guests to include Staley, men’s basketball coach Frank Martin, football coach Will Muschamp, former football coach Steve Spurrier and athletics director Ray Tanner.

SEC Now will close out the night’s activities with Taylor anchoring the show from Colonial Life Arena with analysts Andy Landers and Nell Fortner.

Among other specific features planned, according to ESPN:

▪ Pending wins in games before Monday (the Huskies play East Carolina on Saturday), elements highlighting UConn’s 58-game win streak and South Carolina’s 45-game home win streak.

▪ Explore the Olympic connection between head coaches Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley

▪ Rebecca Lobo visits the UConn campus and spends time with UConn senior Breanna Stewart to discuss this landmark season for her and the Huskies

▪ espnW.com columnist Mechelle Voepel will be on site in Columbia providing live coverage and postgame content. Voepel will profile South Carolina seniors Tiffany Mitchell and Khadijah Sessions and how they are preparing for the biggest home game of their careers.

▪ Voepel also will look back at the longstanding history between Staley and Auriemma, who first faced each other in the 1990s, when Staley’s Virginia Cavs met the Huskies in the Final Four. The piece will also feature a video segment of the two coaches – who work side-by-side on the USA Basketball staff.

▪ Once the game tips, WNBA player and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike will be answering questions in an hour-long Twitter Q&A. Follow along with the hashtag #HoopsWithChiney.


Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/sports/coll...basketball/article58639193.html#storylink=cpy

 

[jostar1]

Matt Connolly ‏@MattatTheState · 6h6 hours ago  Spartanburg, SC
Never in my wildest dreams could have imagined South Carolina women's basketball tickets selling for more than USC-Clemson football tickets.

Matt Connolly ‏@MattatTheState · 2h2 hours ago  Converse, SC
Reserved seats for USC-UConn women's basketball on stubhub for between $231-$404. College football national title tickets started at $120.


Matt Connolly
@MattatTheState
sports reporter covering South Carolina, Clemson and recruiting for The State and http://GoGamecocks.com

 

[BoatShow]

But WBB doesn't bring value...

 

[Dooley]

I admit to being in the camp that didn't believe in our WBB value in CR, but hot damn this is something. I would love to see ratings for this game going up against some pretty good MBB competition, as mentioned in the other thread about this.

The year round content UConn provides from the 3 headed revenue sport monster is unparalleled in the G5 and by more than half of the grandfathered P5 athletic departments. No doubt about that.

 

[FDNY99]

I admit to being in the camp that didn't believe in our WBB value in CR, but hot damn this is something. I would love to see ratings for this game going up against some pretty good MBB competition, as mentioned in the other thread about this.

The year round content UConn provides from the 3 headed revenue sport monster is unparalleled in the G5 and by more than half of the grandfathered P5 athletic departments. No doubt about that.

Imagine when Cav gets the hockey program up and running the way he wants...and add to that Pender's baseball program...

 

[upstater]

The Beanpot is tomorrow night. It will dominate all competition. The nation will tune into NESN. BC v. BU.

 

[HoopsFan21]

ESPN did this kind of coverage for last year's game as well when it was at Gampel. Geno was on the pre-game show, I think they had some other UConn former WBB players as well. We have the undisputed greatest women's basketball program of all time, and from a media standpoint, the program is treated as royalty. Half of the team's games are nationally broadcast each season - something like 19 of them once you add in the post-season coverage. The women's team was also the only one getting first night coverage on ESPN for a while. The best thing about our women's team is that it is constantly in the (media) spotlight which gets the UCONN brand extra air time that other schools will never have. Plus they are winners, and everyone loves a winner, just ask Trump.

 

[MattMang23]

ESPN did this kind of coverage for last year's game as well when it was at Gampel. Geno was on the pre-game show, I think they had some other UConn former WBB players as well. We have the undisputed greatest women's basketball program of all time, and from a media standpoint, the program is treated as royalty. Half of the team's games are nationally broadcast each season - something like 19 of them once you add in the post-season coverage. The women's team was also the only one getting first night coverage on ESPN for a while. The best thing about our women's team is that it is constantly in the (media) spotlight which gets the UCONN brand extra air time that other schools will never have. Plus they are winners, and everyone loves a winner, just ask Trump.

Outside of Connecticut people look at UConn as "that women's basketball school" which always bothered me because we are a basketball school, period. Just last year someone in Knoxville, Tennessee told me we were "just a women's basketball school." (Actually his exact words were "UConn, huh? That's a girls basketball school" and he emphasized girls.) I reminded him about our four men's titles and then further reminded him that women's basketball is also the most successful sport at his school, too, which by his definition would make UT "just a women's basketball school."

While I would like for our men's team to get the credit it deserves, I'm very proud to have a women's team as awesome as we have. At least other people around the country don't look at us like some other schools: that loser school that has never won anything. (Rutgers, I'm looking at you)

If the women help us in realignment I'll be a "women's basketball school" all day.

 

[Tenspro2002]

But WBB doesn't bring value...

This is an argument I never understood.

Does WBB draw eyeballs nationally? Not necessarily.

Does it draw eyeballs in the state of Connecticut and in scattered pockets across the country that would be an audience to networks of the B1G, XII, or ACC? Absolutely.

 

[BUConn10]

Outside of Connecticut people look at UConn as "that women's basketball school" which always bothered me because we are a basketball school, period. Just last year someone in Knoxville, Tennessee told me we were "just a women's basketball school." (Actually his exact words were "UConn, huh? That's a girls basketball school" and he emphasized girls.) I reminded him about our four men's titles and then further reminded him that women's basketball is also the most successful sport at his school, too, which by his definition would make UT "just a women's basketball school."

While I would like for our men's team to get the credit it deserves, I'm very proud to have a women's team as awesome as we have. At least other people around the country don't look at us like some other schools: that loser school that has never won anything. (Rutgers, I'm looking at you)

If the women help us in realignment I'll be a "women's basketball school" all day.

This person sounds like a moron.

 

[MattMang23]

This person sounds like a moron.

This person was a mid-70s year old southern man (kind way of saying "hick") enjoying a third-rate whiskey sitting next to me at a fine Knoxville bar. The kind of guy who still calls women "girls" and no doubt still calls black people "coloreds." To my surprise he saw my UConn shirt (surprising because he was able to actually know what word the letters on the shirt spelled, not because I was sitting belly up to the bar and reading the word would have been difficult).

So, yeah. This person was a moron.

 

[huskeynut]

For those not paying attention - UCONN women's basketball is a dynasty. You don't win 10 national championships by accident.

I am not surprised at the ticket prices. This is big time college sports. Our WCBB program definately brings value to the CR debate.

 

[Marty Jackson]

The Beanpot is tomorrow night. It will dominate all competition. The nation will tune into NESN. BC v. BU.

Ct should do a hockey tournament with uconn, Yale, quinnipiac and sacred heart.

 

[blue93]

This person was a mid-70s year old southern man (kind way of saying "hick") enjoying a third-rate whiskey sitting next to me at a fine Knoxville bar. The kind of guy who still calls women "girls" and no doubt still calls black people "coloreds." To my surprise he saw my UConn shirt (surprising because he was able to actually know what word the letters on the shirt spelled, not because I was sitting belly up to the bar and reading the word would have been difficult).

So, yeah. This person was a moron.

You were in knoxville.... Of course that guy sees us as a women's basketball school. That's the only connection they have to us. I wouldn't lump the rest of the country into that mindset.

 

[MattMang23]

You were in knoxville.... Of course that guy sees us as a women's basketball school. That's the only connection they have to us. I wouldn't lump the rest of the country into that mindset.

I haven't just heard it there but that's the most recent incident so it's fresh in my mind.

 

[MattMang23]

Ct should do a hockey tournament with uconn, Yale, quinnipiac and sacred heart.

You can thank Yale for that not happening yet. We play the other two schools regularly.

 

[blue93]

I haven't just heard it there but that's the most recent incident so it's fresh in my mind.

Gotcha. I mean when a program is as dominant as our WBB is, it's easy to make the association. I don't view that as a a bad thing though. I think the average sports fan knows our men's program is a winner, and the football team has had their moments over the past decade as well. I don't think we're viewed as a one trick pony by any means.

 

[Marty Jackson]

You can thank Yale for that not happening yet. We play the other two schools regularly.

In a tournament?
How is what you are saying different from the schools playing in the bean pot. Don't bu, bc, and nu play regularly?

 

[MattMang23]

My point was only that we don't have a tournament because of Yale. I mentioned playing the other schools regularly to show that it isn't the other two who are opposed to playing us.

 

[lne001]

I would love to see ratings for this game going up against some pretty good MBB competition, as mentioned in the other thread about this.

Monday night is very, very light for men's basketball, but Louisville vs Duke will be on ESPN at 7:00. You will not find that ratings comparison to be 'lovable.'

 

[FDNY99]

In a tournament?
How is what you are saying different from the schools playing in the bean pot. Don't bu, bc, and nu play regularly?

You never heard of the push for the tournament ..it was mentioned to call it the Tim Taylor Cup..UConn/Cav, SHU/Marotollo, QU/Pecknold were all in..Yale/Allain bailed because he didn't want to limit his OOC schedule by committing to 2 games in this tournament. Google it...you'll find some articles about it

 

[huskymike]

Ct should do a hockey tournament with uconn, Yale, quinnipiac and sacred heart.

There is interest. I believe a big hurdle is the ECAC (Yale) out of conference schedule. QU/UConn?SH are all on board and hoping to get something done.

 

[MattMang23]

There is interest. I believe a big hurdle is the ECAC (Yale) out of conference schedule. QU/UConn?SH are all on board and hoping to get something done.

QU is in the ECAC too. I think the hurdle is just Yale.

 

[HuskyHawk]

UConn to the SEC!

In all seriousness, this is the impact of UConn WBB. It built the Notre Dame program, which was nothing until playing us regularly in the BE. That's the ultimate impact. Any league that gets UConn will (1) dominate WBB in short order, as even players who don't go to UConn want to go to a school that plays UConn and (2) will see attendance and ratings multiplied significantly across the board. Grossly underestimated by the talking heads and even the conference leaders.

 

[housekeys]

Monday night is very, very light for men's basketball, but Louisville vs Duke will be on ESPN at 7:00. You will not find that ratings comparison to be 'lovable.'

You may be in for a surprise. This is about eye-balls and there are a lot of AARP eyes who don't know the difference between Coach K and Special K, who love to watch "the girls" play. Add to the fact that this is another chance for the southern states to chant "SEC" and I think the ratings could be interesting. The problem may be UConn. If the game gets out of hand, the rating could suffer. We will see.