ESPN

[augustaTC]

I am still PO'd about the way ESPN mis-handled the start of the game. Why they couldn't transfer the Texas/FSU game to ESPN News and elected to do it with the UConn/SC game was so bad. At the very least they should have done a split screen until the other game finally exhausted itself. "Come on man".

 

[ju6381]

I am still PO'd about the way ESPN mis-handled the start of the game. Why they couldn't transfer the Texas/FSU game to ESPN News and elected to do it with the UConn/SC game was so bad. At the very least they should have done a split screen until the other game finally exhausted itself. "Come on man".

And if the UConn/South Carolina game had been first and going to OT was switched to show the start of another game how would you feel? That is how it is done, the game just starting will either be delayed a few minutes or start on another station.

 

[oldude]

In effect, ESPN stomped all over their own promotional efforts for the SC-UConn game by covering the TX-FSU game through 2 OT's and holding the start of the UConn game. I wonder what the effect on tv ratings was?

 

[veryolddog]

I prefer SNY. At least you have the game and can record it in it's entirety. I jumped to ESPN news and recorded that with 4 - 5 minutes into the game and then switched back to ESPN2 which had already set to recording. So now, I have the back end of the Florida State Texas game and the 35 minutes of the UConn game. You have to take what is served up.

 

[Uconnsdabest]

I am still PO'd about the way ESPN mis-handled the start of the game. Why they couldn't transfer the Texas/FSU game to ESPN News and elected to do it with the UConn/SC game was so bad. At the very least they should have done a split screen until the other game finally exhausted itself. "Come on man".

Think you need to remove the biased blinders off in this case. There was a 2-OT game. You can't leave that game for the start of another game. This is part of scheduling challenges that happen.

Of course I wanted to see the game on espn2 also, but I totally understand the reasons why it was moved to espnnews initially.

BTW, ESPN put in a ton of resources for the coverage of this game. Even though a few things could be better, Kudos to them.

 

[Brochacho]

I wouldn't blame ESPN, they did their best. Delayed the tip by 15 minutes, put the game on ESPNNews. I do know 3 groups you can blame:
1. WBB refs. They were kind of just making up the calls as they went along at the end of the Texas-FSU game.
2. The Texas coach. 3 seconds left and Florida State has no timeouts? Might as well take a timeout so they can draw up a play! Amazingly dumb.
3. The Texas defense. If you are going to call a timeout, at least have your team ready to play defense. The set up was obvious that the inbounder would take the 3, yet no one picked her up.

 

[Jeff H]

This is where I fault ESPN. The game was supposed to be on ESPN2 from the start. If it was I could have watched it on my phone or computer (in fact once they switched back to ESPN2 I could), but because it was temporarily on espnnews it was not available to me as espnnews is not part of my cable package. I get that I don't get things that are broadcast on channels I don't subscribe to, but when they're not supposed to be on those channels in the first place then I don't think it makes a lot of sense. However as frustrated as I was at the time, hard to be unhappy today. All is good in Huskyland as far as I'm concerned.

 

[augustaTC]

They switch "games in progress" to other stations all the time. Someone just made a bad call on which was of more importance. Yeah I'm super annoyed, but aside from that, ESPN spends big bucks promoting the match-up, which happens to include the team mainly responsible for the growing interest in WCBB, playing a very highly ranked/regarded opponent, for a unique potential win, and can't move the channels around better than they did? From a practical standpoint, better to annoy the people who want to see UConn/SC or the FSU/Texas fans? 'Nuff said. On to other issues. Have I mentioned how great Gabby was!

 

[CL82]

I prefer SNY. At least you have the game and can record it in it's entirety. I jumped to ESPN news and recorded that with 4 - 5 minutes into the game and then switched back to ESPN2 which had already set to recording. So now, I have the back end of the Florida State Texas game and the 35 minutes of the UConn game. You have to take what is served up.

Lol, tried to do that. I looked for ESPN news tuned to the channel and saw... nothing. I wasn't subscribed to it. D--n, quick over to the latop to get it on ESPN3 and... d--n it! access not allowed. CURSE YOU ESPN, curse you to heck....

 

[BigBird]

Current showing game stays, upcoming game moves. It's standard practice. While ESPN schedules tightly (during football season, way too tightly), this was a double OT. Nothing to do but play it out.

The media economy and shifts in audience behaviors have caused large lay-offs, including at ESPN. I am marginally amazed that they can function at all. What I get for what I pay still looks like a pretty good deal to me.

 

[Roger G]

Ironically, I think ESPN does women's basketball better than they do most things. I'm sick of their tendency to include politics and social justice nonsense into almost every context. But women's basketball has some good people, like Rebecca and Kara. Still they screwed up royally at the beginning of this game. I would have at least had the game available online after all that hype. Or kept the split screen. Or something professional. You would think this was amateur hour in Bristol.

 

[AndyCT]

Ironically, I think ESPN does women's basketball better than they do most things. I'm sick of their tendency to include politics and social justice nonsense into almost every context. But women's basketball has some good people, like Rebecca and Kara. Still they screwed up royally at the beginning of this game. I would have at least had the game available online after all that hype. Or kept the split screen. Or something professional. You would think this was amateur hour in Bristol.

Nice try, but the game was available online on ESPN3. I watched the game in its entirety from the beginning, cast on to my TV (no cable upstairs) and didn't know that it was actually ESPNU until it they mentioned the switch to ESPN2.

 

[Roger G]

Nice try, but the game was available online on ESPN3. I watched the game in its entirety from the beginning, cast on to my TV (no cable upstairs) and didn't know that it was actually ESPNU until it they mentioned the switch to ESPN2.

It wasn't ever on ESPNU. Nice try.

 

[Bronxjeff]

the problem was they didn't put a big banner running across the bottom of the screen letting you know to switch to news. They blinked a small flag to make the switch. Actually they should have announced on air the the alternate channel.

 

[meyers7]

I am still PO'd about the way ESPN mis-handled the start of the game. Why they couldn't transfer the Texas/FSU game to ESPN News and elected to do it with the UConn/SC game was so bad. At the very least they should have done a split screen until the other game finally exhausted itself. "Come on man".

Did Heidi teach you nothing??

 

[triaddukefan]

the problem was they didn't put a big banner running across the bottom of the screen letting you know to switch to news. They blinked a small flag to make the switch. Actually they should have announced on air the the alternate channel.

They did.... unless my ears deceived me.

 

[j66kicker]

the problem was they didn't put a big banner running across the bottom of the screen letting you know to switch to news. They blinked a small flag to make the switch. Actually they should have announced on air the the alternate channel.

They did. I had no problem at all. Saw the beginning of the game on ESPNNews after seeing several minutes of "Program Alert" banner announcing this, then switched seamlessly when they changed it back to ESPN2. Don't know what all the fuss is about. We did have to miss much of the 2nd OT of the FSU-Texas game, but who can predict double overtime?

 

[hoopsdiva]

I just wish they would replay the game in its entirety so I could get a complete recording.

 

[j66kicker]

I just wish they would replay the game in its entirety so I could get a complete recording.

It's up on WatchESPN, and also the video has been posted here

UConn vs. South Carolina Replay is Posted

 

[CMC'72]

I just wish they would replay the game in its entirety so I could get a complete recording.

Go to Streaming Online - WatchESPN

Find 'replays"

I already re-watched it 3 times!

Should I get a life??

 

[AndyCT]

It wasn't ever on ESPNU. Nice try.

You got me...News, U, doesn't matter since I wasn't watching either one. It was definitely on line in its entirety

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Even though I have been posting here since 2002, I am still somewhat of an *outsider* being a primary fan of another team/school (though I do have a Boneyard pin, courtesy of HuskyNan). Far be it from me to tell Boneyarders what to think/feel, but consider a few things about ESPN, with respect to this game:

- ESPN's GameDay did its first women's basketball broadcast from Storrs.
- Before the game, a full team of members from the ESPN College Sports Programming Team spoke to the UConn Sports Business Association.
- Last night, ESPN had two production trucks with two satellite trucks and a separate power unit.
- Of the 145 single-game credentials issued to media, 90 went to ESPN. An additional 25 members of the media with season credentials also showed up.
- Auriemma did a live interview with Steve Levy on ESPN Sports Center following the game.
- After the win, ESPN,. through the ESPN App, released a breaking news update about UConn's historic victory.
- In the days leading up to the game, the ESPN GameDay Crew (Reece Davis, Jay Bilas, Jay Williams, and Seth Greenberg) went out of their way to sing the praises of Geno Auriemma and UConn - during a GameDay broadcast of a men's game. Bilas said UConn's streak was more impressive than UCLA's streak because it was accomplished over a longer period of time. Bilas also noted that UConn is on its third streak - 70, 90, and (now) 100. Jay Williams said that the "haters" need to stop saying that Geno is only one of the best coaches in women's basketball and recognize that he is one of the best coaches in the game. Williams said it is "beyond brilliant" to win 100, because winning 100 games in a row at any level - "even middle school" is next to impossible. Seth Greenberg commented that not only does UConn defend every play and cut hard, but that the most impressive part of the streak is that UConn has not lost for over 818 days. Greenberg joked that usually a coach is lucky go two weeks without losing a game, while Geno Auriemma is working on a streak of over two years. Seth Greenberg also said UConn's streak is up there with the all-time greatest streaks in ANY sport. Bilas added to that, noting Edwin Moses' consecutive victories in the 400 meter hurdles

Is ESPN perfect? No. But no one is. Heck, EVEN GENO AURIEMMA *only* won 144 of 145 games, not all 145.

But kidding aside, ESPN has given UConn a tremendous amount of coverage and praise.

 

[tomcat]

Nice try, but the game was available online on ESPN3. I watched the game in its entirety from the beginning, cast on to my TV (no cable upstairs) and didn't know that it was actually ESPNU until it they mentioned the switch to ESPN2.

Wrong, bunkie. The game was on WatchESPN if and ONLY if your cable/satellite package contained ESPN News, which a lot of therm (including mine) do not. You happened to have that package so you got the game that way, start to finish, and I guess it never occurred to you that others would not have the same cable/satellite package that you do. It is hard for me to believe that someone with any experience on this board would not give BYers credit for maybe thinking that they might be able to get the game on another ESPN channel and then to....duh...actually try that channel. Just so ya know, a bunch of us did, and were told, as mentioned by another poster above, that you have to have subscribed to ESPN News to be able to get it on WatchESPN.

 

[BigBird]

Even though I have been posting here since 2002, I am still somewhat of an *outsider* being a primary fan of another team/school (though I do have a Boneyard pin, courtesy of HuskyNan). Far be it from me to tell Boneyarders what to think/feel, but consider a few things about ESPN, with respect to this game:

- ESPN's GameDay did its first women's basketball broadcast from Storrs.
- Before the game, a full team of members from the ESPN College Sports Programming Team spoke to the UConn Sports Business Association.
- Last night, ESPN had two production trucks with two satellite trucks and a separate power unit.
- Of the 145 single-game credentials issued to media, 90 went to ESPN. An additional 25 members of the media with season credentials also showed up.
- Auriemma did a live interview with Steve Levy on ESPN Sports Center following the game.
- After the win, ESPN,. through the ESPN App, released a breaking news update about UConn's historic victory.
- In the days leading up to the game, the ESPN GameDay Crew (Reece Davis, Jay Bilas, Jay Williams, and Seth Greenberg) went out of their way to sing the praises of Geno Auriemma and UConn - during a GameDay broadcast of a men's game. Bilas said UConn's streak was more impressive than UCLA's streak because it was accomplished over a longer period of time. Bilas also noted that UConn is on its third streak - 70, 90, and (now) 100. Jay Williams said that the "haters" need to stop saying that Geno is only one of the best coaches in women's basketball and recognize that he is one of the best coaches in the game. Williams said it is "beyond brilliant" to win 100, because winning 100 games in a row at any level - "even middle school" is next to impossible. Seth Greenberg commented that not only does UConn defend every play and cut hard, but that the most impressive part of the streak is that UConn has not lost for over 818 days. Greenberg joked that usually a coach is lucky go two weeks without losing a game, while Geno Auriemma is working on a streak of over two years. Seth Greenberg also said UConn's streak is up there with the all-time greatest streaks in ANY sport. Bilas added to that, noting Edwin Moses' consecutive victories in the 400 meter hurdles

Is ESPN perfect? No. But no one is. Heck, EVEN GENO AURIEMMA *only* won 144 of 145 games, not all 145.

But kidding aside, ESPN has given UConn a tremendous amount of coverage and praise.

Another disgustingly rational post. What is this board coming to?

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

They switch "games in progress" to other stations all the time. Someone just made a bad call on which was of more importance. Yeah I'm super annoyed, but aside from that, ESPN spends big bucks promoting the match-up, which happens to include the team mainly responsible for the growing interest in WCBB, playing a very highly ranked/regarded opponent, for a unique potential win, and can't move the channels around better than they did? From a practical standpoint, better to annoy the people who want to see UConn/SC or the FSU/Texas fans? 'Nuff said. On to other issues. Have I mentioned how great Gabby was!

No, they switch the on-coming game - all the time. While it is appropriate - but I get caught all the time because we watch EVERYTHING on tape, nothing live. So we miss the beginning of numerous games because we didn't know we had to switch. Especially problematic with NCAA softball tourney (regionals and super-regionals), where there are some games I want to see much more than others. And those games can run on forever, throw in rain-delays, and we actually missed one game we wanted to see entirely.