NBA ALL-STAR GAME
SPRING TRAINING BEGINS, COLLEGE HOOPS, MOTORSPORTS & MORE
- ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour Begins in Arizona
- College GameDay Covered by State Farm Returns to No. 14 Kansas and Allen Fieldhouse
- Men’s College Hoops: Rivalry Week Continues with Six of Top Seven in Action
- Women’s College Basketball: 12-Game Play 4Kay Initiative Capped by No. 1 Baylor at No. 3 UConn
- NASCAR Now Daytona Media Day Special Airs Thursday
- NHRA Season Opener on ESPN2, ESPN3 from Pomona
- BoyzIIMen and Sammi “Sweetheart” Guests on UNITE Valentine’s Day Special
- Jeremy Lin Helps Elevate SportsCenter‘s Game
- ESPN Conference Call with NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
- espnW.com: Women’s College Hoops Player of the Week, LPGA Preview, and espnW Celebrates Black History Month
ESPN to Present Star-Studded 2013 Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game
contacts: ben.cafardo@espn.com and kristen.m.hudak@espn.com
ESPN will present the 2013 Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. ET, from the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Mark Jones will provide commentary with analyst Jon Barry and reporter Chris Broussard. The game will also be available via ESPN Mobile TV and on computers, tablets and smartphones via WatchESPN. NBA All-Stars Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) and James Harden (Houston Rockets) will serve as the head coaches during the Celebrity Game. ESPN’s Bruce Bowen (NBA analyst) and Ryen Russillo (ESPN Radio’s SVP & Russillo) are among the celebrity participants. The full list is available on ESPN Media Zone.
ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour Begins in Arizona
contacts: ben.cafardo@espn.com and kristen.m.hudak@espn.com
ESPN’s 2013 Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour will begin its journey through MLB Spring Training sites in Arizona and Florida today, Monday, Feb. 11, with a visit to the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale, Ariz. Each visit includes player and manager interviews, in-depth perspective on the team’s camp and discussion of off-season storylines in advance of the 2013 MLB season. Tour content will be featured in Baseball Tonight, which airs weekdays generally at 3 p.m. on ESPN2 and via WatchESPN with additional SportsCenter segments each day.
This week, veteran ESPN MLB Insider Tim Kurkjian will be joined by ESPN MLB commentators Curt Schilling, Rick Sutcliffe and Karl Ravech to visit the Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics.
| Date | Time (ET) | Program | Team |
| Mon, Feb 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Karl Ravech, Tim Kurkjian, Curt Schilling, Rick Sutcliffe |
San Francisco Giants –Scottsdale, Ariz. |
| Tues, Feb 12 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling, Sutcliffe |
L.A. Dodgers –Glendale, Ariz. |
| Wed, Feb 13 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling |
L.A. Angels –Tempe, Ariz. |
| Thurs, Feb 14 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling, Sutcliffe |
Texas Rangers –Surprise, Ariz. |
| Fri, Feb 15 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Ravech, Kurkjian, Schilling |
Oakland Athletics –Phoenix, Ariz. |
College GameDay Covered by State Farm Returns to No. 14 Kansas and Allen Fieldhouse
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm will stop at the University of Kansas and Allen Fieldhouse for a fifth time, the most of any school for the show, in advance of the Saturday Primetime presented by DIRECTV matchup between Texas at No. 14 Kansas on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 9 p.m. on ESPN. GameDay’s first hour begins at 10 a.m. on ESPNU, continuing at 11 a.m. on ESPN, plus a one-hour edition at 8 p.m. on ESPN. GameDay and the featured game are also available on ESPN 3D and WatchESPN. Previous GameDay visits include 2005, ’07, ’08 and ’11.
Rece Davis hosts for College GameDay, joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Jalen Rose to preview all the day’s action and discuss the biggest storylines in college basketball. Full College GameDay Schedule; College GameDay Images
Men’s College Hoops: Rivalry Week Continues with Six of Top Seven in Action
contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com
Rivalry Week Presented by Wendy’s – top rivalries in men’s college basketball from February 11-18 – will continue this week with telecasts involving six of the top-seven ranked teams. ESPN will televise the top two squads Saturday, Feb. 16: No. 1 Indiana against Purdue at 2 p.m. and No. 2 Duke at Maryland at 6 p.m. The weekly ESPNU ACC Sunday Night Basketball series February 17 will showcase No. 3 Miami at Clemson at 6 p.m.
In addition, Danny Kanell, Reese Waters and Marianela Pereyra – hosts of ESPNU’s weeknight UNITE program – will take the late-night show on the road to call Iona at Manhattan on Friday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. UNITE often follows ESPNU’s games with Waters and Kanell providing analysis, highlights and interviews with the game’s coaches and players. Doug Sherman will call play-by-play with Kanell and Waters giving analysis and Marianela reporting.
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 schedule through February 17:
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup/Commentators | Network |
| Thu, Feb 14 | 7 p.m. | No. 20 Wisconsin at Minnesota Joe Tessitore & Sean Farnham |
ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | LSU at South Carolina Rece Davis & Kara Lawson |
ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Belmont at Tennessee State Rich Hollenberg & Adrian Branch |
ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | Clemson at Georgia Tech | ESPN3 * & RSN ^ | |
| 8:30 p.m. | Siena at Fairfield Doug Sherman & Rob Kennedy |
ESPN3 | |
| 8:30 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin at Nicholls State | ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | St. John’s at No. 12 Louisville Mike Patrick & Jimmy Dykes |
ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | UCLA at California Dave Pasch & Bill Walton |
ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | Iowa at Penn State Dan Gutowsky & Malcolm Huckaby |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | No. 5 Gonzaga at St. Mary’s (Calif.) Dave Flemming & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN2 | |
| 11 p.m. | USC at Stanford Roxy Bernstein & Miles Simon |
ESPNU | |
| Fri, Feb 15 | 7 p.m. | Iona at Manhattan Doug Sherman, Danny Kanell, Reese Waters & Marianela Peyeyra |
ESPNU |
| 7 p.m. | Vermont at Stony Brook Eric Frede & Frank Sullivan |
ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | Niagara at Marist Bob Huessler & Rob Kennedy |
ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 15 Georgetown at Cincinnati John Saunders & Bob Knight |
ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Green Bay at Cleveland State Jim Barbar & Malcolm Huckaby |
ESPNU | |
| Sat, Feb 16 | 11 a.m. | Kent State at Ohio Joe Davis & Brooke Weisbrod |
ESPNU |
| Noon | Villanova at Connecticut Mike Patrick & Len Elmore |
ESPN | |
| Noon | Xavier at Dayton Mike Crispino & Stephen Bardo |
ESPN2 | |
| Noon | No. 21 Notre Dame at Providence Eamon McAnaney & Bob Wenzel |
ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network | |
| Noon | Virginia at North Carolina | ESPN3 * & ACC Network | |
| Noon | Boston College at Florida State | ESPN3 * & ACC Network | |
| 1 p.m. | Rutgers at DePaul Beth Mowins & Tim Welsh |
ESPNU | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Oklahoma at No. 17 Oklahoma State Dave Armstrong & Bryndon Manzer |
ESPN3 * & Big 12 Network | |
| 1:30 p.m. | TCU at Iowa State Chad McKee & Kevin Lehman |
ESPN3 * & Big 12 Network | |
| 1:30 p.m. | No. 7 Florida at Auburn Clay Matvick & Joe Dean |
ESPN3 & SEC Network | |
| 2 p.m. | Purdue at No. 1 Indiana Bob Wischusen & Dan Dakich |
ESPN | |
| 2 p.m. | Virginia Tech at NC State Carter Blackburn & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN2 | |
| 2 p.m. | Charleston Southern at UNC Asheville | ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Kennesaw State at USC Upstate | ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Wake Forest | ESPN3 * & RSN ^ | |
| 3 p.m. | Creighton at Evansville Mitch Holthus & Mark Adams |
ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | UCLA at Stanford Dave Pasch & Bill Walton |
ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| 4 p.m. | Missouri at Arkansas Mark Jones & Jimmy Dykes |
ESPN or ESPN2 | |
| 4 p.m. | Georgia Southern at College of Charleston | ESPN3 | |
| 4 p.m. | South Carolina at Alabama Dave Baker & Jon Sundvold |
ESPN3 & SEC Network | |
| 4 p.m. | Texas Tech at West Virginia Mark Neely & Rich Zvosec |
ESPN3 * & Big 12 Network | |
| 5 p.m. | Mississippi State at LSU Tom Hart & Matt Doherty |
ESPNU | |
| 6 p.m. | No. 2 Duke at Maryland Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Jeannine Edwards |
ESPN | |
| 6 p.m. | Detroit at Valparaiso TBD |
ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Baylor at No. 10 Kansas State Brad Sham & Bob Valvano |
ESPNU | |
| 8 p.m. | Georgia at Ole Miss TBD |
ESPN2 | |
| 8 p.m. | No. 6 Syracuse at Seton Hall Mike Corey & Jim Spanarkel |
ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network | |
| 9 p.m. | Texas at No. 14 Kansas Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas & Holly Rowe |
ESPN / ESPN 3D | |
| 9 p.m. | Arizona State at Colorado Dave Flemming & Sean Farnham |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | New Mexico State at Utah State Roxy Bernstein & Corey Williams |
ESPNU | |
| Sun, Feb 17 | 1 p.m. | No. 12 Louisville at South Florida Rich Hollenberg & Bob Wenzel |
ESPN |
| 2 p.m. | Green Bay at Youngstown State | ESPN3 | |
| 4 p.m. | Marist at Rider Bob Huessler & Rob Kennedy |
ESPN3 | |
| 6 p.m. | No. 3 Miami at Clemson Carter Blackburn, Jay Williams & Allison Williams |
ESPNU | |
| 8 p.m. | Wichita State at Illinois State Mitch Holthus & Mark Adams |
ESPNU |
* Local blackout may apply
Women’s College Basketball: 12-Game Play 4Kay Initiative Capped by No. 1 Baylor at No. 3 UConn
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
A full slate of games on ESPN3 and the annual Play 4Kay initiative round out ESPN’s women’s college basketball schedule this week. Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 13, this week’s schedule will feature 13 exclusive games and culminate with No. 1 Baylor at No. 3 Connecticut on Monday, Feb. 18, at 9 p.m. as the last of 12 games in the two-day Play 4Kay initiative on ESPN2’s Big Monday Presented by Bud Light series.
Highlights:
- Clemson travels to No. 7 Maryland in an ACC battle Thursday, Feb. 14, at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
- Pittsburgh takes on No. 23 Syracuse in a BIG EAST matchup Saturday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m. on ESPN3 and the syndicated BIG EAST Network.
- An SEC tilt between No. 16 South Carolina at Mississippi on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m. on ESPN3 and the syndicated SEC Network.
- Play 4Kay on Sunday, February 17, and Monday, February 18, features an event-high 24 teams across ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 and includes 12 teams ranked in the Associated Press Poll. The schedule also includes six matchups featuring a top-10 team, three top 25 games and a powerhouse contest between No. 1 Baylor and No. 3 Connecticut.
Weekly Women’s Basketball Schedule (Subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Network(s) |
| Wed, Feb 13 | 7 p.m. | Maine at Hartford | ESPN3 |
| Thu, Feb 14 | 6 p.m. | Canisius at Fairfield Dean Darling & Julianne Viani |
ESPN3 |
| 6:30 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin at Nicholls State | ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | NC State at Florida State | ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Clemson at No. 7 Maryland Michele Smith & Steffi Sorensen |
ESPN3 | |
| Fri, Feb 15 | 5 p.m. | Niagara at Marist Ed Cohen & Julianne Viani |
ESPNU / WatchESPN |
| Sat, Feb 16 | noon | Chattanooga at College of Charleston | ESPN3 |
| 2 p.m. | Pittsburgh at No. 23 Syracuse Bob Picozzi & LaChina Robinson |
BIG EAST Network / ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Radford at Liberty | ESPN3 | |
| 4:30 p.m. | Kennesaw State at USC Upstate | ESPN3 | |
| 5 p.m. | Florida Gulf Coast at Lipscomb | ESPN3 | |
| Sun, Feb 17 | 1 p.m. | Loyola (Md.) at Rider Dean Darling & Phyllis Mangina |
ESPN3 |
| 2 p.m. | Albany at Hartford Eric Frede & Leah Secondo |
ESPN3 | |
| No. 16 South Carolina at Mississippi Cara Capuano & Steffi Sorensen |
SEC Network / ESPN3 | ||
| Mon, Feb 18 | 4:30 p.m. | Norfolk State at Hampton Melissa Lee & Christy Winters Scott |
ESPNU / WatchESPN |
| 7 p.m. | Mercer at USC Upstate | ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | Stetson at Lipscomb | ESPN3 |
2013 Play 4Kay Schedule (Subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Network(s) |
| Sun, Feb 17 | 1:30 p.m. | DePaul at No. 10 Louisville Jim Barbar & Sonya Beeler |
ESPNU / WatchESPN |
| 2:30 p.m. | **No. 2 Notre Dame at Marquette Pam Ward &Stephanie White |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| **No. 22 Oklahoma at Kansas Holly Rowe & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | ||
| **Georgia Tech at NC State Joe Davis & Deb Antonelli |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | ||
| **Alabama at Auburn Clay Matvick & Brooke Weisbrod |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | ||
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 4 Stanford at No. 15 UCLA Rich Cellini & Rosalyn Gold-Onwude |
ESPNU / WatchESPN | |
| 5 p.m. | **No. 7 Maryland at Virginia Melissa Lee & LaChina Robinson |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | |
| **Cincinnati at St. John’sBob Picozzi & Rebecca Lobo | ESPN2 / ESPN3 | ||
| **Vanderbilt at No. 12 Tennessee Adam Amin & Maria Taylor |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | ||
| **Iowa at No. 18 Purdue Beth Mowins & Nell Fortner |
ESPN2 / ESPN3 | ||
| Mon, Feb 18 | 7 p.m. | Big Monday Presented by Bud Light: No. 9 Kentucky at No. 11 Texas A&M Pam Ward & Stephanie White |
ESPN2 / WatchESPN |
| 9 p.m. | Big Monday Presented by Bud Light: No. 1 Baylor at No. 3 Connecticut Dave O’Brien, Doris Burke & Rebecca Lobo |
ESPN2 / WatchESPN |
** – Regionalized telecast
NASCAR Now Daytona Media Day Special Airs Thursday
contact: andy.hall@espn.com
ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will have a three-hour special Thursday, Feb. 14, at noon on ESPNEWS with interviews and analysis from Daytona 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Host Nicole Briscoe will be joined in the studio by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven with Mike Massaro on-site in Daytona. Many of NASCAR’s top stars are expected to appear on the program.
NHRA Season Opener on ESPN2, ESPN3 from Pomona
contact: andy.hall@espn.com
The 2013 season for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series kicks off this weekend in Pomona, Calif., with the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. Qualifying and eliminations will air on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Anchor Dave Rieff and analyst Mike Dunn will call the action. The schedule:
| Date | Time | Event | Network |
| Fri, Feb 15 | 5 p.m. | Qualifying (live) | ESPN3, WatchESPN |
| Sat, Feb 16 | 10 p.m. | Qualifying | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Sun, Feb 17 | 2 p.m. | Eliminations (live) | ESPN3, WatchESPN |
| 8 p.m. | Eliminations | ESPN2, WatchESPN |
BoyzIIMen and Sammi “Sweetheart” Guests on UNITE Valentine’s Day Special
contact: gracie.blackburn@espn.com
The first live show of Valentine’s Day at ESPN will feature two guests known for romance. UNITE, ESPNU’s late-night entertainment show, will include Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola from MTV’s Jersey Shore and musical guest BoyzIIMen for the show’s inaugural Valentine’s Day special late Wednesday at midnight (9 p.m. PT, Thursday 12 a.m. ET).
Before gaining notoriety on the MTV reality show, Sammi played NCAA soccer for four years at William Paterson University in New Jersey and will be joining the show via Skype. BoyzIIMen, a staple soundtrack for Cupid’s holiday, will join the show from ESPN’s Los Angeles studio. Hosts Danny Kanell, Reese Waters and Marianela Pereyra will also look at the Top 25 Hoops Heartbreaks, failed athlete relationships of the past year and speak to additional guests Da’Shawn Butler and gambling expert Todd Furhman.
Jeremy Lin Helps Elevate SportsCenter‘s Game
contacts: amy.phillips@espn.com and ben.cafardo@espn.com
One year after the Linsanity craze took the sports world by storm, Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin stars in the latest installment from ESPN’s This is SportsCenter campaign. In the spot, the Harvard sensation shows off his Ivy League education to help SportsCenter’s Jay Crawford draft a more cerebral script. SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm also makes an appearance in the spot, which debuts Monday, Feb. 11, online and on television.
For more than 18 years, This is SportsCenter has given fans and viewers an inside peek at ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., campus with a humorous spin on day-to-day life at ESPN. The network has produced more than 400 advertising spots in this signature franchise, in collaboration with Wieden + Kennedy New York.
ESPN Conference Call with NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
contact: allison.r.stoneberg@espn.com
ESPN will host a media conference call with NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 11 a.m. To participate, please RSVP to Allie Stoneberg.
espnW.com: Women’s College Hoops Player of the Week, LPGA Preview, and espnW Celebrates Black History Month
contact: amanda.decastro@espn.com
espnW.com continues naming its national player of the week every Monday throughout the women’s college basketball season. University of Kentucky senior guard A’dia Mathies receives this week’s top honor after scoring a season-high 28 points and five assists in the Wildcats’ 75-53 victory at Vanderbilt on Sunday. Other highlights include contributor Graham Hays’ weekly wrap, Mechelle Voepel previews the LPGA and 2012 Player of the Year Stacy Lewis, Sarah Spain reviews the Grammy Awards, and espnW celebrates Black History Month by profiling black female athletes, starting with swimmer Maritza Correia.
– 30 –
