NBA ON ESPN AND ABC
- LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony Highlight ESPN’s Four-Game NBA Slate
- ABC’s NBA Sunday Showcase: Heat at Knicks; Thunder at Clippers
COLLEGE HOOPS, MLB SPRING TRAINING, TENNIS & MORE
- Women’s College Hoops: No. 2 Notre Dame Hosts No. 3 UConn, BIG EAST Title Likely at Stake
- UCLA Hosts College GameDay Covered by State Farm
- Men’s College Hoops: Bracket Builder Week Continues Highlighted by Miami at Duke
- ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour Continues
- NASCAR Nationwide Series at Phoenix on ESPN2
- ATP: 60 Hours on ESPN3 This Week; Djokovic, Federer Lead the Field in Dubai; Ferrer, Nadal in Mexico
- Lacrosse Action Heats Up
- espnW.com: Women’s College Hoops Player of the Week, Sarah Spain Chronicles the Oscars and Summer on the Run
LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony Highlight ESPN’s Four-Game NBA Slate
contacts: ben.cafardo@espn.com and kristen.m.hudak@espn.com
ESPN will present two doubleheaders this week, beginning Wednesday, Feb. 27, when the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry visit the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony. The game tips at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN with Mark Jones and Doris Burke providing commentary. In the nightcap, the Portland Trail Blazers and LaMarcus Aldridge host the Denver Nuggets and Andre Iguodala at 10:30 p.m. Terry Gannon has the call with analyst Jon Barry.
On Friday, a star-studded doubleheader matches the Memphis Grizzlies with Zach Randolph against the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat – led by Lebron James – at 8 p.m. In the second game, the Nuggets and Kenneth Faried host the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder and Kevin Durant at 10:30 p.m.
KIA NBA Countdown – with Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose and Michael Wilbon – precedes both doubleheaders at 7:30 p.m. ESPN NBA games and Countdown are available on computers, smartphones and tablets via WatchESPN.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Networks |
| Wed, Feb 27 | 7:30 p.m. | KIA NBA Countdown Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose, Michael Wilbon |
ESPN, WatchESPN |
| 8 p.m. | Golden State Warriors at New York Knicks Presented by State Farm Mark Jones, Doris Burke |
ESPN, WatchESPN | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers Presented by State Farm Terry Gannon, Jon Barry |
ESPN, WatchESPN | |
| Fri, Mar 1 | 7:30 p.m. | KIA NBA Countdown Magic Johnson, Bill Simmons, Michael Wilbon |
ESPN, WatchESPN |
| 8 p.m. | Memphis Grizzlies at Miami Heat Presented by State Farm Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Lisa Salters |
ESPN, WatchESPN | |
| 10:30 p.m. | Oklahoma City Thunder at Denver Nuggets Presented by State Farm Mike Tirico, Jon Barry |
ESPN, WatchESPN |
ABC’s NBA Sunday Showcase: Heat at Knicks; Thunder at Clippers
contacts: ben.cafardo@espn.com and kristen.m.hudak@espn.com
ABC will present a blockbuster NBA Sunday Showcase doubleheader, March 3, beginning at 1 p.m. when the defending NBA champion Miami Heat and LeBron James visit the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony. Mike Breen has the call with analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Lisa Salters.
At 3:30 p.m., the defending Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder – led by superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook – against the Los Angeles Clippers and the dynamic duo of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Mike Tirico will be joined by analyst Hubie Brown and reporter Chris Broussard for the telecast.
KIA NBA Countdown – with Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose and Michael Wilbon – precedes the doubleheader at 12:30 p.m. on ABC.
Later Sunday on ESPN, a divisional battle between the Central division-leading Indiana Pacers – led by David West – and the second-place Chicago Bulls and Joakim Noah tips at 8 p.m. with Dave Pasch and Doris Burke providing commentary.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game/Commentators | Networks |
| Sun, Mar 3 | 12:30 p.m. | KIA NBA Countdown Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons, Michael Wilbon |
ABC |
| 1 p.m. | Miami Heat at New York Knicks Presented by State Farm Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Lisa Salters |
ABC | |
| 3:30 p.m. | Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers Presented by State Farm Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Heather Cox |
ABC | |
| 8 p.m. | Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers Presented by State Farm Dave Pasch, Doris Burke |
ESPN, WatchESPN |
Women’s College Hoops: No. 2 Notre Dame Hosts No. 3 UConn, BIG EAST Title Likely at Stake
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
The 2012-13 women’s basketball regular season comes to a close with a BIG EAST duel — No. 3 Connecticut at No. 2 Notre Dame — to close the seventh season of the Big Monday Presented by Bud Light series on ESPN2 on Monday, March 4, at 7 p.m. With likely wins in their midweek and Saturday games, the top two teams would be playing for the league’s regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the upcoming BIG EAST Championship.
Additional schedule highlights:
- ESPNU will be the home to a top-10 SEC showdown between No. 8 Tennessee at No. 10 Kentucky at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 3 – which could also be for the league’s top spot heading into the championship
- Earlier on ESPNU, Vanderbilt travels to No. 11 Georgia at 1:30 p.m.
- On ESPN2, No. 15 North Carolina will play at No. 5 Duke in an ACC matchup at 4 p.m.
- No. 9 Maryland will travel to No. 24 Florida State on Thursday, for a 7 p.m. tilt on ESPN3
| Date | Time (ET) | Games/Commentators | Networks |
| Thu, Feb 28 | 6 p.m. | Jacksonville at Lipscomb | ESPN3 |
| 6:30 p.m. | Central Arkansas at Lamar | ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | No. 9 Maryland at No. 24 Florida State | ESPN3 | |
| Sat, Mar 2 | 1 p.m. | UNC Asheville at Winthrop | ESPN3 |
| 2 p.m. | UMBC at Binghamton Ed Cohen & Leah Secondo |
ESPN3 | |
| 4 p.m. | No. 2 Notre Dame at Providence Bob Picozzi & LaChina Robinson |
BIG EAST Network / ESPN3 | |
| Sun, Mar 3 | 1:30 p.m. | Vanderbilt at No. 11 Georgia Melissa Lee & Steffi Sorenson |
ESPNU / WatchESPN |
| 2 p.m. | Saint Joseph’s at No. 12 Dayton Pam Ward & Swin Cash |
ESPN2 / WatchESPN | |
| 2 p.m. | LSU at No. 13 Texas A&M Cara Capuano & Nell Fortner |
SEC Network / ESPN3 | |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 8 Tennessee at No. 10 Kentucky Sam Gore & Maria Taylor |
ESPNU / WatchESPN | |
| 4 p.m. | No. 15 North Carolina at No. 5 Duke Brenda VanLengen & Carolyn Peck |
ESPN2 / WatchESPN | |
| Mon, Mar 4 | 7 p.m. | Big Monday Presented by Bud Light (South Bend, Ind.): No. 3 Connecticut at No. 2 Notre Dame Pam Ward & Rebecca Lobo |
ESPN2 / WatchESPN |
| DePaul at St. John’s Ralph Bednarczyk & Julianne Viani |
ESPN3 |
UCLA Hosts College GameDay Covered by State Farm
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm visits to UCLA for the just the second time the weekly show stops at historic Pauley Pavilion in advance of the Saturday Primetime presented by DIRECTV matchup between No. 11 Arizona and UCLA on Saturday, March 2, 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. The show was previously at UCLA in 2008.
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: Bracket Builder Week Continues Highlighted by Miami at Duke
contact: michael.c.humes@espn.com
ESPN’s first annual men’s college basketball Bracket Builder Week – highlighting teams attempting to build upon a résumé for a bid to the NCAA Championship or improve their seeding – will continue this weekend. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects the seeding for the NCAA Championship as part of his Bracketology on ESPN.com, including his teams on the bubble and his picks for the last four teams in, the first four out and the next four out.
The schedule for Saturday, March 2, is highlighted by:
- No. 5 Miami at No. 3 Duke in a matchup of the top two programs in the ACC at 6 p.m. Then-No. 25 Miami defeated then-No. 1 Duke 90-63 on January 23.
- ESPN2 will televise No. 20 Butler at Virginia Commonwealth – the two new members of the Atlantic-10 that joined in 2012, at noon.
- ESPN will cover No. 21 Notre Dame at No. 22 Marquette in a matchup of ranked BIG EAST teams at 2 p.m., followed by a Big 12 tilt featuring Texas at No. 15 Oklahoma State at 4 p.m.
- Wichita State at Creighton in a showdown between the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference on ESPN2 at 2 p.m.
- ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV telecast will feature No. 11 Arizona at UCLA in a Pac-12 matchup at 9 p.m. and is available on ESPN 3D.
The schedule also includes No. 2 Gonzaga at BYU in a West Coast Conference matchup on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 11 p.m. on ESPN2.
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 schedule through March 3
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup/Commentators | Network |
| Thu, Feb 28 | 7 p.m. | North Carolina at Clemson Mark Jones & Paul Biancardi |
ESPN |
| 7 p.m. | No. 16 Ohio State at Northwestern Joe Tessitore & Sean Farnham |
ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Morehead State at Tennessee State Rich Hollenberg & Adrian Branch |
ESPNU | |
| 7 p.m. | St. Peter’s at Canisius Bob Huessler & Rob Kennedy |
ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Detroit at Temple Scott Graham & John Celestand |
ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | Utah State at No. 25 Louisiana Tech Trey Bender & Stephen Howard |
ESPN3 * | |
| 8:15 p.m. | Jacksonville at Lipscomb | ESPN3 | |
| 8:30 p.m. | Central Arkansas at Lamar | ESPN3 | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 3 Duke at Virginia Dave O’Brien & Dino Gaudio |
ESPN | |
| 9 p.m. | Missouri at South Carolina Rece Davis & Bob Knight |
ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | Utah at California Roxy Bernstein & Miles Simon |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | No. 2 Gonzaga at BYU Dave Flemming & TBD |
ESPN2 | |
| 11 p.m. | Oregon State at No. 24 Oregon Tom Hart & Darrin Horn |
ESPNU | |
| Fri, Mar 1 | 7 p.m. | Loyola (Md.) at Iona Doug Sherman & Dereck Whittenburg |
ESPN2 |
| 7 p.m. | Harvard at Princeton Bram Weinstein & Malcolm Huckaby |
ESPNU | |
| 9 p.m. | Fairfield at Manhattan Bob Picozzi & Tim McCormick |
ESPNU | |
| Sat, Mar 2 | Noon | Alabama at No. 8 Florida Mark Jones & Jimmy Dykes |
ESPN |
| Noon | No. 20 Butler at VCU Carter Blackburn, Stephen Bardo & Andy Katz |
ESPN2 | |
| Noon | Maryland at Wake Forest | ESPN3 * & ACC Network | |
| 1 p.m. | Jacksonville State at Belmont Adam Amin & Brooke Weisbrod |
ESPNU | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Iowa State at Oklahoma Dave Armstrong & Bryndon Manzer |
ESPN3 * & Big 12 Network | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Tennessee at Georgia Dave Baker & Joe Dean |
ESPN3 & SEC Network | |
| 2 p.m. | No. 21 Notre Dame at No. 22 Marquette Mike Patrick & Len Elmore |
ESPN | |
| 2 p.m. | Wichita State at Creighton Rich Hollenberg & Mark Adams |
ESPN2 | |
| 2 p.m. | Connecticut at Cincinnati Anish Shroff & Bob Wenzel |
ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network | |
| 3 p.m. | Valparaiso at Green Bay Jim Barbar & Bob Valvano |
ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | Texas at No. 15 Oklahoma State Jon Sciambi & Fran Fraschilla |
ESPN | |
| 4 p.m. | UNC Asheville at Winthrop | ESPN3 | |
| 4 p.m. | TCU at Texas Tech Mitch Holthus & Dan Hughes |
ESPN3 * & Big 12 Network | |
| 4 p.m. | LSU at Missouri Clay Matvick & Jon Sundvold |
ESPN3 & SEC Network | |
| 5 p.m. | Colorado at California Dave Flemming & Sean Farnham |
ESPNU | |
| 6 p.m. | No. 5 Miami (Fla.) at No. 3 Duke Dave O’Brien, Dick Vitale & Doris Burke |
ESPN | |
| 6 p.m. | New Mexico State at Denver Trey Bender & Stephen Howard |
ESPN3 * | |
| 7 p.m. | No. 13 Kansas State at Baylor Mark Neely & Bob Knight |
ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | South Carolina at Texas A&M Tom Hart & Matt Doherty |
ESPNU | |
| 8 p.m. | Toyota CIAA Tournament: Championship | ESPN3 | |
| 8 p.m. | St. John’s at Providence Eric Frede & Ron Perry |
ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network | |
| 8 p.m. | Clemson at Virginia Tech | ESPN3 * & RSN ^ | |
| 9 p.m. | No. 11 Arizona at UCLA Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas & Samantha Ponder |
ESPN, ESPN 3D | |
| 9 p.m. | Vanderbilt at Auburn Dave Lamont & Kara Lawson |
ESPN2 | |
| 9 p.m. | Rutgers at No. 7 Georgetown Lou Canellis & Tim Welsh |
ESPNU | |
| 11 p.m. | BYU at Loyola Marymount Roxy Bernstein & Danny Schayes |
ESPNU | |
| Sun, Mar 3 | Noon | Villanova at No. 23 Pittsburgh Kevin Connors & John Celestand |
ESPN3 * & RSN |
| 1 p.m. | Purdue at Wisconsin Bob Wischusen & Dan Dakich |
ESPN | |
| 2 p.m. | Fairfield at Marist Doug Sherman & Rob Kennedy |
ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Albany at Stony Brook Ed Cohen & Frank Sullivan |
ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | DePaul at South Florida Rich Hollenberg & Paul Biancardi |
ESPN3 * & BIG EAST Network | |
| 4 p.m. | Virginia at Boston College | ESPN3 * & ACC Network | |
| 6 p.m. | NC State at Georgia Tech Carter Blackburn, Jay Williams & Allison Williams |
ESPNU |
* Local blackout may apply
ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour Continues
contact: ben.cafardo@espn.com and kristen.m.hudak@espn.com
ESPN’s 2013 Baseball Tonight Goodyear Express Tour moves to Florida to continue the journey through MLB Spring Training sites. Each visit will include 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 generally airs weekdays at 3 p.m. on ESPN2 and via WatchESPN with additional SportsCenter segments each day.
Throughout the week, Tim Kurkjian will be joined by new Sunday Night Baseball analyst John Kruk for visits to the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.
| Date | Time (ET) | Show/Commentators | Team/Site | Network |
| Mon, Feb 25 | 2:30 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Tim Kurkjian, John Kruk |
Toronto Blue Jays Dunedin, Fla. |
ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Tues, Feb 26 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Kurkjian, Kruk |
Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater, Fla. |
ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Wed, Feb 27 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Kurkjian, Kruk |
Baltimore Orioles Sarasota, Fla. |
ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Thu, Feb 28 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Kurkjian, Kruk |
Tampa Bay Rays Port Charlotte, Fla. |
ESPN2, WatchESPN |
| Fri, March1 | 3 p.m. | Baseball Tonight Kurkjian, Kruk |
Boston Red Sox Fort Myers, Fla. |
ESPN2, WatchESPN |
NASCAR Nationwide Series at Phoenix on ESPN2
contact: andy.hall@espn.com
The NASCAR Nationwide Series moves to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend for a 200-mile race and ESPN2 will have a live telecast on Saturday, March 2, from the 1-mile oval. NASCAR Countdown begins at 4 p.m. with the green flag at 4:45 p.m. The race telecast is presented by Kawasaki.
Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree
Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch
NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Ricky Craven, Brad Daugherty (analysts)
ATP: 60 Hours on ESPN3 This Week; Djokovic, Federer Lead the Field in Dubai; Ferrer, Nadal in Mexico
contact: dave.nagle@espn.com
ESPN3 will provide 60 hours of live ATP matches this week, 40 from the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai and 20 from the ATP Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico. Both events will conclude with championship matches Saturday, March 2.
In Dubai, Novak Djokovic and defending champion Roger Federer lead the field, which also includes No. 3 seed Tomas Berdych, No. 4 Juan Martin Del Potro and No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Defending champion David Ferrer, last week’s winner in Argentina, holds the top seed in Acapulco while Rafael Nadal continues his return to tennis as the No. 2 seed.
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Match |
| Tue, Feb 26 | 5 – 9 a.m. | ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships | Second Round |
| 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | “ | Second Round | |
| Wed, Feb 27 | 5 – 9 a.m. | “ | Round of 16 |
| 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. | “ | Round of 16 | |
| 7 – 9 p.m. | ATP Abierto Mexicano Telcel | Round of 16 | |
| 11 p.m. – 1 a.m. | “ | Round of 16 | |
| Thur, Feb 28 | 5 – 7 a.m. | ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships | Quarterfinal #1 |
| 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. | “ | Quarterfinals #2-4 | |
| 5 p.m. – MID | ATP Abierto Mexicano Telcel | Quarterfinals | |
| Fri, March 1 | 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships | Semifinals |
| 7 – 12:30 1.m. | ATP Abierto Mexicano Telcel | Semifinals | |
| Sat, March 2 | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships | Championship |
| 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. | ATP Abierto Mexicano Telcel | Championship |
Lacrosse Action Heats Up
contact: rachel.l.margolis@espn.com
ESPNU and ESPN3’s college lacrosse schedule picks up steam with several games each week across the networks through the end of the regular season.
Starting the week’s action is a top-15 matchup between No. 12 Princeton at No. 3 Johns Hopkins on Friday, March 1, at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. The following day, top-ranked Maryland travels to No. 19 Duke for an 11 a.m. faceoff, also on ESPNU. After the Duke men’s game, the No. 6-ranked women take to the field against Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. on ESPN3.
The 2013 college lacrosse schedule across ESPNU and ESPN3 includes a minimum 55 total games – 44 regular season, 48 men’s and seven women’s – including the crowning of the ACC, BIG EAST, America East and Ivy League tournament champions. Full Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Games/Commentators | Networks |
| Tue, Feb 26 | 3 p.m. | Stony Brook at St. John’s | ESPN3 |
| Fri, Mar 1 | 5 p.m. | No. 12 Princeton at No. 3 Johns Hopkins Booker Corrigan & Ryan Boyle |
ESPNU / WatchESPN |
| Sat, Mar 2 | 11 a.m. | No. 1 Maryland at No. 19 Duke Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Ryan Flanagan |
ESPNU / WatchESPN |
| 2 p.m. | Vanderbilt Women at No. 6 Duke Women Eamon McAnaney & Courtney Martinez-Connor |
ESPN3 |
espnW.com: Women’s College Hoops Player of the Week, Sarah Spain Chronicles the Oscars and Summer on the Run
contact: amanda.decastro@espn.com
espnW.com continues naming its national player of the week every Monday throughout the women’s college basketball season. Vanderbilt senior forward Tiffany Clarke receives this week’s top honor after her performance against Florida last Thursday and Sunday’s victory over Texas A&M. Other highlights include contributor Graham Hays’ weekly wrap, Sarah Spain chronicles highlights from the Oscars in “That’s What She Said,” and Summer Sanders wraps up her Summer on the Run series after completing the Disney’s Princess Half Marathon on Feb. 24.
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