Spotlight: Sean Farnham & Final Four
What can we expect from Ohio State vs. Kansas?
This will be a game played inside out. Both teams want to establish their All-Americans early. Up top will be a battle of which guard will better control the game while limiting mistakes, Taylor (KU) or Craft (OSU).
What should we look for in Louisville vs. Kentucky?
Watch the battle on the glass, as Kentucky dominated on the glass earlier this year when these two teams met. Louisville needs to attack the rim and put pressure on Anthony Davis, attempting to put him in early foul trouble.
What will the 2011-12 season be remembered for?
The season will be remembered for Duke and Missouri losing in the opening round to 15 seeds. It will also be remembered – if things go the way I think they will – as the season Kentucky climbed back to the top of the college mountain and Coach Cal finally gets his hands on the National Championship trophy.
Where will you be watching championship weekend?
I will be watching the games from Charlotte, N.C., as I will be working in studio for ESPNU.
What are your off-season plans?
My plans are to reintroduce myself to my children, and take them on a couple of trips. I also will spend much of the spring and summer watching the top high school basketball players in the country, so that I am even more familiar with them when I see them in college.
Fast Break: Carolyn Peck & Kara Lawson
In former national champion coach Carolyn Peck and Olympic Gold Medalist Kara Lawson, ESPN has two of the sport’s icons providing analysis of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
Tonight on ESPN and ESPN3, the remaining two slots for the 2012 Women’s Final Four in Denver will be filled. At 7 p.m. ET, Connecticut meets Kentucky in the Kingston (R.I.) Regional Final. At approximately 9 p.m., Notre Dame plays Maryland in the Raleigh (N.C.) Regional Final.
Tonight’s winners will join Baylor and Stanford to complete the field for the Women’s Final Four, which ESPN will air April 1 and 3 from Denver.
Front Row asked Peck and Lawson for their perspectives on the tournament, their ESPN careers and more!
On the U
En Garde! Time to learn new things and remember the old. This week ESPNU takes a trip down memory lane with features and analysis on the Men’s Final Four and introduces viewers to NCAA Fencing, a first for ESPN.
Friday (11 a.m.) – Tournament Countdown on ESPNU continues with Road to the Championship – consecutive half-hour shows on the Men’s Final Four teams. Each special will highlight the journeys Kansas, Ohio State, Louisville and Kentucky have taken to reach the top tier of the national bracket.
Saturday (11 a.m.) – Men’s and Women’s Finals: NCAA Fencing Championships (extended coverage) highlights the dedication and skill required to become a National Champion. ESPN correspondent Tom Rinaldi will provide commentary for ESPNU’s inaugural coverage, showcasing the unique stories and pivotal moments of the athletes and coaches during the competition.
ESPN Tournament Challenge Stats
Brackets in ESPN.com’s Men’s Tournament Challenge presented by State Farm and Infiniti USA revealed only 0.4% of 6.45 million brackets correctly picked all four Final Four teams. However, that fared much better than last year, where only two of 5.9 million brackets picked all four teams correct. Through the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, 11 brackets are currently tied for the lead.
Additional tournament statistics
College Sports Media Kit
ESPN MediaZone’s Home for Everything College Sports
Weekly Game Highlights – NIT, NCAA WBB Championship & Olympic Sport Coverage
ESPN2 and ESPN 3D will present a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) doubleheader tonight, at 7 p.m. The longest-running men’s college basketball tournament in the country has narrowed from a 32-team field to four: Massachusetts vs. Stanford (7 p.m.), followed by Minnesota vs. Washington (9 p.m.).
Both semifinal matchups include a previous NIT winner – Minnesota (1993, 1998) and Stanford (1991).
The winners will advance to the NIT Championship at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, at 7 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN 3D. All games are also available on ESPN3.
From 64 teams, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Capital One has been whittled down to an Elite Eight and two tickets have already been punched – advancing No. 1 seeds Baylor and Stanford. The teams will meet along with the winners of tonight’s games (ESPN, ESPN3) at the Women’s Final Four in Denver on April 1 & 3. Highlights:
• No. 1 seed Connecticut aims for its fifth consecutive Final Four against No. 2 seed Kentucky, looking for its first Final Four berth (7 p.m.)
• Immediately following, No. 1 seed Notre Dame looks to make a return trip to the Final Four when facing No. 2 seed Maryland
• All games from Denver will be shown on ESPN, ESPN3/WatchESPN, starting with the National Semifinals on Sunday, April 1 (7 p.m. & 9 p.m.) and the Final on Tuesday, April 3 (8:30 p.m.)
The annual Konica Minolta Big City Classic from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will host a tripleheader of top-ranked men’s lacrosse teams Sunday, April 1.
• The day opens at 1 p.m. with No. 6 Notre Dame facing home-town team St. John’s (ESPN3)
• A doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. pitting No. 8 Duke against No. 14 Syracuse, followed by No. 12 North Carolina vs. top-ranked Johns Hopkins (ESPNU)
• No. 2 Virginia travels to ACC rival No. 9 Maryland (Saturday at noon, ESPNU)
ESPNU and ESPN3 will combine to showcase seven regular-season baseball games over three days. The schedule includes a Saturday quadruple-header, highlighted by No. 3 Arkansas at No. 14 LSU (8 p.m., ESPNU).
The networks will also combine to televise the three-game No. 8 Miami at Clemson series Friday through Sunday.
Softball continues on ESPNU and ESPN3 this week with No. 1 Alabama on the road at SEC rival No. 21 Auburn (tonight at 8 p.m.). Additional highlights:
• A Friday night doubleheader on ESPNU: Top 25 SEC battle between No. 4 Florida at No. 12 Georgia (8 p.m.), followed by Hawaii at New Mexico State (10 p.m.)
• Two days of top 25 matchups in the ACC with No. 25 North Carolina at No. 23 Florida State in an exclusive doubleheader on ESPN3 (Sunday at noon & 2:30 p.m.) and then as the ESPNU ACC Monday (7 p.m.) game