Analysts Make Predictions on Season-Ending Tournament Winners
As the men’s college basketball conference schedule across ESPN networks ramps up, ESPN analysts took time out of their busy schedules to predict the winners of several postseason conference tournaments. Wisconsin of the Big Ten, Kentucky of the SEC and Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference received 100 percent of the ESPN analysts’ votes to earn their league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship in March.
2015 Conference Tournament Winner Predictions (Individual Analyst Selections)
|
Name |
American | ACC | A-10 | Big 12 | BIG EAST | Big Ten |
| Percentage | SMU – 61.5% UConn – 30.8% Cincinnati – 7.7% |
Duke – 61.5% Virginia –38.5% |
VCU – 84.6% GW –15.4% |
Texas – 53.8% Kansas – 46.2% |
Villanova – 84.6% St. John’s – 15.4% |
Wisconsin – 100% |
| Missouri Valley | Mountain West | Pac-12 | SEC | WCC | ||
| Percentage | Wichita State – 92.3% Northern Iowa – 7.7% |
San Diego State – 46.1% Colorado St. – 30.8% Wyoming – 23.1 |
Arizona – 92.3% Washington – 7.7% |
Kentucky – 100% | Gonzaga – 100% |
ESPN College Basketball Commentator Lineup
ESPN enters the second half of the season with more than 1,700 games still to air across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN3, ESPN FULL COURT, SEC Network and Longhorn Network. A deep roster of experienced commentators will be on the call of ESPN’s top weekly franchises.
- Analyst Jay Bilas, entering his 21st season at ESPN, will be paired with Dan Shulman and reporter Shannon Spake on the Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV game that hosts that day’s College GameDay Driven by State Farm.
- Bilas and Basketball Hall of Famer Dick Vitale, who enters his 36th season calling games for the network, will each call key ESPN weekday matchups across multiple conferences. Vitale will also work a marquee game each Saturday.
- College GameDay gets a fresh look in its 11th season as host Rece Davis and Bilas are joined by first-year GameDay analysts Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams. The foursome will help carry out a new flexible schedule that will give the Saturday morning show more ability to react to storylines as the season develops to better ensure visits to top games on ESPN networks each week, beginning on the road Saturday, Jan. 17.
- Davis will also call a Thursday Night Showcase game involving Big Ten teams.
- Shane Battier, fresh off a lengthy and successful NBA career, will join play-by-play veteran Sean McDonough and reporter Allison Williams on the ACC Big Monday
- The trio of Brent Musburger, Fran Fraschilla and Holly Rowe return to work the second half of the Big Monday doubleheader featuring Big 12 programs.
- Mike Tirico, one of ESPN’s most versatile commentators and the voice of Monday Night Football, pairs again with analyst Dan Dakich and reporter Samantha Ponder for the weekly Big Ten Super Tuesday Dakich will also call a Saturday Big Ten contest with Bob Wischusen.
- ESPN’s weekly Super Tuesday SEC telecast, will see the return of Brad Nessler and Spake, and adds analyst Sean Farnham. Farnham will join Joe Tessitore on the Thursday SEC telecast.
- Kara Lawson will work with Mark Jones to call the Saturday SEC window.
- Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton will again have the call of Pac-12 games on Wednesday and Thursday nights with Dave Pasch.
- ACC games will also be covered by Dave O’Brien and Doris Burke (Saturday), as well as Bob Wischusen and LaPhonso Ellis (Wednesday).
- Big 12 Tuesdays will be called by Dave Flemming and Miles Simon, in addition to the league’s Saturday games called by Jon Sciambi and Fraschilla.
- American games will see Mike Patrick on Thursdays and Saturdays with Len Elmore and Bob Knight, in addition to O’Brien and Burke working select AAC Thursday games.
Full List of ESPN’s Game Coverage
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