TV/Radio

ESPN gorging on hoops; will you?

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published March 4, 2005

Is it possible to overdose on college basketball, to consume so many hours watching dunks and layups that you begin to feel queasy, to listen to so many announcers and analysts break down bubble teams that you turn off the television, throw away the remote and curl up with a good book?

Looking at ESPN's schedule for Championship Week, I'd say yes, yes and yes.

It started Thursday, though Division I coverage starts today and will continue to March 13, and before it's over, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Classic will carry 99 men's and women's games, blowing away last year's mark of 62.

That doesn't include games on network television or regional networks like Sun Sports, which will carry all four games from the first day of the SEC men's tournament Thursday.

If the question is when is enough enough, the answer does not exist at ESPN. This year, 99 games. Next year? The smart money is on 100-plus.

How far does the ESPN arm stretch? How about this: ESPN Classic will have live coverage of eight games, including seven from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, a Division II league of historically black institutions.

The first week of coverage is just a warmup. From March 10-13 ESPN will carry 50 games in a four-day stretch.

It's an impressive performance, as complete as any coverage can be for any event with so many teams from so many regions. ESPN and family will televise 26 championship games (determing 26 of the 31 automatic berths to the NCAA Tournament) for the men, as well as the women's finals in nine conferences.

Fans of the Big East and Big 12 will get to see every conference tournament game on television.

It's a stretch so expansive that ESPN even provides a complete breakdown of where it is sending its announcers. Dan Revsine, for example, will call five conference championships (Big South, Colonial Athletic, Northeast, Patriot League and America East), Stephen A. Smith is calling the seven CIAA games, and Jimmy Dykes will be an analyst on nine games working with three different play-by-play announcers.

Dick Vitale? He's only working five games, teaming with Mike Patrick to cover the ACC.

It's not the tip of the iceberg of basketball coverage; ESPN is the iceberg. The tip might be this weekend's regular-season games on CBS and local and regional channels, which only add to a hoops smorgasbord sure to stuff even the biggest glutton.

In addition to ESPN, CBS is carrying two games Saturday (Alabama-Mississippi State and Syracuse-Connecticut), WTTA-Ch. 38 is carrying two SEC games, FSN has two Pac-10 games and Sun Sports will show two women's tournament games from the SEC and two from the ACC.

Is it possible to overdose on watching college basketball?

You bet. Just remember to pace yourself. Because when it ends in 10 days, there's this little thing called the NCAA Tournament.

[Last modified March 4, 2005, 00:31:15]