ESPN’s annual Champ Week Presented by Principal is second to none in postseason coverage with more than 50 men’s and women’s conference tournaments represented.
Here are “3 Things to Know” as one of the most exciting sporting weeks of the year gets underway.
1. Here’s Championship Week “By The Numbers,” in addition to those seen in the graphic above
- 450 men’s and women’s games across all ESPN platforms
- 135 linear games
- 27 conferences represented
- 20 robotic/specialty cameras
- 18 trucks
- 310 channels of replay
- 31 different sites
2. Championship Week tips off ESPN’s coverage of postseason college hoops
ESPN is also the exclusive home to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), Men’s National Invitation Tournament (NIT), and the NCAA Division II and Division III men’s and women’s tournaments.
- The Division I women’s tournament runs March 19-April 6 with games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and select simulcasts on ESPN+ and Disney+. The NCAA Women’s Final Four airs on ESPN on April 4, with the championship game broadcast on ABC for the third straight year on April 6.
- The WBIT is slated for March 20-April 2. First-round, second-round and quarterfinal action airs on ESPN+, with the semifinals on ESPNU and the championship game on ESPN2.
- The NIT takes place from March 18 to April 3, with games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN+. The semifinals will air April 1 on ESPN & ESPN2, with the championship game set for April 3 on ESPN.
- As part of ESPN’s media rights agreement with the NCAA, announced in January 2024, the Division II and Division III men’s and women’s basketball semifinal and championship games now air live on ESPN+.
- ESPN also holds international rights for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Championship Week is just the start of a full month stretch where high stakes, win-or-go-home basketball is taking place just about every night across our platforms. Our postseason coverage continues to grow every year and for fans of the sport, there really is no better time of year and no better place to catch all the buzzer beaters, upsets and drama than on ESPN. – Dan Margulis, Sr. Director of Programming and Acquisitions
3. There are several offerings of original content to supplement the live-game action
The must-see documentaries for college hoops fans include:
- SEC Storied: “Volunteer For Life”, which dives into Tennessee men’s basketball great Chris Lofton’s courageous and private in-season battle with cancer, premieres Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
- Why Not Both? The Story of NC State’s 2024 Season, a documentary highlighting the historic NC State men’s and women’s basketball teams that both reached their respective NCAA Final Fours, debuts Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
- From the shadows of his own family to the pinnacle of college basketball – witness the ascension of UConn Men’s Basketball head coach, Dan Hurley. E60: The Other Hurley premieres Saturday, March 15 at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN with same-day streaming on ESPN+.
(Dan Margulis inline: Jacob Kupferman/ESPN Images)
