CLEVELAND – This city is ready to rock, as some of the biggest stars in women’s basketball take center stage and a new NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Champion is crowned exclusively on ESPN platforms this weekend.
The sport and the NCAA Tournament have never had more eyes on them, thanks to record viewership, historic performances, and a mega-watt MegaCast on the horizon for the Women’s Final Four.
In honor of the “Final Four” teams standing, as well as the four quarters in collegiate women’s basketball, here are four things to watch for as the sport reaches its pinnacle this weekend:
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1. Multiple ways to watch — ESPN’s unparalleled production of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship will utilize multiple platforms for its signature MegaCast presentation, including the championship live on ABC for the second straight year. The ever-popular The Bird & Taurasi Show Presented by AT&T, returns for its third year, featuring collegiate and WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. The Beyond the Rim and On the Rail MegaCast feeds are live on ESPN+, along with all televised offerings streaming on E+.
2. Studio shows shine in the spotlight – ESPN’s studio coverage has been receiving rave reviews this postseason. SportsCenter anchor and Women’s College GameDay host Elle Duncan will once again lead ESPN’s Women’s Final Four studio programming, joined by Hall of Famer Carolyn Peck, Sports Emmy nominee Andraya Carter, and WNBA All-Stars Chiney Ogwumike and Aliyah Boston, who was just announced as a guest analyst.
With @garystriewski still hanging at Disney alone.. I roped my gwuorls @Andraya_Carter @chiney into doing a mini #ElleDuncanShow to react to the Final Four! There’s great news at the end too! Watch on YouTube: https://t.co/CrFeOiY771 pic.twitter.com/Eg0kBfh7ip
— Elle Duncan (@elleduncanESPN) April 2, 2024
3. ESPN leads on and off the court – Between Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and Tourney Town itself, ESPN is in the thick of it all while in The Heart of It All. Whether it’s the “That’s Our Move” espnW activation at the Cleveland Convention Center, “Beyond the Baseline” panels featuring behind-the-scenes staffers, or various ESPN social and marketing initiatives on the ground in Cleveland, ESPN has the pulse of every moment and memory made in the heart of March Madness.
The NC State women's basketball team bringing the energy to ESPN production meetings ahead of the Final Four. 🐺⚡️
Saniya Rivers getting her conductor on, and who knew Elle Duncan was like that on the vocals?! 👀pic.twitter.com/ewNpXfroTb
— Joshua Sánchez (@jnsanchez) April 4, 2024
4. New voices and new tech featured from NE Ohio – ESPN continues to add to its premier production of the NCAA Women’s Final Four. In addition to Boston joining the studio desk, for the first time, ESPN will welcome longtime officials Lisa Mattingly and Denny Meyer as Rules Analysts for the semifinals and the championship game. ESPN Edge is also bringing new tech to the table, with two new pieces of technology to the broadcast courtesy of 3D and VR highlights.
Two 1-seeds and a pair of 3-seeds are moving on to Cleveland. Can NC State, UConn or Iowa give undefeated South Carolina its first loss? Here’s how every Final Four team can win the NCAA title. https://t.co/W5koTd83FJ
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) April 2, 2024
In addition to ESPN’s robust setup in the Rock & Roll Capital of the World, there is also a substantial ESPN presence in Phoenix for the NCAA Men’s Final Four. While ESPN is not the U.S. broadcaster for the championship, ESPN’s international feed will be carried in millions of homes around the world. Studio coverage begins Friday with open practices and continues throughout the weekend with multiple editions of College GameDay and SportsCenter, plus studio shows from ESPN’s college networks supporting ACC and SEC teams in both tourneys. – Amanda Brooks
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