ESPN “College GameDay” Schedule Features Pair Of ACC Matchups

by CU Athletic Communications - Wed Aug 14 12:34:13 GMT-04:00 2013

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Two Atlantic Coast Conference games will be featured as part of the ESPN “College GameDay” schedule during the 2013-14 college basketball season.

Entering its 10th season, ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm – the eight-week Saturday morning and evening college basketball program originating from the site of ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV telecast – begins Saturday, Jan. 18 with a special split-site show. The first hour begins at 10 a.m. ET on ESPNU, continuing at 11 a.m. on ESPN with a one-hour evening edition leading into the Saturday Primetime game-of-the-week on ESPN.

The ACC is the only conference with two games featured among the slate of nine Saturday contests, which begins Jan. 18 and runs through March 8.

ESPN will be in Syracuse, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 1, for the matchup between Duke and Syracuse. The 6:30 p.m. tip marks the Orange’s fourth time as a “GameDay” basketball host.

Duke will be the home team on Saturday, March 8, when ESPN will travel to Durham, N.C., for the Blue Devils’ regular-season ending contest with North Carolina. Duke will host “Game Day” for a league-high fifth time.

“Over the past ten years, College GameDay and the Saturday Primetime series have become a weekly showcase of the best the sport has to offer and this year’s schedule promises to deliver a collection of the biggest and best games from across the country,” said Nick Dawson, Senior Director, Programming & Acquisitions. “There is no sport with more passionate fans than college basketball and there is no more passionate setting than a Saturday on-campus with GameDay and Saturday Primetime on-site.”

Super Bowl Week

College GameDay’s visit to Syracuse on February 1 is in conjunction with NBA games in the state of N.Y. during Super Bowl week and will lead into the Miami Heat at the New York Knicks NBA game at 8:30 p.m. that day. Super Bowl XLVIII is scheduled to be held on Sunday, Feb. 2, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, N.J.

Hosts

For the 10th year, Rece Davis will serve as host for College GameDay. He will be joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Jalen Rose to preview all the day’s action and discuss the biggest storylines in college basketball.

Additional highlights

•Fifteen schools, including nine of the top 10, on the Saturday Primetime schedule are top 25 picks in ESPN.com writer Jason King’s preseason top 25 poll: No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Arizona, No. 5 Kansas, No. 6 Duke, No. 7 Florida, No. 9 Syracuse, No. 10 Michigan, No. 11 Oklahoma State, No. 12 North Carolina, No. 15 Memphis, No. 18 Gonzaga, No. 21 Connecticut and No. 23 UCLA.

•Kentucky will host for the second-straight year and for a record-tying fifth time at Rupp Arena when it plays SEC opponent Florida on Feb. 15.

•Duke will make two GameDay appearances and host at Cameron Indoor Stadium for a record-tying fifth time prior to its ACC matchup against North Carolina on March 8.

•Syracuse will face Duke for the first time as ACC opponents in the primetime game on Feb. 1.

•A special 30-minute College GameDay will be live from the third-installment of the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. – prior to the Michigan State vs. Kentucky (7:30 p.m.) and Kansas vs. Duke (9:30 p.m.).

WatchESPN

All telecasts will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members and on Apple TV to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.