ESPN began Black History Month programming on February 1 and includes more than 150 hours of programming celebrating the achievements of African-Americans who made a positive influence within their sport and in society.

The highlights include a new documentary about Reece “Goose” Tatum, an original member of the Harlem Globetrotters:

• Reece “Goose” Tatum played for the legendary Harlem Globetrotters before he created his own basketball team.  Goose — a one-hour documentary Sunday, Feb. 26, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN — chronicles his life through the eyes of his son, Reese Tatum III.  The son recalls his father’s all-to-brief life (he died at 45), including cross-country trips riding in the back of a Cadillac traveling to one sold-out arena after the next, each jam-packed to see his father entertain the crowd.  The program also includes highlights from when he spoke eloquently about his father at the 2011 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction;
• ESPN’s new “Free to Be” vignettes are a series of intimate stories about life-changing sports moments.  The vignettes — aired daily on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic and ESPNU — will feature a variety of individuals and groups telling stories with each other and describing how sports gave them the courage to feel “Free to Be” themselves;
• Back-to-back weekends of “ESPN Films on Classic” devoted to Black History Month on February 10-12 and February 17-19, in addition to SportsCentury programs on Walter Payton, Jackie Robinson, Zina Garrison, Hank Aaron and others throughout the month; archival boxing footage of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and George Foreman bouts; Content of Character specials and more;
• Chuck Cooper, the first African-American drafted into the NBA, will be honored during the Richmond-Duquesne men’s college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.  Cooper, chosen by the Boston Celtics in 1950, was an All-American at Duquesne.  He passed away in 1984, and members of Cooper’s family will be in attendance.  The team will wear 1950′s-style, red throwback uniforms for the game.
• Additional content — videos, interviews and feature stories — will also be available on ESPN.com’s Black History Month page;

Related posts:

1. 2011 Black History Programming Coverage On ESPN Includes A Comprehensive Look at The Black Athlete Through “The Color of Sports”
2. Comcast SportsNet To Celebrate Black History Month in February
3. ESPN To Present Two New Documentaries On Black History Month On Sunday, Feb. 20

One week after moving into the ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 top five, Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) suffered its first loss of the year to St. John’s (Washington, D. C.) 56-54.

The loss dropped Gonzaga down four spots to ninth.

The upset bug also hit previous No. 6 Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.), which lost 51-49 to Coolidge (Washington, D.C.). With that defeat, Montrose Christian moved down to the No. 12 slot this week.

More news and notes on this week’s rankings can be found at www.espnhs.com.

Related posts:

1. Movement in the Top 10 of ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 Boys Basketball Rankings
2. Two New Teams Join Top 10 in ESPNHS POWERADE FAB 50 Boys Basketball
3. ESPNHS Unveils POWERADE FAB 50 Preseason Boys Basketball Rankings

ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm travels to a first-time site for the second-straight week – visiting the campus of the University of Missouri – Saturday, Feb. 4 (10 a.m., ESPNU; 11 a.m. & 8 p.m., ESPN).

The weekly show originates from the site of ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV telecast – this week showcasing No. 8 Kansas at No. 4 Missouri (9 p.m., ESPN & ESPN3).

For the eighth year, Rece Davis serves as point guard for the College GameDay desk, and is joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis. Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale and Holly Rowe will have the call of the prime-time game.

This week’s special College GameDay segment will highlight Missouri’s Kim English during the 11 a.m. hour.

Related posts:

1. Munn Intramural Field Site of College GameDay on Michigan State Campus
2. ESPN College GameDay Heads To Wisconsin on Saturday, Oct. 1
3. College GameDay Heads To Morgantown, W.Va. On Saturday, Sept. 24

ESPN has announced men’s college basketball schedule on Mon, Feb 6 and Tue, Feb 7.

• No. 1 Kentucky hosting No. 11 Florida on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
• ESPN and ESPN2 each televise a matchup between ranked foes Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.: No. 2 Syracuse at home against No. 14 Georgetown and No. 8 Kansas visits No. 6 Baylor (network assignments are to be determined).
• Also on Wednesday, ESPN showcases one of sports’ biggest rivalries when No. 5 Duke visits No. 6 North Carolina at 9 p.m.

Related posts:

1. ESPN Network Announces Big 12 Men’s College Basketball Broadcast Schedule
2. 2012 SEC Men’s College Basketball Broadcast Schedule On ESPN Networks
3. Men’s College Basketball Broadcast Schedule On ESPN Network From Mon, Feb 28 Through Wed, Mar 2

NBA on ESPN will present doubleheader featuring the New York Knicks and Amare Stoudemire visiting the Boston Celtics and Paul Pierce at 8 p.m.

Mike Breen provides play-by-play with analyst Jeff Van Gundy and reporter Lisa Salters.

In the nightcap, the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant visit the surging Denver Nuggets and Nene at 10:30 p.m. Terry Gannon and analyst Hubie Brown provide commentary. In addition, Kia NBA Countdown precedes the action at 7:30 p.m. with analysts Magic Johnson, Michael Wilbon, Jon Barry and Chris Broussard.

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1. TNT NBA Thursday’s Doubleheader Coverage Features Lakers@Celtics And Mavericks@Nuggets on Thursday, February 10
2. Bulls/Celtics, Heat/Nuggets on NBA Doubleheader On ESPN Friday, Jan. 13
3. ESPN To Deliver Doubleheader NBA: Celtics And Lakers in Action On Wednesday, November 3

College Football and Basketball Studio Programming Highlights

• Thursday & Friday at 4 p.m. (ESPNU) & Thursday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU) – College Football Live, the popular college football show, ends its run and will return daily on ESPNU in April
• Tuesday at 1 p.m. (ESPNU) – The Experts, a weekly three-hour studio show, featuring a panel of top college basketball analysts and insiders
• Saturday from 10 a.m. (ESPNU / ESPN 3D); 11 a.m. & 8 p.m. (ESPN / ESPN 3D) – College GameDay Covered by State Farm originates from the campus of the University of Missouri in advance of the No. 4 Tigers’ game against No. 8 Kansas at 9 p.m. on ESPN as part of the Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV series
• Daily at various times (ESPN/ESPNU) – College Basketball Live & College Basketball Whip Around (ESPNU)

Weekly College Basketball Studio Programming Schedule

Weekly College Football Studio Programming Schedule

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1. ESPN’s Weekly College Studio Programming Highlights – January 10, 2012
2. ESPN’s Weekly College Studio Programming Schedule – January 18, 2012
3. Weekly College Studio Programming From Mon, Oct 3 Through Sun, Oct 9

In observance of Black History Month this February, NBA TV has produced “Barrier Breakers”, a series of video segments that will run daily throughout the month on the network’s signature program, GameTime.

The first segment will highlight Bill Russell, the 12-time All-Star, Hall of Famer, first African American NBA coach, Civil Rights Activist and the 2011 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, the nation’s highest honor to a civilian, on February 1, during the 7 p.m. (ET) GameTime show.

The 24 different segments will pay tribute to the game’s most influential pioneers and sports legends who have paved the way for today’s basketball superstars. The segment will consist of live interviews, pre-produced vignettes and reflections on these pioneers who inspired others and continued to break barriers from NBA TV’s announcers and studio teams.

Some of the barrier breakers that will be highlighted throughout the month include:

• Wilt Chamberlain – 13-time All-Star and Hall of Famer who was the only player in the NBA to average 40 and 50 points per season and score 100 points in a single game;
• Chuck Cooper – The first African American player to be drafted to the NBA in 1950. He was one of three African American athletes to play in the NBA;
• Wayne Embry – Five-time All-Star and NBA Champion with the Boston Celtics. After his retirement, he became the first African American NBA general manager for the Milwaukee Bucks;
• Earl Lloyd – One of the first African American basketball players in the league and the first to play in an NBA game during the 1950-51 season;
• Lynette Woodard – Olympic gold medalist and the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters;

NBA Digital is the NBA’s extensive cross-platform portfolio of digital assets jointly managed by the NBA and Turner Sports. This robust offering includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA Mobile, NBADleague.com and WNBA.com.

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., presents some of the best and most popular sporting events worldwide and is a leader in televised and online sports programming. With events airing on TBS and TNT, Turner Sports’ line-up includes NASCAR and NASCAR.COM, the NBA, Major League Baseball, professional golf, PGATOUR.COM and PGA.com. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA League Pass, NBADLeague.com and WNBA.com.

Related posts:

1. Comcast SportsNet To Celebrate Black History Month in February
2. MSG Networks To Celebrate Black History Month with Guest Host Spike Lee & the New York Knicks
3. Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia To Celebrate Black History Month

TNT will have the exclusive announcement of the 2012 NBA All-Star Starters on February 2 during a special one hour edition of NBA Tip-Off beginning at 7 p.m. (ET).

Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst) will make the announcement. TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 All-Star Game from Orlando, FL will air on Sun., February 26 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).

Following the pre-game show, TNT will present an exclusive doubleheader featuring Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls visiting Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. (ET). Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) will call the game alongside Reggie Miller (analyst) with Craig Sager reporting. In the second game of the night, Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers will host Danilo Gallinari and the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. (ET). Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst) will be courtside with David Aldridge reporting. TNT’s Emmy® Award-winning studio show, Inside the NBA will air following the conclusion of the second game with Johnson (host), Barkley, O’Neal, Smith and Webber (analysts) recapping the night’s action.

Through 15 games of TNT’s 2011-12 NBA regular-season schedule, the network continues to deliver double-digit gains vs. last year’s corresponding coverage. The NBA on TNT is averaging a 1.9 U.S. rating (+46%), 2,930,000 total viewers (+50%) and 2,162,000 households (+46%) over last year’s corresponding coverage.

Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/insidethenba/). Additionally, check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/nbaontnt) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news updates and special features from TNT announcers.

NBA ON TNT NBA SCHEDULE:

NBA ON TNT UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Source: Nielsen Media Research. Based on Live+SD. NBA Regular Season on TNT STD; 15 games vs. 12 games. (12/25/2011-1/26/2012) vs. (12/30/2010-1/27/2011)

Related posts:

1. NBA on TNT Presents Exclusive Announcement of The 2011 NBA All-Star Starters Live From Madison Square Garden on Thursday, January 27
2. NBA on TNT Continues with Exclusive Doubleheader On Thursday, January 19
3. TNT NBA Thursday Presents Exclusive Doubleheader Coverage of The Knicks @ Bulls and The Thunder @ Trail Blazers on Thursday, November 4

ESPN has announced the 2012 Sears BracketBusters schedule featuring 13 games, teams from 14 conferences.

Pairings for the 10^th annual Sears BracketBusters – a two-day men’s college basketball event pitting NCAA Championship hopefuls Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18 – were announced live on ESPNU’s 2012 Sears BracketBusters Selection Show tonight, Monday, Jan. 30. The field features No. 9 Murray State, the only undefeated team in the nation, against No. 16 Saint Mary’s, with a 21-2 record. The lineup also included No. 12 Creighton and three additional teams receiving votes (Nevada, Wichita State and Long Beach State) in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll.

Sears BracketBusters will feature 13 nationally televised games across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 selected from 142 eligible teams – the largest pool in the event’s history. ESPNU will air five games; ESPN2 and ESPN3 each have two exclusive; and four flex options to be televised on ESPN or ESPN2 (determined approximately one week before the game).

This year’s Sears BracketBusters television package consists of teams from 14 conferences, including five from the Missouri Valley Conference; three from the Colonial Athletic Conference and Mid-American Conference; and two from Horizon League, Summit League, Western Athletic Conference and West Coast Conference. Sears BracketBusters highlights:

• A top-25 matchup pitting No. 16 Saint Mary’s at No. 9 Murray State on Saturday, Feb., 18, at 6 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2, as well as ESPN3
• No. 12 Creighton hosts Long Beach State, which is a national vote getter, at 10 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN2 and ESPN3
• Three teams receiving votes in the coaches poll – Nevada, Wichita State and Long Beach State
• Four 2011 NCAA Championship participants: UNC-Asheville, Akron, Old Dominion and VCU, which advanced to the Final Four
• Creighton, Murray State, Oral Roberts and Saint Mary’s have reached the 20-win plateau this season
• Twenty of the 26 teams are ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI): Creighton (18), Wichita State (24), Saint Mary’s (31), Murray State (33), Long Beach State (40), Northern Iowa (42), Iona (43), Oral Roberts (45), Davidson (49), Cleveland State (60), South Dakota State (64), Akron (66), Ohio (74), Nevada (76), Weber State (82), Missouri State (83), VCU (87), New Mexico State (88), Buffalo (93) and Drake (97)

2012 Sears BracketBusters Schedule (All times are Eastern and are subject to change)

* – exclusive

Sears BracketBusters Teams in NCAA Championship play from 2006-11:

2011 NCAA Championship: 13 berths – Akron, Boston University, George Mason, Indiana State, Morehead State, Northern Colorado, Old Dominion, Saint Peter’s, UC-Santa Barbara, UNC Ashville, Utah State, VCU, and Wofford. Eight wins: George Mason defeated Villanova; Morehead State defeated Louisville; UNC Ashville defeated Arkansas-Little Rock; VCU advanced to the Final Four defeating USC, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas.

2010 NCAA Championship: 12 berths – Butler, Morgan State, Murray State, New Mexico State, Northern Iowa, Ohio, Old Dominion, Siena, Utah State, UC-Santa Barbara, Vermont, Winthrop. 10 wins overall: Butler advanced to the National Title game defeating UTEP, Murray State, Syracuse, Kansas State, Michigan State; Murray State defeated Vanderbilt; Northern Iowa defeated UNLV and Kansas; Ohio defeated Georgetown; and Old Dominion defeated Notre Dame.

2009 NCAA Championship: 13 berths – Akron, Binghamton, Butler, Cal State Northridge, Cleveland State, Morehead State, Morgan State, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Portland State, Siena, Utah State, and Virginia Commonwealth. Three wins overall: Cleveland State defeated Wake Forest; Morehead State defeated Alabama State and Siena beat Ohio State.

2008 NCAA Championship: 15 Berths – Austin Peay, Boise State, Butler, Cal State-Fullerton, Davidson, Drake, George Mason, Kent State, Oral Roberts, Portland State, Saint Mary’s, San Diego, Siena, UMBC and Winthrop. Six wins overall: Davidson defeated Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin to reach the Elite Eight; Butler defeated South Alabama; Siena defeated Vanderbilt; and San Diego defeated Connecticut.

2007 NCAA Championship: 17 Berths – Albany, Butler, Creighton, Davidson, Eastern Kentucky, Holy Cross, Long Beach State, Miami (Ohio), Nevada, New Mexico State, Niagara, Old Dominion, Oral Roberts, Southern Illinois, Virginia Commonwealth, Winthrop and Wright State. Seven wins overall: Butler defeated Old Dominion and Maryland to reach the Sweet Sixteen; Southern Illinois defeated Holy Cross and Virginia Tech to reach the Sweet Sixteen; Nevada defeated Creighton; Virginia Commonwealth defeated Duke; and Winthrop defeated Notre Dame.

2006 NCAA Championship: 19 Berths – Albany, Bradley, Bucknell, George Mason, Iona, Kent State, Montana, Murray State, Nevada, UNC-Wilmington, Northern Iowa, Northwestern State, Pacific, Oral Roberts, Utah State, Southern Illinois, UW-Milwaukee, Winthrop and Wichita State. Twelve wins overall: Bradley defeated Kansas and Pittsburgh to reach the Sweet Sixteen; Bucknell defeated Arkansas; George Mason defeated Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and Connecticut to reach the Final Four; Montana defeated Nevada; Northwestern State defeated Iowa; UW-Milwaukee defeated Oklahoma; and Wichita State defeated Seton Hall and Tennessee to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

About Sears BracketBusters

The Sears BracketBusters concept, named because of the success of participating teams from these conferences in NCAA Championship play through the years, provides programs with an opportunity to play top non-conference opponents roughly three weeks before Selection Sunday. Each conference selects its participating teams before the season, and the matchups for the event are determined by ESPN in conjunction with the conferences. Sears BracketBusters X is an example of ESPN college basketball franchise programming. Others include Rivalry Week, Feast Week Presented by Lowe’s, Holiday Hoops Presented by Kay Jewelers and Judgment Week and Championship Week Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.

Related posts:

1. Sears BracketBusters X Matchups to be Announced Monday on ESPNU
2. 2011 BracketBusters Broadcast Schedule Fri, Feb 18 – Sun, Feb 20
3. ESPN’s Sears BracketBusters Features Two Final Four Teams with the Largest Pool in History

ESPN has announced the programming schedule of men’s college basketball from Wed, Feb 1 through Sun, Feb 5.

ESPN’s upcoming men’s college basketball schedule includes the top nine ranked teams in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The lineup will be highlighted by an ESPN quintuple-header featuring six of the top eight on Saturday, Feb. 4, including two against a ranked opponent: No. 3 Ohio State at No. 20 Wisconsin at 2 p.m. and No. 8 Kansas at No. 4 Missouri in the Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV game at 9 p.m. The action will tip-off at noon with No. 2 Syracuse at St. John’s and includes No. 6 North Carolina at Maryland at 4 p.m. followed by No. 1 Kentucky at South Carolina at 6 p.m.

In addition, ESPNU will televise No. 9 Murray State, the only remaining undefeated team, against Southeast Missouri State on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m.

Related posts:

1. ESPN Network Announces Big 12 Men’s College Basketball Broadcast Schedule
2. 2012 SEC Men’s College Basketball Broadcast Schedule On ESPN Networks
3. ESPN’s Broadcast Schedule of Men’s College Basketball For Mon, Feb 14 Through Wed, Feb 16