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Duke vs. North Carolina rematch Saturday on ESPN

College basketball’s fiercest rivalry is renewed Saturday, March 3, at 7pm ET on ESPN at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., as the No. 6 North Carolina Tar Heels visit the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils. A lot could be on the line as both teams, with identical 26-4 (13-2 ACC) records, eye a high seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils feature stars Austin Rivers, Seth Curry and Mason Plumlee. Roy Williams’ Tar Heels counter with standouts Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes and John Henson. In their first game of the season back on Feb. 8, Duke’s Rivers […]

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ESPN’s Bracketbusters showcases potential NCAA Tournament Cinderellas

We’ve all had our NCAA Tournament pools shattered by some team we’ve underestimated simply because we never saw them play. Raise your hand if you had George Mason knocking off UConn in 2006, or Siena upending Vanderbilt in 2008, or Murray State toppling Vanderbilt in 2010, or VCU taking down Kansas last year. Those winning teams are all deemed mid-majors due to not playing in the BCS conferences, but the reality nowadays is there really isn’t a lot of distance between the power leagues (such as the ACC, Big East, SEC and Big 12) and the mid-majors from leagues like […]

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BTN’s The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2012 tips off Jan. 8

BTN‘s original series The Journey is back for a new season with The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2012 beginning Sunday, Jan. 8, at 8pm ET. The documentary series delves behind the scenes of the Big Ten‘s college basketball season and the conference’s teams, coaches and players. The premiere episode will look at Michigan State’s Draymond Green and his hometown of Saginaw, Mich., Indiana freshman Cody Zeller, Purdue coach Matt Painter, Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger and Deshaun Thomas, and more.

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Duke, Ohio State lock horns in Big Ten/ACC Challenge battle of unbeatens on ESPN

This is the time of year when college basketball takes a backseat to NCAA and professional football, but there really is no better matchup in any sport this week than tonight’s showdown between Duke and Ohio State. Taking place as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the #3-ranked Blue Devils travel to Columbus with their perfect 7-0 record to take on the #2-ranked Buckeyes (6-0) at 9:30pm ET on ESPN. This is the kind of game that is usually played in April with a national championship on the line. And even though we are many months away from the NCAA […]

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Champions Classic part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Nov. 15

This the new State Farm Champions Classic college basketball event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden is the highlight of the annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU Nov. 15. Traditional powerhouses Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State will participate in the Champions Classic through 2013. This year’s matchups are  No. 6 Duke vs. Michigan State (7pm ET) followed by No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Kansas (9pm ET), both on ESPN. In all, the ESPN networks air 21 live college basketball games – 19 men’s and two women’s — in 25 hours beginning with Washington […]

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Carrier Classic 11-11-11 college basketball game airs Friday on ESPN

By Ryan Berenz Follow @ChannelGuideRAB Here’s something you don’t see every day. On Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11, at 7pm ET, ESPN airs a college basketball game between Michigan State and North Carolina — a rematch of the 2009 NCAA championship game — played on the deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson (the vessel that transported Osama bin Laden to burial at sea). It’s the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic 11-11-11, and even without all the novelty of being played on a warship, it’s a pretty decent game with the preseason No. 1 Tar Heels against the […]

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NCAA title game pits David vs. Goliath

The NCAA basketball championship game tonight promises to be a dogfight in every sense of the word, as the Bulldogs of Butler take on the Huskies of Connecticut. And while the game (CBS, 9:23 pm ET) is shaping up to be a dandy, there are many subplots that make the matchup even more intriguing. Here are a few: Much like last year’s finale, Butler of the little-known Horizon League will take on another basketball powerhouse with the hopes of sneaking into the very exclusive club of basketball’s elite. Last year it was Duke of the ACC who ended the party; […]

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Where to watch the 2011 NCAA Tournament Final Four

By Ryan Berenz The NCAA Tournament is down to the Final Four, as Kentucky, UConn, Butler and VCU (Wait, how did VCU get in here?) vie to survive and advance to the national championship game on Monday. CBS airs both Final Four games on Saturday, April 2, beginning with Butler vs. VCU at 6pm ET, followed by UConn vs. Kentucky at approximately 9pm ET. Channel Guide‘s Tom Comi has some excellent analysis of the matchups on our blog. Here’s the complete release from CBS and Turner, including features on The Final Four Show, complementing shows on truTV, and more: CBS […]

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Preview: NCAA Final 4 breaks new ground

Despite what the talking heads at ESPN would lead you to believe, the thing that makes the NCAA Tournament so great is the opportunity for the Davids of the world to play on a level playing field with the Goliaths. And that parity is what has made this year’s tournament one of the most exciting ever. This weekend we get the most unlikely of Final 4s, with no No. 1 or No. 2 seeds remaining. Not only are two mid-major programs still standing, but one is a a VCU team that many argued shouldn’t have even made the cut in […]

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Where to watch the 2011 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

By Ryan Berenz The NCAA Tournament is down to the Regional Semifinals, or in common parlance, the Sweet 16. CBS and TBS air the games nationally beginning March 24 at 7pm ET and continuing March 25 at 7pm ET. Coverage of the Regional Finals airs on CBS March 26-27. You can find the entire tournament TV schedule and results here, complete with announce teams. Here’s the release from CBS/Turner: CBS SPORTS AND TURNER SPORTS ANNOUNCE TIP-TIMES AND ANNOUNCE TEAMS FOR REGIONAL SEMI-FINALS Exclusive Coverage Continues with Regional Semi-Finals on Thursday, March 24 and Friday, March 25 CBS Sports and Turner […]