16th Year of Exclusive Coverage – April 3 & 5 from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
ESPN Final Four Commentator Predictions / Download photos
ESPN’s NCAA Women’s Final Four Coverage
National Semifinals – Sunday, April 3: No. 2 seed Texas A&M vs. No. 1 seed Stanford at 7 p.m. ET, and No. 2 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 1 seed Connecticut at 9 p.m.
National Championship – Tuesday, April 5: Winner of Semifinal Games at 8:30 p.m.
* – All three games available in high definition and simulcast on ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV
Final Four Storylines
- 16th year of exclusive coverage on ESPN; ninth year covering all 63 games;
- ESPN3.com will continue its simulcast with full coverage of the postgame celebration, trophy presentation and the net cutting;
- An EStrator telestrator system will be in place and run by Brenda VanLengen – a contributing announcer on ESPN women’s basketball coverage. The system is used on Monday Night Football and during NBA telecasts;
- Expanded access from the NCAA to enhance the telecasts, including pregame locker room access, in-game head coach interviews and halftime player interviews;
- The games and studio shows will use 24 cameras, comprising 20 game and four studio cameras:
- Three robotic cameras
- Two jibs
- Two 180fps slo-mos
- One Steadicam
- Trey Wingo, Kara Lawson and Carolyn Peck on set at Conseco Fieldhouse during ESPN’s studio coverage of the semifinals Sunday and the National Championship Tuesday;
- Dave O’Brien returns for his second year at the Women’s Final Four as the play-by-play announcer and will be joined by veteran analyst Doris Burke;
- Rebecca Lobo returns to the sideline after spending the first, second and regional rounds as an analyst – marking the first time she worked the regionals as an analyst instead of a reporter;
- Holly Rowe returns for her sixth year as a sideline reporter and Bob Holtzman will provide updates for SportsCenter and ESPNEWS live from Indianapolis throughout the weekend;
- ESPN.com’s Shannon Cross will be the official social media correspondent for the Women’s Final Four providing poll questions, sharing comments from ESPN.com’s live chat room and tweets from the viewers:
- It marks the first time ESPN.com has utilized its live discussions during a telecast for cross-platform integration
- Featured segments on all four Final Four teams will be aired throughout the weekend including:
- Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins in a hometown piece from South Bend, Ind.
- A look at Connecticut’s Maya Moore and her illustrious career
ESPN Final Four Commentators
Studio Team
Trey Wingo (Sixth-year host): Wingo joined ESPN in 1997 as a news anchor and has become one of ESPN’s most versatile studio hosts who primarily works on NFL studio shows, while also covering events such as the NFL Draft and U.S. and British Open for golf. He is also a regular contributor to ESPN Radio programs and digital platforms. Wingo is a graduate of Baylor University.
Kara Lawson (Sixth-year analyst): Lawson is in her eighth year as an analyst for ESPN. She works women’s college basketball games and as a studio analyst. She most recently added men’s college basketball to her duties. Lawson played college ball for the University of Tennessee, led the Lady Vols to three straight Final Fours and was a two-time All-American. Lawson won a gold medal with the 2008 U.S. Women’s Basketball Olympic Team in Beijing and is in her ninth season with the WNBA – winning a league title in 2005 and currently playing for the Connecticut Sun.
Carolyn Peck (Third-year analyst): Peck originally joined ESPN in 2001 as a basketball analyst for both college and professional, including men’s and women’s college basketball, WNBA and NBA. She continues as an analyst for women’s college hoops and the WNBA as well as a studio analyst. Peck won the 1999 NCAA Championship title as the head coach at Purdue University – becoming the first African-American coach in women’s basketball to do so. She is also the former head coach at the University of Florida and the WNBA’s Orlando Miracle. Peck was a student-athlete at Vanderbilt University.
Game Commentators
Doris Burke (Sixth-year game analyst): Burke began covering basketball for ESPN in 1991, and currently is an analyst for men’s and women’s college basketball and the NBA, as well as a sideline reporter for select telecasts. She also handles the WNBA as an analyst and studio host. Burke was a women’s basketball player at Providence College.
Dave O’Brien (Second-year play-by-play): O’Brien joined ESPN in 2002 as a play-by-play announcer working Major League Baseball, college basketball and the NBA telecasts. In 2010, O’Brien added the Women’s Final Four to his announcing responsibilities. He is also the radio play-by-play announcer for the Boston Red Sox. A Boston native, O’Brien attended Syracuse University.
Rebecca Lobo (Fourth-year reporter): Lobo joined ESPN in 2004 as a WNBA and women’s college basketball analyst and reporter. Lobo won an NCAA Championship in 1995 with the University of Connecticut where she was a National Player of the Year and an All-American. In addition, she won a gold medal with the 1996 U.S. Women’s Basketball Olympic Team during the Atlanta Olympics and played in the WNBA for seven seasons.
Holly Rowe (Sixth-year reporter): Rowe began working ESPN telecasts in 1995, and joined on a regular-basis in 1998. Rowe primarily covers college football, men’s basketball and softball as a reporter, as well as the NBA and WNBA. Rowe has also provided play-by-play commentary for women’s college basketball, softball and volleyball. Rowe is a graduate of the University of Utah.
SportsCenter/ESPNEWS Reporter
Bob Holtzman: Holtzman joined ESPN in 2000 as a reporter, primarily handling stories featured in the network’s award-winning news and information franchise – SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, Outside the Lines, Baseball Tonight, NBA shows, ESPNEWS and others. Holtzman was graduated from Kansas University in 1993 with degrees in journalism and psychology.
Final Four Specials
NCAA Women’s Final Four Special Presented by Capital One: The 30-minute Women’s Final Four preview show hosted by Wingo, Lawson and Peck from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis will precede the national semifinals Sunday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.
The Experts: NCAA Women’s Championship Special: The hour-long round-table studio show Tuesday, April 5, at 1 p.m. on ESPNU will field Wingo, Lawson, Peck, Lobo, Burke and a guest coach to be announced at a later date.
Crunch Time: Women’s Tournament: The two-hour show will air Tuesday, April 5, at 2 p.m. on ESPNU and will revisit the last few minutes of the best and most exciting games of the NCAA Championship.
College Basketball Live: Women’s National Championship Special: The 90-minute special hosted by Cara Capuano, Abby Waner and LaChina Robinson on Tuesday, April 5, at 6 p.m. on ESPNU will highlight and preview the Women’s National Championship game.
NCAA Women’s Championship Special Presented by Capital One: ESPN will begin its National Championship game coverage with an hour-long preview special, also hosted by Wingo, Lawson and Peck, from Conseco Fieldhouse Tuesday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m.
ESPN.com Women’s Tournament Challenge
Several interesting statistics highlight ESPN.com’s Women’s Tournament Challenge and the teams that advanced to the Final Four.
- 1.88 percent of the brackets selected entire Final Four;
- 11.7 percent of brackets had Texas A&M in the Final Four, while 22 percent correctly picked Notre Dame. Texas A&M and Notre Dame were the most popular two-seeds to reach the Final Four, although 3.1 percent of the brackets had both the Irish and the Aggies in the Final Four (and 0.2 percent have them meeting in the title game);
- Most users had Connecticut and Stanford, as 74 percent of all brackets had both teams in the Final Four with 31.1 percent of brackets picking them to meet in the finals;
- There was 89.6 percent of the brackets that correctly picked Connecticut to reach the Final Four, and is the pick to win it all in 51.5 percent of brackets;
- Stanford was correctly picked to reach the Final Four in 79.6 percent of brackets, second most of all teams, but they were the third-most popular pick to win it all at 13.9 percent (behind the 16.2 percent for Baylor);
- President Obama is in the 80.4 percentile, getting two Final Four teams (Connecticut & Stanford);
- Percentage of brackets picking potential national champions:
- Connecticut: 51.5 percent
- Stanford: 13.9 percent
- Notre Dame: 1.2 percent
- Texas A&M: 1.0 percent
ESPN Multiplatform Coverage
ESPN.com will offer on-site reports, features and video analysis from writers Graham Hays, Mechelle Voepel and Charlie Creme, as well as Cover It Live applications during all three Final Four games.
ESPN Mobile will cover the Women’s Final Four on the industry-leading mobile Web sports site, on-demand video highlights and analysis via the ESPN Bracket Bound app and ESPN Alerts to deliver score updates.
espnW, a new platform to serve, inform and inspire female athletes and fans, will continue to highlight stories surrounding the 2011 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship and the Final Four.
- A first-person perspective from Notre Dame sophomore guard Skylar Diggins, as well as on Twitter (@skydigg4);
- espnW contributor Jane McManus revisits Maya Moore’s final run in the NCAA Championship as she solidifies her legacy as one of the best female college basketball players of all time;
- A feature by contributor Michelle Smith on how the personalities of the Final Four teams reflect their coaches;
- Stories on the top five storylines of the Final Four, players to watch and what to expect from each team.
SportsCenter and ESPNEWS will offer in-depth analysis of the NCAA Women’s Final Four teams from Doris Burke, Kara Lawson, and Carolyn Peck; and previews of the Final Four matchups beginning Friday, April 1. Comprehensive coverage will also include highlights and daily reporter updates from Indianapolis, along with Final Four team news conferences. Holtzman will report live from Conseco Fieldhouse.
ESPN Radio will provide live score updates on its SportsCenter reports during the Women’s Final Four, and present interviews with potential newsmakers in Indianapolis.
ESPN International Networks will provide coverage of the national semifinals along with the title game to fans on ESPN Pac Rim, ESPN 2 Australia, ESPN Mid East, ESPN Brazil HD, ESPN Latin North, ESPN Latin South, ESPN Caribbean and ESPN America (Europe).
ESPNFrontRow.com debuted March 30 and will offer behind-the-scenes views from ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Championship semifinals and finals.
ESPN Classic will reair several memorable NCAA women’s basketball games – all featuring Connecticut and/or Tennessee dating back to 1995.
ESPN Classic NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Game |
| Sun, Apr 3 | Noon | 1996 NCAA Women’s National Semifinal: Connecticut vs. Tennessee |
| 2 p.m. | 1997 NCAA Midwest Regional Final: Connecticut vs. Tennessee | |
| 4 p.m. | 2002 NCAA Women’s National Semifinal: Connecticut vs. Tennessee | |
| Tue, Apr 5 | 9 a.m. | 1995 NCAA National Championship: Connecticut vs. Tennessee |
| 11 a.m. | 1996 NCAA National Championship: Connecticut vs. Tennessee | |
| 1 p.m. | 1998 NCAA National Championship: Louisiana Tech vs. Tennessee | |
| 3 p.m. | 2004 NCAA National Championship: Connecticut vs. Tennessee | |
| 5 p.m. | 2010 NCAA National Championship: Connecticut vs. Stanford |
NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Women’s Final Four Schedule (Schedule subject to change)
| Date | Time (ET) | Telecast | Networks |
| Sun, Apr 3 | 6:30 p.m. | NCAA Women’s Final Four Special Presented by Capital One | ESPN / ESPN HD |
| 7 p.m. | National Semifinal:No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Stanford | ESPN / ESPN HD / ESPN3.com /ESPN Mobile TV | |
| 9 p.m. | National Semifinal:No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Connecticut | ESPN / ESPN HD / ESPN3.com /ESPN Mobile TV | |
| Tue, Apr 5 | 1 p.m. | The Experts: NCAA Women’s Championship Special | ESPNU / ESPNU HD |
| 2 p.m. | Crunch Time: Women’s Tournament | ESPNU / ESPNU HD | |
| 5 p.m. | The Experts: NCAA Women’s Championship Special | ESPNU / ESPNU HD | |
| 6 p.m. | College Basketball Live: Women’s National Championship Special | ESPNU / ESPNU HD | |
| 7:30 p.m. | NCAA Women’s Championship Special Presented by Capital One | ESPN / ESPN HD | |
| 8:30 p.m. | National Championship | ESPN / ESPN HD / ESPN3.com /ESPN Mobile TV |
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