Championship Week
Encyclopedia
Championship Week is an annual basketball showcase of conference tournament
games in the United States
, which decide NCAA bids in early to mid-March. It typically lasts a little under 2 weeks, before basketball post-season play begins. The minor and mid-major conferences typically begin Championship Week and it ends on Selection Sunday with the brackets being unveiled. Over the years, more games have been added with the expansion of ESPN enterprise
.
.
.
Due to the popularity of the expanded coverage of the college basketball tournaments aired on ESPN
, it was later coined Championship Week.
In 1999, the two ESPN networks at the time aired 51 games, 25 of which were conference title games.
In 2000, ESPN and ESPN2 aired 58 total games (men's and women's) over 8 days including 31 conference title games. Both networks aired all the games from the Big East Tournament
.
In 2001, there were 57 games in 9 days (25 of the 31 automatic berths). This also marked a turning point for the women's game, as their championship games were aired for the first time.
In 2003, ESPN and ESPN2 showed 61 games. ESPN2 added the Big 12 semfinals that year.
In 2005, the ESPN family of networks aired 99 men and women's games. They aired 26 of the 31 games which determined bids.
In 2007, ESPN and its sister stations aired 89 games in a 11 days. The networks had parts of 25 tournaments, including 24 championship games.
In 2008, it lasted 10 days and featured 81 total games (63 men's games and 18 women's games). They televised 24 D-I men's title games and a D-II conference title. Also, 18 women’s games were televised highlighted by 11 Division I and a Division II title contest. Also, Bobby Knight
debuted as an ESPN commentator.
In 2009, ESPN Radio
will broadcast Championship Week for the first time with the Big 12 Tournament
with coverage of the semifinals and championship games. The ESPN family of networks will televise 20 women's games including 13 title games. On the men's side, the ESPN networks will televise 63 games, from 27 D-I conferences including 24 title games and a D-II conference title.
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Conference Tournaments
A conference tournament in college basketball is a tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine a conference tournament champion. It is usually held in four rounds, but can vary, depending on the conference. All Division I Conferences hold a conference tournament except the Ivy...
games in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which decide NCAA bids in early to mid-March. It typically lasts a little under 2 weeks, before basketball post-season play begins. The minor and mid-major conferences typically begin Championship Week and it ends on Selection Sunday with the brackets being unveiled. Over the years, more games have been added with the expansion of ESPN enterprise
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
.
Process
ESPN typically schedules the games a year in advance. Many conferences get their only nationally televised game of the year during this week. ESPN programmer Burke Magnus points out that a single change can result in a domino effectDomino effect
The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on in linear sequence. The term is best known as a mechanical effect, and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes...
.
History
It began in 1986 with 27 games, not all of which were live. It cut into 45 games. This franchise was greatly expanded with the creation of ESPN2ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
.
Due to the popularity of the expanded coverage of the college basketball tournaments aired on ESPN
College Basketball on ESPN
College Basketball on ESPN is a presentation of the college basketball television package on the ESPN family of networks. The television network broadcasts games of all the major conferences and many mid-major conferences of Division I NCAA basketball....
, it was later coined Championship Week.
In 1999, the two ESPN networks at the time aired 51 games, 25 of which were conference title games.
In 2000, ESPN and ESPN2 aired 58 total games (men's and women's) over 8 days including 31 conference title games. Both networks aired all the games from the Big East Tournament
Big East Tournament
Big East Tournament or Big East Championship may refer to:*Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, the men's basketball championship*Big East Women's Basketball Tournament, the women's basketball championship...
.
In 2001, there were 57 games in 9 days (25 of the 31 automatic berths). This also marked a turning point for the women's game, as their championship games were aired for the first time.
In 2003, ESPN and ESPN2 showed 61 games. ESPN2 added the Big 12 semfinals that year.
In 2005, the ESPN family of networks aired 99 men and women's games. They aired 26 of the 31 games which determined bids.
In 2007, ESPN and its sister stations aired 89 games in a 11 days. The networks had parts of 25 tournaments, including 24 championship games.
In 2008, it lasted 10 days and featured 81 total games (63 men's games and 18 women's games). They televised 24 D-I men's title games and a D-II conference title. Also, 18 women’s games were televised highlighted by 11 Division I and a Division II title contest. Also, Bobby Knight
Bobby Knight
-Indiana:When Indiana University was seeking a new coach in 1971, they turned to Knight. Knight was given the nickname "The General" by former University of Detroit and Detroit Pistons coach-turned-broadcaster Dick Vitale....
debuted as an ESPN commentator.
In 2009, ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
will broadcast Championship Week for the first time with the Big 12 Tournament
Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament
The Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament is the championship men's basketball tournament in the Big 12 Conference. It is a single-elimination tournament of four rounds, with the top four seeds getting byes in the first round...
with coverage of the semifinals and championship games. The ESPN family of networks will televise 20 women's games including 13 title games. On the men's side, the ESPN networks will televise 63 games, from 27 D-I conferences including 24 title games and a D-II conference title.