College Basketball on ABC
Encyclopedia
ESPN College Basketball
on ABC presented by KFC was a television program on ABC
that broadcast regular season NCAA Division I men's basketball
games. In 1987
, ABC began televising college basketball
games on a regular basis. As CBS
and NBC
were also broadcasting college games at the time, this put the sport on all three major over-the-air television networks
. ABC's debut broadcast was on January 18, 1987
(LSU
at Kentucky
) and its final regular season broadcast was on March 7, 2009 (Oklahoma State
at Oklahoma
). ABC still broadcasts college basketball: they televise the semi-finals and finals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
.
, ABC
showed the NCAA Championship Game on a one-day delayed basis, as part of Wide World of Sports
. On December 15, 1973
, ABC aired what appeared to be the first ever major network telecast of a regular season game (UCLA
vs. NC State
at St. Louis). ABC (which had recently lost the NBA rights to CBS) televised this game using their former NBA announcer crew, Keith Jackson
and Bill Russell
.
In the 1977-78 season, C.D. Chesley (who controlled the ACC
rights at the time) wanted NBC to televise some ACC games as part of its national package as it had the previous few years. However, NBC wanted to feature intersectional games. This action greatly upset Chesley, who wound up selling the rights to the ACC Tournament final
to ABC. ABC would televise the 1978 ACC Tournament final as part of Wide World of Sports. The game, called by Jim Lampley
and Bill Russell, marked the first time Duke
was ever on national television.
(around the time in which NBC
was phasing out their own college basketball coverage), ABC ramped up their own coverage in an effort to fill the void. Thus, they also started to cover the ACC and SEC. Otherwise, it was essentially, a considerable hodge-podge with an ACC game one week, or a Pac-10 or Big 10 game the next. The games broadcast were a hodgepodge of conference match-ups up until 2009, with WCC, SEC and Big East match-ups occasionally being shown alongside frequent ACC, Big 12 and Pac 10 match-ups.
ABC's early regular season broadcasts were for the most part, technically time buys
from organizations such as Raycom
(particularly, around 1990-1991) or sister network (under the Walt Disney Company umbrella), ESPN
. This in return, was a way to avoid union contracts in which 100%
of network shows had to be done by network union cameramen, etc.
In the 1987–88 season, ABC did not air games during the last three weekends of February because they were covering
the Winter Olympics
. Coverage by ABC steadily increased during the early 1990s. By the 1991–92 season, ABC was carrying regional games in many timeslots on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. By 1997, ABC's presenting sponsor was Paine Webber
.
Starting in 1999, coverage of the PGA Tour
limited the amount of games shown; this continued through 2006. Also, beginning in 2002, coverage of the NBA further decreased college coverage by ABC Sports. Beginning with the 2007 season, all games were rebranded as part of the ESPN on ABC brand change (meaning that all sports telecasts on ABC would exclusively feature ESPN's graphics, music and announcers) and Sunday games were discontinued. From 2007 until 2009, all games begun at 3:30 p.m. ET, which was a departure from the wildly different times that games were broadcast previously. Also for 2007–2009, the presenting sponsor was Kentucky Fried Chicken.
and Dick Vitale
were the top announcing crew, while Gary Bender
was the number two play-by-play man behind Jackson. Meanwhile, Al Michaels
did regional games during this period. When Brent Musburger
came over from CBS
in late 1990, he started working with Dick Vitale on the top team. Jim Valvano
did color commentary on games for ABC for a few years until his death in 1993. ABC paired Vitale and Valvano as co-analysts a few times in the 1991–92 season. In the 1992-93 season, Terry Gannon
filled in on a few games for Valvano, who was the battling cancer that would ultimately claim his life in April 1993. Many of the announcers worked for ABC and ESPN, and ABC continued to use ESPN announcers, reporters and commentators until 2009, never quite establishing firm ABC broadcasting teams even after the ESPN on ABC brand switch.
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....
on ABC presented by KFC was a television program on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
that broadcast regular season NCAA Division I men's basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
games. In 1987
1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, ABC began televising college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
games on a regular basis. As CBS
College Basketball on CBS
College Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS...
and NBC
College Basketball on NBC
College Basketball on NBC is a former television program created and produced by NBC Sports that broadcast NCAA Division I men's basketball games. The program existed in some shape or form from 1969–1998. From 1969–1981, NBC covered the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
were also broadcasting college games at the time, this put the sport on all three major over-the-air television networks
Big Three Television Networks
The Big Three Television Networks are the three traditional commercial broadcast television networks in the United States: ABC, CBS and NBC...
. ABC's debut broadcast was on January 18, 1987
1987 in television
The year 1987 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1987.For American TV schedule, see: 1987–88 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:...
(LSU
LSU Tigers basketball
The Louisiana State Tigers basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The team is currently coached by Trent Johnson and has enjoyed recent success, including a Final Four run in the 2005–2006 season. Past coaches include John Brady, Press...
at Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the winningest in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647...
) and its final regular season broadcast was on March 7, 2009 (Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys men's basketball
The Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team represents Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Cowboys currently compete in the Big 12 Conference.Since 1938, the team has played its home games in Gallagher-Iba Arena...
at Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball
-1908-1980:The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era, posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with Bennie Owen , and ending with Dave Bliss in 1980...
). ABC still broadcasts college basketball: they televise the semi-finals and finals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament is the conference tournament in basketball for the Southeastern Conference . It is a single-elimination tournament that involves all league schools . Its seeding is based on regular season records...
.
1962, 1973, 1978
In 19621962 in television
The year 1962 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1962.For the American TV schedule, see: 1962-63 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
showed the NCAA Championship Game on a one-day delayed basis, as part of Wide World of Sports
Wide World of Sports (US TV series)
ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was originally hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006...
. On December 15, 1973
1973 in television
The year 1973 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1973.-Events:*January 4 – The record breaking, long-running comedy series in the UK and the world "Last of the Summer Wine" starts as a 30-minute pilot on BBC1's Comedy Playhouse show....
, ABC aired what appeared to be the first ever major network telecast of a regular season game (UCLA
1973–74 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
The 1973–74 season would be Bill Walton's final year with the school. During the season, the Bruins' 88 game winning streak would end. The defeat was a 71–70 decision to the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish...
vs. NC State
1973–74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
The 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack were a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.-Roster:-ACC Tournament:...
at St. Louis). ABC (which had recently lost the NBA rights to CBS) televised this game using their former NBA announcer crew, Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson
Keith Jackson is an American sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports , his coverage of college football , his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R...
and Bill Russell
Bill Russell
William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...
.
In the 1977-78 season, C.D. Chesley (who controlled the ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
rights at the time) wanted NBC to televise some ACC games as part of its national package as it had the previous few years. However, NBC wanted to feature intersectional games. This action greatly upset Chesley, who wound up selling the rights to the ACC Tournament final
1978 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1978 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Greensboro Coliseum from March 1-4. Duke defeated Wake Forest 85-77 to win the championship. Jim Spanarkel was named the tournament MVP.-Bracket:...
to ABC. ABC would televise the 1978 ACC Tournament final as part of Wide World of Sports. The game, called by Jim Lampley
Jim Lampley
James "Jim" Lampley is an American sportscaster, news anchor, movie producer, and restaurant owner. Lampley has anchored a record 14 Olympic Games U.S. television broadcasts, most recently the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China....
and Bill Russell, marked the first time Duke
1977–78 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team
The 1977–78 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University. The Head Coach was Bill Foster. The team played its home games in the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference....
was ever on national television.
1987-2009
When ABC's coverage began in 1987, they primarily covered the Big Ten, Big 8 and Pac-10. By 19911991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana...
(around the time in which NBC
College Basketball on NBC
College Basketball on NBC is a former television program created and produced by NBC Sports that broadcast NCAA Division I men's basketball games. The program existed in some shape or form from 1969–1998. From 1969–1981, NBC covered the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
was phasing out their own college basketball coverage), ABC ramped up their own coverage in an effort to fill the void. Thus, they also started to cover the ACC and SEC. Otherwise, it was essentially, a considerable hodge-podge with an ACC game one week, or a Pac-10 or Big 10 game the next. The games broadcast were a hodgepodge of conference match-ups up until 2009, with WCC, SEC and Big East match-ups occasionally being shown alongside frequent ACC, Big 12 and Pac 10 match-ups.
ABC's early regular season broadcasts were for the most part, technically time buys
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
from organizations such as Raycom
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
(particularly, around 1990-1991) or sister network (under the Walt Disney Company umbrella), 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....
. This in return, was a way to avoid union contracts in which 100%
Percentage
In mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100 . It is often denoted using the percent sign, “%”, or the abbreviation “pct”. For example, 45% is equal to 45/100, or 0.45.Percentages are used to express how large/small one quantity is, relative to another quantity...
of network shows had to be done by network union cameramen, etc.
In the 1987–88 season, ABC did not air games during the last three weekends of February because they were covering
Olympics on ABC
The Olympics on ABC was the branding for Olympic Games coverage which aired in the United States on the broadcast network ABC. ABC first televised the Winter Olympic Games in 1964. ABC first televised the Summer Olympic Games in 1968...
the Winter Olympics
1988 Winter Olympics
The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in and around Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 13 to 28 February 1988. The host was selected in 1981 after having beat Falun, Sweden and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy...
. Coverage by ABC steadily increased during the early 1990s. By the 1991–92 season, ABC was carrying regional games in many timeslots on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. By 1997, ABC's presenting sponsor was Paine Webber
Paine Webber
Paine Webber and Company was an American stock brokerage and asset management firm that was acquired by the Swiss bank UBS AG in 2000. The company was founded in 1880 in Boston, Massachusetts, by William Alfred Paine and Wallace G. Webber. Operating with two employees, they leased premises at 48...
.
Starting in 1999, coverage of the PGA Tour
PGA Tour on ABC
PGA Tour on ABC was a television program that broadcast the main professional golf tours on the American Broadcasting Company television network. ABC initially broadcast the PGA Tour through 1978 and then from 1999–2006. From 1966 through 2009, ABC was the broadcast home of the British...
limited the amount of games shown; this continued through 2006. Also, beginning in 2002, coverage of the NBA further decreased college coverage by ABC Sports. Beginning with the 2007 season, all games were rebranded as part of the ESPN on ABC brand change (meaning that all sports telecasts on ABC would exclusively feature ESPN's graphics, music and announcers) and Sunday games were discontinued. From 2007 until 2009, all games begun at 3:30 p.m. ET, which was a departure from the wildly different times that games were broadcast previously. Also for 2007–2009, the presenting sponsor was Kentucky Fried Chicken.
2009 schedule
- January 17: #3 Wake Forest 78 at #9 Clemson 68
- January 17: Kansas 73 at Colorado 56
- January 31: #6 North Carolina 93 at North Carolina State 76
- January 31: Stanford 63 at #16 UCLA 97
- February 7: Oklahoma State 67 at #24 Kansas 78
- February 7: Arizona 87 at Oregon 77
- February 14: Florida 86 at Georgia 88
- February 14: #16 Kansas 85 at Kansas State 74
- February 21: #3 North Carolina 85 at Maryland 88
- February 28: #7 Duke 72 at Virginia Tech 65
- February 28: #3 Oklahoma 78 at Texas Tech 63
- March 7: Maryland 63 at Virginia 68
- March 7: Oklahoma State 78 at #5 Oklahoma 82
- March 7: Oregon 68 at #17 UCLA 94
2008 schedule
- January 19: Maryland 82 at #5 North Carolina 80
- February 2: Miami 73 at #3 Duke 88
- February 2: #2 Kansas 72 at Colorado 59
- February 9: Virginia 64 at Wake Forest 80
- February 9: #12 Texas 71 at Iowa State 65
- February 9: Southern California 50 at #17 Washington State 74
- February 16: Oklahoma State 59 at #16 Texas A&M 54
- February 16: #7 Stanford 67 at Arizona 66
- February 23: Oklahoma 45 at #7 Texas 62
- February 23: Oregon 65 at #6 UCLA 75
- March 1: #3 North Carolina 90 at Boston College 80
- March 8: Georgia Tech 86 at Boston College 78
- March 8: Missouri 66 at Oklahoma 75
- March 8: California 80 at #3 UCLA 81
2007 schedule
- January 13: #1 North Carolina 88 at Virginia Tech 94
- January 13: Oklahoma 69 at Texas 80
- January 20: #17 Duke 73 at North Carolina State 56
- February 3: #3 North Carolina 79 at North Carolina State 83
- February 3: Kansas State 73 at #23 Texas 72
- February 10: #8 Kansas 92 at Missouri 74
- February 10: Arizona 77 at #15 Oregon 74
- February 17: Connecticut 63 at Syracuse 73
- February 17: Tennessee 64 at South Carolina 81
- February 17: #6 Texas A&M 56 at Oklahoma 49
- February 24: Georgia Tech 69 at #19 Virginia 75
- February 24: #16 Marquette 73 at #23 Notre Dame 85
- February 24: Gonzaga 86 at San Francisco 79
- March 3: North Carolina State 59 at Maryland 79
- March 3: Oklahoma 61 at Kansas State 72
- March 3: Arizona 85 at Stanford 80
Commentators
In the early years, Keith JacksonKeith Jackson
Keith Jackson is an American sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports , his coverage of college football , his style of folksy, down-to-earth commentary, and his distinctive voice, with its deep cadence, and operatic tone considered "like Edward R...
and Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale
Richard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...
were the top announcing crew, while Gary Bender
Gary Bender
Gary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:...
was the number two play-by-play man behind Jackson. Meanwhile, Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
did regional games during this period. When Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
came over from CBS
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
in late 1990, he started working with Dick Vitale on the top team. Jim Valvano
Jim Valvano
James Thomas Anthony "Jim" Valvano , nicknamed Jimmy V, was an American college basketball coach.While the head basketball coach at North Carolina State University, he won the 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament against high odds...
did color commentary on games for ABC for a few years until his death in 1993. ABC paired Vitale and Valvano as co-analysts a few times in the 1991–92 season. In the 1992-93 season, Terry Gannon
Terry Gannon
Terrance Patrick "Terry" Gannon , is a sportscaster for ABC Sports, ESPN and The Golf Channel. Gannon's work has included an extensive variety of sporting events, including college basketball, as well as figure skating, golf, college football, and the WNBA.-College basketball:Gannon began his...
filled in on a few games for Valvano, who was the battling cancer that would ultimately claim his life in April 1993. Many of the announcers worked for ABC and ESPN, and ABC continued to use ESPN announcers, reporters and commentators until 2009, never quite establishing firm ABC broadcasting teams even after the ESPN on ABC brand switch.
See also
- ESPN on ABCESPN on ABCESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
- Men's college basketball on televisionMen's college basketball on televisionMen's College basketball on television includes the broadcasting of college basketball games, as well as pre- and post-game reports, analysis, and human-interest stories...
- College Basketball on ESPNCollege Basketball on ESPNCollege 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....