As I went home this morning to get some things for work, I had SportsCenter on and Digger Phelps said today is the best day for college basketball. He said the Big East quarterfinals were the best day for a college basketball fan and if anyone saw Louisville pummel Providence College today, you can certainly see his point. Of course I say that sarcastically. It was one of the dumbest statements I ever heard. Yeah, tournament week is one of the best times of the sports calendar year, but the best days for college basketball are Championship Saturday when you have the ACC semis, America East, A-10, Big East, Big 10 semis Big 12, C-USA, Mountain West, Pac 10, SEC semis, WAC and other championships decided along with the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Digger’s nuts. Hubert Davis could not believe what he was hearing.

Of course, Selection Sunday is another great day and both CBS Sports and ESPN will have extensive coverage of the 65 teams going into the NCAA Tournament.

Here are CBS’ plans for Championship Weekend including Selection Sunday.

CBS SPORTS’ CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTED BY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF “NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW”

Conference Championships for Conference USA, Pac-10, SEC and Big Ten Featured on Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15

CBS Sports’ coverage of CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND is highlighted by the NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTION SHOW on Sunday, March 15 (6:00-7:00 PM, ET), with the exclusive, live, first-time announcement of the pairings for the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.

CBS Sports begins CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND on Saturday, March 14 (11:30 AM, ET) with the Conference USA Championship followed by the Big Ten Semifinals (1:40 PM, ET). The Pac-10 Championship concludes Saturday’s quadruple-header coverage (6:00 PM, ET).

On Sunday, THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR tips-off the day (12:00 Noon-1:00 PM, ET) followed by national coverage of the SEC Championship (1:00 PM, ET) and the Big Ten Championship (3:30 PM, ET). The SELECTION SHOW wraps up an exciting weekend of college basketball on the CBS Television Network.

Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis host the SELECTION SHOW live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will join Gumbel, Anthony and Davis via satellite from the site of the Big Ten Championship, Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. In addition, Mike Slive,Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday and Sunday. Gumbel, Anthony and Davis also host AT THE HALF, CBS Sports’ halftime studio show, and THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR Chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee will be on live from NCAA Headquarters in .

Following are the weekend talent and production assignments:

Saturday, March 14 – Quadrupleheader

11:30 AM

Conference USA Championship, Gus Johnson/Dan Bonner

1:40 PM

Big Ten Semifinals, Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg

6:00 PM

Pac-10 Championship, Dick Enberg/Bob Wenzel

Sunday, March 15 – Doubleheader

1:00 PM

SEC Championship, Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery

3:30 PM

Big Ten Championship, Nantz/Kellogg

The Network’s exclusive live broadcast coverage of the 2009 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tips off with first-round action on Thursday, March
19 and Friday, March 20 (12:00 NOON-5:00 PM, ET and 7:00 PM-12:00 AM, ET, both days) and concludes with the Final Four and Championship game on Saturday, April 4 (6:00-11:00 PM, ET) and Monday, April 6 (9:00-Conclusion PM, ET), respectively.

You can check out ESPN’s multi-platform coverage of Selection Sunday.

Extensive Selection Sunday Coverage; Andy Katz Plans to Interview All 65 NCAA Tournament Coaches During Five-Hour ESPNU Special Monday

ESPN’s 30th season of extensive men’s college basketball action – more than 1,100 games — will continue with day-long coverage of Selection Sunday, March 15, the day the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament brackets are announced, across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN Mobile Products. Top elements include:

• Seven hours of studio discussion across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU on Selection Sunday, including six consecutive beginning with SportsCenter at 6 p.m. ET, as well as day-long analysis on ESPNEWS;
• Andy Katz planning to interview every coach in the NCAA Tournament in a five-hour show Monday, March 16, at 2 p.m.;
• A four-hour show on ESPN Radio; Tournament Challenge, bubble watch, bracketology, online videos, chats and more on ESPN.com; and ESPN Mobile Products.
• Thirty-two one-minute vignettes on ESPNU previewing each Tournament matchup.

In addition, ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz will attempt a first – to interview all 65 head coaches in the NCAA Tournament as part of the ESPNU Coaches Spotlight: College Basketball Special five-hour show on ESPNU Monday, March 16, at 2 p.m. (simulcast on ESPN2 from 2 to 4 p.m.). Lowell Galindo will host the program with analyst Adrian Branch analyzing matchups between the phone interviews.

ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN2’s Selection Sunday and Monday Schedule

Date Time (ET) Network Show

Sun., 3/15	noon – 1 p.m.	ESPN	College GameDay
	3 – 4 p.m.	ESPN2	ESPNU Bracketology
	6 – 7 p.m.	ESPN	SportsCenter
	7 – 9 p.m.	ESPN and ESPNU	ESPNU Bracketology
	9 – 9:30 p.m.	ESPNU	NIT Selection Show
	9:30 – 11 p.m.	ESPNU	ESPNU Bracketology
Mon., 3/16	2 -7 p.m.	ESPNU (ESPN2 simulcast from 2-4)	ESPNU Coaches Spotlight: College Basketball Special

ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN2’s Selection Sunday includes:

• College GameDay at noon on ESPN with host Rece Davis, analysts Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis and ESPN.com Bracketologist Joe Lunardi in ESPN’s studios with Dick Vitale and Bob Knight via satellite previewing the day’s conference championships and discussing who could be in and out of the Tournament, as well as potential bracket seeding.
• On Selection Sunday, ESPNEWS will provide all-day c
  ollege basketball conversation beginning at 1 p.m. with bracket predictions leading up the announcement, followed by reaction from analysts, players and coaches. Steve Lavin, Gottlieb, Brennan and other ESPN personalities will provide analysis throughout the NCAA Tournament. Press conferences will be aired live before and after every game throughout the tournament, beginning Wednesday, March 18, at noon.
• ESPNU Bracketology at 3 p.m. on ESPN2 will provide in-depth analysis before the bracket is announced. Host Ryan Burr, analysts Doug Gottlieb and Tom Brennan will discuss their predictions for number one seeds, the last teams in and out, the coaches on the bubble and more.
• The 6 p.m. SportsCenter will present up-to-the-minute updates of the tournament selection with host Rece Davis and analysts Bilas, Knight and Phelps analyzing the brackets shortly after they are announced while SportsCenter anchors Steve Berthiaume and Matt WinerVitale will also contribute, while George Smith will report from Indianapolis where the selection committee decides the brackets. report the latest news from the world of sports.
• ESPNU Bracketology at 7 p.m. on ESPN (simulcast on ESPNU) will review the bracket from top to bottom in each region. Host Rece Davis will be joined by Bilas, Phelps, Hubert Davis and Lunardi in studio and Vitale and Knight via satellite to discuss topics such as which teams were left out and provide their Elite Eight, Final Four and Championship teams. The show will include live interviews with several coaches and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee Chair, and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.
• NIT Selection Show at 9 p.m. on ESPNU will feature the announcement of the NIT field. Host Mike Gleason and analyst Branch will offer in-depth analysis of the matchups and discuss what teams were left out. The show will include a live interview with NIT Chair C.M. Newton about the bracket and selection process.
• ESPNU Bracketology at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU will feature additional analysis of the NCAA Tournament bracket. Galindo, Branch and Katz will discuss every first-round game, which teams were left out and project what teams will face each other in subsequent rounds.

Thirty-two Vignettes to Preview the Matchups on ESPNU

ESPNU will televise 32 one-minute vignettes providing a preview of each first-round matchup of the men’s Tournament. Two vignettes will be aired every hour beginning Tuesday, March 17, at 6 a.m. through Thursday, March 19 at noon. They will be hosted by Galindo with Branch.

Selection Sunday Special on ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio will broadcast a four-hour show dedicated to the NCAA Tournament brackets with Selection Sunday Special beginning at 6 p.m. The show will feature bracket updates immediately after they are announced as well as interviews with coaches.

In addition, ESPN Radio will offer extensive tournament coverage through daily, minute-long College Basketball Reports (broadcast approximately :49 past the top of the hour) providing the latest news and during SportsCenter A.M. (5-6 a.m. M-F), SportsCenter Nightly (11 p.m.-1 a.m.), and SportsCenter Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m.-8 p.m.).

I know Sirius XM Radio will have a show hosted by Andy Gresh on Sunday from 6 – 9 p.m. When I get more details, I’ll post them here.