ESPN brings ‘College GameDay’ to three women’s basketball games, starting with UConn at Tennessee

ESPN will host “College GameDay” in Knoxville as No. 5-ranked UConn take on the University of Tennessee on Jan. 26.

The show will be the first of three “College GameDay” women’s basketball offerings this season, the network announced Tuesday.

The on-air team is equipped with talent who know all about the legendary rivalries that “GameDay” will bring to light. Lineup includes “SportsCenter” anchor Elle Duncan, former Husky and WNBA All-Star Rebecca Lobo, former Lady Vol Andraya Carter, former women’s basketball coach Carolyn Peck, Holly Rowe and Ryan Ruocco .

This is an opportunity for ESPN to capitalize on the historic viewership of the 2022 National Women’s Championship, which brought together 4.85 million viewers on their networks.

“On the men’s side, they do ‘College GameDay’ what is it, every week? It’s a very consistent staple,” Carter told the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Prior to last season, “College GameDay” hadn’t featured a women’s basketball game in 11 years.

Peck told Knoxville News that ESPN vice president of production Patricia Lowry has been integral to the effort to change that. She added that the whole team will continue to advocate for more coverage because “women’s basketball is a product that deserves it.”

How South Carolina, UConn and Tennessee moved the needle

Last season, ESPN brought “College GameDay” to the University of South Carolina for its first women’s basketball trip in 11 years.

Prior to that, UConn (2010) and Tennessee (2011) hosted the only two editions of “College GameDay” for women’s basketball.

Then came the 2022 NCAA Women’s National Championship game between South Carolina and UConn. It was a turning point in the discussion about the visibility of women’s basketball, and Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley was a consistent advocate.

Ahead of the tournament, which was first called “March Madness,” Staley spoke to CNN about the progress. “We have to be treated like a sport. Like a real sport. As a revenue-generating sport,” she said.

The story continues

“I don’t know if it will be about the magnitude of what ‘March Madness’ is for men,” Staley mused. Spoiler alert: it was. “But I know one thing, they invested in it,” she said.

As South Carolina defeated the 11-time champion Huskies in front of a sold-out crowd, viewers peaked at 5.91 million. It was the most-watched title match in nearly two decades and the most-watched college basketball gamemale or female, broadcast on ESPN since 2008.

The game overtook the 2004 UConn and Tennessees final in views, a title game that 5.58 million people tuned in to watch the Huskies win.

Now, a shorthanded UConn will be featured on “College GameDay” on January 26 as the rivalry continues, and it seems inevitable that South Carolina will be included in ESPN’s upcoming announcements.