Viewing Picks for March 25, 2013

Written by Ken Fang on .

All Times Eastern

College Baseball
North Carolina State at Virginia -- ESPNU, 7 p.m.

College Basketball
Men's
College Basketball Invitational
Quarterfinals
Houston at George Mason -- AXS TV, 7 p.m.
Western Michigan at Wyoming -- AXS TV, 9 p.m.

National Invitation Tournament
Second Round
Robert Morris at Providence -- ESPNews, 7 p.m.
Mercer at BYU -- ESPNews, 9 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at Southern Mississippi -- ESPNU, 10 p.m.

Tournament Countdown: The Experts -- ESPNU, 1 p.m.
Tournament Countdown: Katz Korner -- ESPNU, 4 p.m.

Women's
NCAA Tournament
Second Round

7 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
UConn vs. Vanderbilt
Creighton vs. Tennessee
Oklahoma vs. UCLA
Michigan State vs. Maryland

9:30 p.m.
All Games on ESPN2
Iowa State vs. Georgia
South Florida vs. Cal
Nebraska vs. Texas A&M
Kansas vs. South Carolina

Cycling
Critérium International -- NBC Sports Network, midnight (delayed)

Golf
PGA Tour
Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, FL
Final Round -- Golf Channel, 10 a.m.

Tavistock Cup, Windermere, FL
Day 1 -- Golf Channel, immediately following Arnold Palmer Invitational

MLB Spring Training
Boston vs. Baltimore -- ESPN, 1 p.m.
Detroit vs. Florida -- MLB Network, 5 p.m. (same day coverage)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kansas City -- MLB Network, 9 p.m.

MLB Tonight -- MLB Network, 8 p.m.

NBA
Miami at Orlando -- ESPN, 7 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State -- NBA TV, 10:30 p.m.

NBA GameTime -- NBA TV, 7 p.m.

NFL
NFL Live -- ESPN, 4 p.m.
Path to the Draft -- NFL Network, 6 p.m.
Health of the Game -- NFL Network, 8 p.m.

NHL
Los Angeles at Chicago -- NBC Sports Network, 8 p.m.

NHL Live -- NHL Network, 5 p.m.
NHL Live -- NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
NHL on the Fly -- NHL Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight -- NHL Network, 10 p.m.
NHL Live -- NBC Sports Network, 10:30 p.m.
NHL Overtime -- NBC Sports Network, 11:30 p.m.

Soccer
International Friendly
Russia vs. Brazil in London -- beIN Sport, 3:25 p.m.

U-21
England vs. Austria -- Fox Soccer, 3:30 p.m.

Sports Talk
NFL AM -- NFL Network, 6 a.m.
The 'Lights -- NBC Sports Network, 6 a.m.
Morning Drive -- Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
The Dan Patrick Show -- Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network, 9 a.m.
Tim Brando Show -- CBS Sports Network, 9 a.m.
The Box Score -- Audience Network (DirecTV)/NBC Sports Network, noon
SVP & Russillo -- ESPNews, 2:30 p.m.
Outside the Lines -- ESPN2, 3 p.m.
Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable -- ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.
SportsNation -- ESPN2, 4 p.m.
The Best of the Dan Patrick Show -- NBC Sports Network, 4 p.m.
Pardon the Interruption -- ESPN, 5:30 p.m.
ROME -- CBS Sports Network, 6 p.m.
The Crossover -- NBC Sports Network, 6 p.m.
Lead Off -- CBS Sports Network, midnight
UNITE -- ESPNU, midnight

Tennis
ATP/WTA Tour
Sony Open, Miami, FL
Men's 3rd Round/Women's 4th Round -- Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.

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Screengrab Snafu: Florida Golf Coast University

Written by Matt Yoder on .

Be honest, you never heard of Florida Gulf Coast University until Friday.  But since then they've become the darlings of the NCAA Tournament.  Not only did they get a win as a 15 seed, they throw down mesmerising dunks (even getting a nickname, Dunk City, in a record period of time), the coach's wife is a supermodel, and the school has its own beach.  With all that, I wouldn't be surprised if they had their own golf course too.  Here, TBS refers to FGCU as Florida "Golf" Coast University in two different spots.  At least they sound the same.  Besides, if it was truly Florida Golf Coast, then they'd really be the most awesome school left in the tourney.

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Video: Aaron Craft's near buzzer beater sends Ohio State to Sweet 16

Written by Matt Yoder on .

We haven't had a true buzzer beater yet, but Aaron Craft's three pointer with .5 seconds left is the highlight of March Madness thus far. After struggling at the line in the 2nd half, Craft made the one shot that counted at the end, and led Ohio State to a 78-75 victory over Iowa State.  Jim Nantz gives us a solid call on the buzzer beater, although I'm a bit disappointed we can't teleport Gus Johnson for these moments.  At least he avoided the easy pun by calling the shot "crafty."

And even better for Aaron Craft, that shot is sure to get him a higher seed in Grantland's most hated college basketball player tournament next year.

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Peter King follows Bill Simmons' footsteps, not Rick Reilly's

Written by Andrew Bucholtz on .

When the news came out that Sports Illustrated is planning a new website edited by Peter King, comparisons to Bill Simmons' Grantland were inevitable. Further details that have emerged on King's venture aren't going to diminish those.

There are plenty of difference between King and Simmons... and SI and ESPN. For starters, King's website will be football-only while Grantland covers not just sports, but pop culture. Nevertheless, the unique model of Grantland and its loose association with ESPN has been a success for all parties involved. After his own contract renewal, ESPN granted Simmons his own website to go in a completely new direction that hadn't been seen before at a major sports media company, and in spite of early skepticism, the model has worked.

That leaves two important questions: will this plan work for King's site as well, and if so, is it a model that can be more widely applied?

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NHL.com is running highlights with an NHL '94 twist

Written by David Rogers on .

The NHL's official site is taking highlights in a familiar, pixilated direction. If you were a gamer back in the early '90s, these highlights might hit you right in the nostalgia. In celebrating the 20th anniversary of the incredibly popular video game NHL '94, the NHL has been offering a series of highlights with an NHL '94 twist. 

Patrick Kane's spin-o-rama goal recently received the NHL '94 treatment, including the classic scoreboard and unforgettable organ soundtrack and sound effects. 

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Viewing Picks for March 24, 2013

Written by Ken Fang on .

 

 

All Times Eastern

College Basketball Viewing Picks

College Hockey
NCAA Hockey Championship Selection Show -- ESPNU, 9 p.m.

College Softball
Baylor at Texas -- Fox Sports Net, 1:30 p.m.
Auburn at Alabama -- ESPNU, 3 p.m.

Curling
Women's World Championship, Riga, Latvia
Gold Medal Match -- Universal Sports, 8 a.m.

Cycling
Volta a Catalunya, Stage 7 -- Universal Sports, 1 p.m. (same day coverage)

Formula 1
Malaysia Grand Prix -- NBC Sports Network, 4 a.m.

Formula 1 Pre-Race -- NBC Sports Network, 3:30 a.m.
F1 Extra -- NBC Sports Network, 6 a.m./Reair, 3 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.

Golf
Champions Tour
Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, Biloxi, MS
Final Round -- Golf Channel, 5 p.m.

European PGA Tour
Malaysian Open, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
Final Round -- Golf Channel, 9 a.m. (same day coverage)

LPGA Tour
Kia Classic, Carlsbad, CA
Final Round -- Golf Channel, 7 p.m.

PGA Tour
Arnold Palmer Invitational, Orlando, FL
Final Round -- Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m./NBC, 2:30 p.m.
Spotlight Coverage -- Golf Channel, 2:30 p.m.

IndyCar
Grand Prix of St. Petersburg -- NBC Sports Network, noon

Indy Lights -- NBC Sports Network, 11 a.m.

MLB Spring Training
Tampa Bay vs. New York Yankees -- MLB Network 1 p.m.
Cincinnati vs. Texas -- MLB Network, 4 p.m.
Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh -- MLB Network, 8 p.m.
Kansas City vs. Chicago White Sox -- MLB Network, midnight.

Baseball Tonight -- MLB Network, 7 p.m.

MLS
Chicago vs. Chivas USA -- UniMás, 5 p.m.

NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series, Fontana, CA
Auto Club 400 -- Fox, 2:30 p.m.

NASCAR RaceDay: Fontana -- Speed, 12:30 p.m.
NASCAR Victory Lane: Fontana -- Speed, 6 p.m.

NBA
NBA GameTime -- NBA TV, 9 p.m.

NHL
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh -- NBC Sports Network, 7:30 p.m.

NHL Live -- NBC Sports Network, 7 p.m.
NHL Tonight -- NHL Network, 9:30 p.m.
NHL Live -- NBC Sports Network, 10 p.m.

Sports Talk
Morning Drive -- Golf Channel, 7 a.m.
Outside the Lines -- ESPN, 9 a.m.
The Sports Reporters -- ESPN, 9:30 p.m.
The Lost Son of Havana -- ESPN Classic, 6 p.m.

Tennis
ATP/WTA Tour
Sony Open, Miami, FL
Men's and Women's Third Round -- Tennis Channel, 11 a.m.

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Your NCAA Tournament Sunday Third Round Announcing Schedule

Written by Matt Yoder on .

The last day of the first weekend of the tournament again sees a national doubleheader on CBS followed by an entire slate of games staggered throughout the rest of the evening.  It's the Big Ten's stage was once again as this time it's Ohio State and Indiana who play in the national windows.  Full schedule after the jump.  All times Eastern...

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CBS San Diego Affiliate preempts the NCAA Tournament for .... Cartoons

Written by Ken Fang on .

Yes, this happened as San Diegans woke up and were hoping to watch some basketball and breakfast on CBS affiliate KFMB. Instead of the NCAA Tournament and Michigan vs. VCU from Auburn Hills, MI, viewers were treated to the cartoon, Liberty's Kids for an hour before joining the game in progress. Apparently there was no warning or correction to TV programming guides that had listed the game starting on time in the San Diego market.

As expected, people anticipating to see the NCAA Tournament reacted angrily. The station's official Twitter account said nothing about the preemption while viewers were left holding the bag.

As Ourand stated in a later tweet, if CBS knows about a preemption ahead of time, it will make arrangements for an alternate station to pick up the feed. However, in this case, CBS apparently had no prior knowledge of KFMB's plans to show a cartoon for an hour.

Normally, a preemption would occur if there's breaking news or a prior commitment to other programming, but outright joining a basketball game halfway into the game to run a cartoon is practically unheard of. We'll see if there are repercussions for KFMB down the line.

h/t Voice of San Diego

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Don't ask Phil Mickelson dumb questions about Augusta

Written by Matt Yoder on .

This clip comes to us courtesy of Golf Channel's coverage of Wednesday's Pro-Am at Bay Hill.  Reporter Steve Sands is walking with Phil Mickelson, who tells him a short story about a dumb question he received about "looking forward to playing at Augusta" from a guy at MasterCard.  It's a "Here's Your Sign" question if there ever was one and Mickelson has some fun at Sands' expense as well.

Asking a top golfer if he's looking forward to the most important, most prestigious tournament of the year?  You might as well ask Tiger Woods if he's looking forward to staying faithful to Lindsay Vonn.

Wait a minute, that doesn't work at all...

H/T Devil Ball Golf

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Charles Barkley joining Twitter? Are we living in an alternate universe?

Written by Ken Fang on .

He's criticized social media for years. He even said "Tweet is for losers," in a video on his own NBA/Turner Sports-managed website two years ago. To anyone and everyone, Barkley has made it known that he hates Twitter, Facebook and any other form of social media.

Now comes word in an Adweek article that Barkley may finally cave and join Twitter. Granted, the account would be part of a Capital One advertising campaign that's currently airing throughout the NCAA Tournament on CBS/Turner, however, just getting Chuck on social media would be a tremendous coup.

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