BRISTOL, Conn. — ESPN2’s Big Monday presented by Bud Light schedule – showcasing the best Division I women’s basketball programs in the nation – features 10 games over seven consecutive weeks, highlighted by three February doubleheaders, in the seventh year of the game-of-the-week series. The slate of games, all on ESPN2, tip off on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. ET with early season favorites – No. 3 Duke at No. 2 Connecticut. Penn State’s Feb. 4 home contest with Purdue will tip at 7 p.m. on the network.
All games will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com and through smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
Schedule Highlights
- All 13 teams in the Big Monday schedule are 2012 NCAA Championship participants, including three Final Four teams – Baylor, Connecticut and Notre Dame.
- The month of February features three straight weeks of doubleheaders at 7 & 9 p.m., beginning on Feb. 4 with Purdue at Penn State and Texas A&M at LSU.
- The Feb. 18 doubleheader featuring Kentucky at Texas A&M and Baylor at Connecticut are part of the annual Play 4Kay campaign.
- ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC programs will make-up this year’s schedule.
- Defending national champion Baylor will make two appearances against potential top-10 teams – at Connecticut on Feb. 18 and at Oklahoma on Feb. 25.
- BIG EAST foes Connecticut and Notre Dame will each have three games on the schedule, including a season-ending matchup in South Bend, Ind., on March 4.
Team Highlights
- Twelve teams are ranked in an early preseason poll by ESPN.com columnist Charlie Creme, including No. 1 Baylor, No. 2 Connecticut, No. 3 Duke, No. 4 Maryland, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 7 Penn State, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 11 Louisville, No. 12 Oklahoma, No. 17 Texas A&M, No. 18 Purdue and No. 21 Tennessee.
- The Big Monday slate features two of the most touted women’s basketball seniors in the nation – 2012 consensus national player of the year Baylor senior Brittney Griner and Notre Dame senior All-American Skylar Diggins.
- Five returning WBCA Coaches’ All-America Team members – Baylor’s Griner and junior Odyssey Sims, Notre Dame’s Diggins, Connecticut junior Bria Hartley and Maryland junior Alyssa Thomas.
ESPN Women’s Basketball Big Monday presented by Bud Light schedule (subject to change)
Jan 21 7 p.m. Duke at Connecticut ESPN2 Jan 28 7 p.m. Notre Dame at Tennessee ESPN2 Feb 4 7 p.m. Purdue at Penn State ESPN2 9 p.m. Texas A&M at LSU ESPN2 Feb 11 7 p.m. Maryland at Duke ESPN2 9 p.m. Louisville at Notre Dame ESPN2 Feb 18 7 p.m. Play 4Kay: Kentucky at Texas A&M ESPN2 9 p.m. Play 4Kay: Baylor at Connecticut ESPN2 Feb 25 7 p.m. Baylor at Oklahoma ESPN2 Mar 4 7 p.m. Connecticut at Notre Dame ESPN2