ESPNU will unveil the 16-team bracket during the hour-long 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship Selection Show Presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car Sunday, May 6, at 9 p.m. ET. In addition to the bracket announcement, host Anish Shroff and analysts Quint Kessenich and Paul Carcaterra will provide breakdown of the field and tournament predictions, along with interviews with select head coaches.
During their four-year college careers, Kessenich (Johns Hopkins) and Carcaterra (Syracuse) both played in four NCAA Championships and each won a national title with their respective teams.
A live phone interview is planned with Tony Seaman, the NCAA Committee Chairman, who will discuss the committee’s selections and the process behind each team’s berth. Live interviews are also planned with several of the coaches from the expected tournament field, including UMass’ Greg Cannella, Loyola’s Charley Toomey, Johns Hopkins’ Dave Pietramala and Lehigh’s Kevin Cassese.
ESPN networks will provide exclusive coverage of all 15 games of the NCAA Championship for the sixth straight year. Coverage will be in high definition across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 beginning Saturday, May 12, and concluding with the national title game on Monday, May 28.
ESPN has assembled some of the top lacrosse commentating teams for this year’s coverage of the NCAA Championship. Veteran play-by-play voice Eamon McAnaney will be in the booth for his first championship weekend after spending several years as the sideline reporter. He will be joined by Kessenich as the game analyst and Carcaterra, who will take over sideline duties.
Also planned for early-round coverage are former Tewaaraton winner and Virginia attackman Matt Ward, former Brown All-American Jamie Munro, Johns Hopkins midfielder Mark Dixon. ESPN newcomers this season, three-time Princeton All-American Ryan Boyle and North Carolina defenseman Ryan Flanagan, will also be part of the game action.
In 2012 the ESPN networks will air over 400 hours of NCAA Spring Championships coverage, increasing more than 30 hours from 2011. As part of ESPN’s extended rights agreement with the NCAA, spring championship programming highlights seven sports over eight weeks: Men’s Lacrosse, Men’s Volleyball, Baseball and Softball. For the first time, ESPN networks will also air the Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field and Women’s Lacrosse Championships.
ESPN’s Coverage of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship Presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Subject to change)
Date
Time (ET)
Game/Commentators
Network(s)
Sun, May 6
9 p.m.
2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Selection Show Presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Anish Shroff, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra
ESPNU / ESPN3
Sat, May 12
Noon
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPN / ESPN3
2:30 p.m.
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPNU / ESPN3
5 p.m.
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPNU / ESPN3
7:30 p.m.
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPNU / ESPN3
Sun, May 13
1 p.m.
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPN / ESPN3
3 p.m.
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPNU / ESPN3
5:15 p.m.
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPNU / ESPN3
7:30 p.m.
First Round (Campus Site)
ESPNU / ESPN3
Sat, May 19
Noon
Quarterfinal: Game #1
(Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.)
ESPN2 / ESPN3
2:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal: Game #2
(Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.)
ESPN2 / ESPN3
Sun, May 20
Noon
Quarterfinal: Game #3
(PPL Park, Chester, Pa.)
ESPNU / ESPN3
2:30 p.m.
Quarterfinal: Game #4
(PPL Park, Chester, Pa.)
ESPNU / ESPN3
Sat, May 26
2:30 p.m.
Semifinal: Game #1
(Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.)
Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra
ESPN2 / ESPN3
5 p.m.
Semifinal: Game #2
(Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.)
Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra
ESPN2 / ESPN3
Mon, May 28
1 p.m.
National Championship
(Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.)
Eamon McAnaney, Quint Kessenich & Paul Carcaterra
ESPN / ESPN3
3:30 p.m.
2012 NCAA Lacrosse Championship Post Game Show
Anish Shroff & Mark Dixon
ESPNU