WCC Announces 2019-20 ESPN Networks Men’s Basketball Telecast Schedule

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – As part of its recently extended long-term relationship, the West Coast Conference has announced that at least 37 men's basketball games involving WCC schools will air nationally on ESPN Networks this season, including additional exposure during the 2020 University Credit Union (UCU) West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas.

The West Coast Conference will once again be a featured part of ESPN’s Thursday night and Saturday coverage. In all, 14 conference games will be showcased on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU during the 2020 conference campaign. West Coast Conference basketball will be featured on ESPN’s popular Championship Week coverage once again in 2020, with five live telecasts from Las Vegas: two quarterfinal games (Saturday, March 7, ESPN2), the WCC semifinals (Monday, March 9, ESPN or ESPN2) and the championship game on Tuesday, March 10 (ESPN).

The West Coast Conference's national telecast package is highlighted by a pair of clashes between seven-time defending regular season champion Gonzaga and 2019 tournament champion Saint Mary’s. Both teams will also play perennial power BYU twice on the ESPN Networks.

Conference members will make additional ESPN Network appearances during tournament competition in some of the premier events of the non-conference slate. BYU will earn four additional exposures during the 2019 Maui Jim Maui Invitational while Gonzaga will appear six times, three coming in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis. Pepperdine plays three games in the Wooden Legacy, Portland will play in three contests in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic and Saint Mary’s will get three additional non-conference exposures.

Gonzaga will make 15 total ESPN appearances, eight during conference play. Saint Mary’s will play 12 times in all with seven games during WCC play, while BYU earned 10 regular season exposures, five coming during conference action.

All games aired on an ESPN networks will also be available through the ESPN app, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

This marks year two of the modified WCC men’s basketball schedule. The 16-game schedule is the result of changes adopted by the WCC Presidents’ Council in 2018 as part of the Conference’s Men’s Basketball Enhancement Plan. 

These schedule initiatives demonstrate the league-wide commitment by West Coast Conference Presidents and Athletic Directors to adopt an innovative approach to advance men’s basketball on the national stage.

As the season approaches, check the interactive schedule on WCCsports.com or follow West Coast Conference Basketball on Twitter (@WCChoops) for additional non-conference telecasts along with local and regional telecast information from the conference and its member institutions.

The complete West Coast Conference on ESPN schedule follows.

Schedule Legend
! Maui Jim Maui Invitational
# Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis
$ Wooden Legacy
@ Air Force Reserve Jerry Colangelo Classic
% Al Attles Classic
^ Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
* WCC game

WEST COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT ON ESPN

Saturday, March 7
West Coast Conference Basketball Championship Quarterfinal 1, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
West Coast Conference Basketball Championship Quarterfinal 2, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

Monday, March 9
West Coast Conference Basketball Championship Semifinal 1, 6 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)
West Coast Conference Basketball Championship Semifinal 2, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)

Tuesday, March 10
West Coast Conference Basketball Championship Final, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

*All times Pacific unless noted

About West Coast Conference Basketball
Last season, the West Coast Conference once again enjoyed national exposure featuring two NCAA Tournament programs -- Gonzaga University and Saint Mary's College. Entering the 2019-20 campaign two WCC programs  - Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s – have achieved top-25 rankings in virtually every “way-too-early” preseason poll.

Gonzaga's remarkable streak of 21 consecutive NCAA postseason berths provides an exclamation point for a conference with a long and storied history of basketball prominence.

Consider the following:
Since 2010, West Coast Conference programs have produced...
1 -- AP Coach of the Year
1 -- NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner
1 -- Final Four
3 -- Elite Eight Appearances
5 -- Sweet-16 berths
10 -- WCC programs to compete in at least one Postseason Tournament
11 -- NBA Championships won by WCC alums
12 -- Academic All-Americans
17 -- AP All-Americans
21 -- NCAA Tournament Wins
64 -- Overall Postseason Victories

About the West Coast Conference 
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics, with 15 conference-sponsored sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's beach volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball. The WCC is characterized by the stability of its membership and its unique emphasis on combining excellence in athletics with excellence in academics. For more information, visit WCCsports.com or follow the West Coast Conference on Twitter @WCCsports.