ESPN’s College GameDay Covered by State Farm will have some new faces for the upcoming men’s college basketball season as analysts Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams join the returning duo of host Rece Davis and analyst Jay Bilas on the eight-week Saturday morning and evening program that originates from the site of ESPN’s Saturday Primetime Presented by DIRECTV telecast. The first hour begins at 10 a.m. ET on ESPNU, continuing at 11 a.m. on ESPN with a one-hour evening edition leading into the game-of-the-week.
Also new this season is a flexible schedule that will give College GameDay the option to react to storylines as the season develops to better ensure visits to top games on ESPN networks each week. The site will be announced the week prior, similar to the ESPN College GameDay Football program.
“As we continue to grow and enhance the College GameDay basketball brand, working with our conference partners to build more flexibility into the process of when and how we select sites is a positive step forward,” said Nick Dawson, ESPN, senior director, programming & acquisitions. “These changes will allow GameDayto better follow storylines late in the season and allow ESPN to better position marquee games in the most visible windows.”
The new GameDay crew will debut Tuesday, Nov. 18, from the fourth annual State Farm Champions Classic– a neutral-site, early-season doubleheader that matches four of the winningest programs against each other – from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. College GameDay will air on ESPN at 6 p.m., followed by preseason-ranked No. 18 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Duke at 7 p.m. and No. 10 Kansas vs. No. 1 Kentucky at 9 p.m.
“We are thrilled to have Seth and Jay [Williams] joining the College GameDay squad,” said Lee Fitting, ESPN senior coordinating producer. “The opinions, the expertise and the chemistry that the two of them have displayed while working together the past couple seasons will only enhance what is already a very strong set with Rece and Jay [Bilas].”
Greenberg and Williams will remain in their weekday studio roles, and continue to call select games throughout the season.
“I am excited to join ESPN’s College GameDay and look forward to stimulating discussions and debates on college basketball, its players and coaches and issues that affect the game,” said Greenberg.
“Sitting behind the College GameDay desk is a dream come true for me,” said Williams. “Working with Rece Davis, Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg – so much knowledge between all of them – will challenge me each week.”
Greenberg, who joined ESPN in 2012, most recently served as head coach for Virginia Tech for nine seasons (2003-2012). While there, he compiled a 170-123 record, where he twice won ACC Coach of the Year and earned four wins over the No. 1 team in nation. Prior to that, Greenberg had head coaching stints at South Florida (1996-2003) and Long Beach (1990-1996). He was previously an assistant coach at Long Beach State, Miami, Virginia, Pittsburgh and Columbia. He is a 1978 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson with a Broadcast Journalism degree. In 2013, he was inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame.
Williams, a former standout point guard, joined ESPN as a full-time analyst in 2008, after working for the network as a commentator in 2003. As a starter for three years at Duke, Williams won the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year award and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, while helping to led Duke to the 2001 NCAA National Championship.
Williams was drafted second by Chicago in the 2002 NBA Draft, just behind No. 1 pick Yao Ming, and started 54 of 75 games for the Bulls in the 2002-03 season. He also played for the U.S. National team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.