ESPN College GameDay Broadcasts Live From Kansas for Fourth Time

Jan. 29, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Approximately 6,000 fans came to Allen Fieldhouse Saturday morning to take part in the live airing of ESPN College GameDay Driven by State Farm®. This marked the fourth time in the shows’s seven-year history that ESPN College GameDay originated live from Allen Fieldhouse. Counting road games, Kansas has now been a part of six contests involving College GameDay, including three games against KansasState in the past four years.

Gates opened at 7 a.m. and fans rushed in to claim seats directly behind the College GameDay set at center court. At 7:40 a.m., Digger Phelps, one of the three basketball analysts on the program, entered the arena to lead the crowd in some cheers and also tape a clip for a YouTube dancing competition with Clemson. Phelps challenged KU fans to watch the video of him dancing with four Rock Chalk Dancers at YouTube and eclipse Clemson’s total of 160,000 views for their video.

At 9 a.m., ESPN College GameDay began airing a live one-hour show on ESPNU. During the hour, Kansas head coach Bill Self sat down with ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis for an interview.

Following the live hour on ESPNU, ESPN’s College GameDay Driven by State Farm® switched over to ESPN for another live hour of programming, which included Self, Big Jay and ESPN’s Erin Andrews judging Phelps’ dancing ability in the YouTube clip. Later, Hubert Davis interviewed Marcus and Markieff Morris. Additionally, Erin Andrews had a story about Lisa Robinson’s funeral Thursday.

The show concluded at 11 a.m. after all three analysts, Phelps, Davis and Jay Bilas, picked Kansas to win the 270th Sunflower Showdown against KansasState. ESPN will broadcast one more live hour of ESPN College GameDay Driven by State Farm® at 5 p.m., leading into the 6 p.m. game between Kansas and KansasState live on ESPN.