Live From NCAA Men’s Final Four: ACC Network Follows NC State Men’s, Women’s Basketball Journey in Both Host Cities

TVU/ethernet connectivity helps remote production in Bristol, CT

Boasting high-quality programs that have staying power on the college basketball landscape, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has had a representative in the Men’s and Women’s Final Four over the last three seasons. As the conference’s broadcasting arm, the ACC Network has continued the tradition of dedicated resources to both sides of the tournament with studio programming covering NC State University in Phoenix and Cleveland.

“All of our studio programming that’s airing this weekend is being hosted from each host city,” says Michael Shiffman, SVP, production, ESPN. “Our team does a terrific job of planning during the lead-up [to the Men’s and Women’s Final Four] and maintaining communication, which are both key to our success.”

Mark Packer, in Phoenix, and Taylor Tannebaum interview ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips in Cleveland on ACC PM.

Connecticut Connection: Control Room in Bristol, CT Executes REMIs for Onsite Studio Shows

Similar to previous iteration of ACC Network’s coverage of the Men’s and Women’s Final Four, the production and operations teams are opting for a REMI model that’s centralized at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, CT. With infrastructure that was established at each venue — State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland — the solutions of TVU Networks as well as ethernet transmission is shooting video signals back to the offsite control room on the East Coast.

Coordination is critical to execute programming of this size, and the fact that two cities are being serviced on consecutive days makes this job a lot more difficult. With Shiffman at the helm, and staffers powering the facility in Bristol and at the respective host sites, relying on the team’s expertise and the collective knowledge of the crew is important to a fruitful show.

“It truly takes a village,” adds Shiffman. “Our team’s attention to detail, collaboration, and solution-based approach is second to none.”

On the production side, the NC State Wolfpack’s involvement at the men’s and women’s tournament is being covered from all angles. For example, four of the past six days featured live programming of each team. Monday, the day after both programs clinched a spot in the Final Four, saw three hours of content from campus. After two days that were used to set up shop onsite, Thursday was used for a preview show in Cleveland. Five hours of shows emanated from Phoenix and Cleveland on Thursday, and three hours of studio programming is leading into the men’s contest with No. 1 Purdue on Saturday night.

Tannebaum hosts Nothing But Net with Muffet McGraw, Kelly Gramlich, and Ivory Latta in Cleveland.

Diving deeper into the individual programs, the brightest men’s and women’s basketball talent at the ACC Network is driving the ship. In Phoenix, host Kelsey Riggs and analysts Joel Berry II, Jim Boeheim, Carlos Boozer, and Luke Hancock made multiple appearances on the men’s edition of Nothing But Net. In Cleveland, the women’s edition of Nothing But Net has seen host Justin Walters alongside analysts Kelly Gramlich, Ivory Latta, and Muffet McGraw. The two cities were merged together for Final Four editions of ACC PM with host Mark Packer in Phoenix and host Taylor Tannebaum in Cleveland. With Friday’s loss to the University of South Carolina in the women’s bracket, ACC Network’s onsite coverage has end. If the men’s team is victorious over the Boilermakers on Saturday night, Nothing But Net will be busy with two consecutive days of programming: a preview of the championship game would take place on Sunday, April 7 at 9 p.m. ET, and on Monday, April 8, ACC PM will start the proceedings from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET and Nothing But Net would hit the air from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET and after the game from 12 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET.

A Basketball Powerhouse: Conference Representatives Consistently Reach the Biggest Stage

The ACC continues to hold their own amongst Power 5 Conferences, and it’s evident with this year begin the 15th time that the conference is represented at both Men’s and Women’s Final Four. It’s also indicative of the incessant growth and need to cover women’s basketball as equitable as networks cover the men’s game.

Earlier in the week, Packer and Tannebaum spoke with NC State guard Casey Morsell in Raleigh, NC.

“Each year since 2022, we’ve had multiple studio shows on site for full productions,” says Shiffman. “It’s really been a pleasure to cover and celebrate these teams.”

Extra coverage in the postseason has become commonplace for the ACC Network, which allows even more exposure as they head into their fifth year on the air after launching in August 2019. Heading into next year, the team has more of a reason to continue their stretch of hyper-focused analysis of the conference’s best programs.

“We had a great season on Nothing But Net and our entire slate of shows has consistently been educational, entertaining, and engaging,” he adds. “That’s a credit to the talent, tireless work, and dedication of all the people working behind the scenes.”