February 2009

The week of February 15 was one to remember for University of Hartford women's basketball. It began with a Sunday that will long be remembered. More than $9,000 was raised for the Kay Yow WBCA Cancer Fund as a packed Chase Arena, Reich Family Pavilion, saw two of the nation's top mid-major programs go at it for 45 minutes in a thrilling overtime contest won by the visitors from Marist. Once the two teams reached the extra session, one impressive streak was going to fall. Was it Hartford's 34-game home winning streak or Marist's 66 straight wins when scoring 70 or more points? It would be the former, as the Red Foxes did what so few teams do, win on the Hawks' home floor. Both these teams hope they'll be back in the national spotlight again in a month's time when NCAA pairings are announced.

The Marist-Hartford game, like NCAA Tournament action, was televised regionally. It is a good time to give a brief overview of ESPN's coverage, since viewers can get frustrated when trying to view or record games. Let's face it. It's not fun to come home from a weekend thinking you've taped the big game, and then realize you are left watching two teams you have no interest in.

It used to be simple, but with HD, satellite TV, and the emerging AT&T UVerse service all out there now, it gets tricky. First, the easy part. If you are a regular cable TV subscriber, you are set as long as you make sure you are viewing ESPN or ESPN2's regular standard-definition channel. The home-market game (Hartford-Marist as the example on Feb. 15) was seen in its entirety throughout Connecticut and the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., area. However, if your high tech with HD, stay away from Cox or Comcast's designated ESPN HD channels, which in such instances, will have the national feed of whip-around coverage (in other words, you'll get dizzy moving from one game to the next and be yelling for the network to show some of the game you want to see).

For satellite and UVerse customers, your regular ESPN channels will have the national feed but a designated channel will exist that will have your home-market game in its entirety. For Direct TV and DISH, these alternate channel numbers are published on ESPN's website, in the women's basketball area, about 48 hours before the games tip off. For the growing number of UVerse subscribers, the on-screen program guide details this information about 24-36 hours out. 

We hope the Hawks will be back in the NCAA Tournament come March. If they are, and aren't close to home, here's to you finding the game on TV with ease. After all, remote controls are not made to throw.