ESPN to Offer 11 First-Round Games Live; CBS Planning 2 on Tape-Delay

ESPN will have nearly round-the-clock coverage of the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament Thursday and Friday, offering 20 telecasts, 11 of them live. And CBS will televise two games on a tape-delayed basis--North Carolina vs. Utah at 11:30 p.m. Thursday and Auburn vs. Arizona at 11:30 p.m. Friday.

ESPN will televise Friday’s 2 p.m. game between Pepperdine and Maryland at Long Beach, but it may be blacked out in Southern California if it is not a sellout.

CBS will televise second-round tripleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 9 a.m. both days. In all, CBS will devote 45 1/2 hours to NCAA coverage, offering at least 21 complete games.

On Thursday and Friday of next week, CBS will offer doubleheaders--a live, prime-time telecast plus an 11:30 p.m. delayed telecast on both nights. On the weekend of March 22-23, CBS will cover all four regional finals. The championship game is Monday night, March 31.

The ESPN first-round lineup:

Thursday 9 a.m.--Duke vs. Mississippi Valley State; 11:30 a.m.--Kansas vs. North Carolina A&T; 1:30 p.m.--Texas El Paso vs. Bradley; 4 p.m.--Georgetown vs. Texas Tech; 6:30 p.m.--Virginia vs. DePaul. (Delayed telecasts at 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. Thursday, 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Friday, to be announced)

Friday 9 a.m.--Illinois vs. Fairfield; 11:30 a.m.--Indiana vs. Cleveland State; 2 p.m.--Maryland vs. Pepperdine (subject to blackout); 4 p.m.--Navy vs. Tulsa; 6 p.m.--North Carolina State vs. Iowa (joined in progress); 7 p.m.--Kentucky vs. Davidson (joined in progress). (Delayed telecasts at 10:30 p.m., 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Friday, 5 a.m., 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, to be announced)