ESPN to air first NCAA men's tournament game since '90

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) _ ESPN is getting back into the business of airing NCAA men's basketball tournament games a year earlier than expected. <br><br>The network will show the tournament's opening-round

Thursday, February 21st 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) _ ESPN is getting back into the business of airing NCAA men's basketball tournament games a year earlier than expected.

The network will show the tournament's opening-round game, March 12 at 7 p.m. EST in Dayton, Ohio, between the 64th- and 65th-seeded teams. It will be ESPN's first men's tournament game since 1990, when the network showed 20 first-round games, including 11 live.

CBS has the TV rights to all other games of the tournament. Last year, it farmed out the telecast of the opening game to the cable network TNN.

Under an agreement reached in July, ESPN was to begin televising the opening-round game in 2003.