ESPN Is Adding New Aspect To NCAA Women's Tournament Broadcasts

After a record-breaking regular season in terms of interest and viewership, the women's NCAA tournament is expected to have more eyes on it than ever before.

ESPN holds the rights to the women's event, and they're sparing no expense when it comes to their production in 2024.

For the first time, ESPN will have a rules analyst on hand for the women's NCAA tournament.

Lisa Mattingly, a former official who worked on 18 NCAA Final Fours and several WNBA Finals, will work out of ESPN's headquarters in Bristol for the first two rounds of the tournament.

Mattingly will then head to Cleveland for the Final Four - the biggest women's basketball games of the year.

Sara Gaiero, who oversees ESPN's women's college basketball coverage, says that Mattingly will mostly be seen on ABC and ESPN for the first two rounds. 

If there's a game that requires her attention or input on another network, they will bring her in.

Rules analysts have been common on sports broadcasts for many years now, with the NFL pioneering the practice by having a designated analyst on each network that broadcasts games.

These analysts provide context on why certain calls were made by officials, and they occasionally give their input on whether a call should or should not have been made.

As women's basketball gains more popularity, networks are making sure that the fan experience is on par with other top sports, giving them a viewing experience that feels familiar and insightful.

The women's tournament will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, culminating in the national championship game from Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 7.