ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to Charlottesville for the Commonwealth Clash matchup between the No. 2 Virginia men’s basketball team and Virginia Tech Saturday.
Before the rivals meet on the court at 6 p.m., the signature pregame show will air a live segment from 11 a.m. to noon from John Paul Jones Arena in which host Rece Davis and analysts Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams and Jay Bilas will discuss all things college basketball. An evening edition leading into the 6:15 p.m. tip-off will also air.
This marks the third time in the past four years that Virginia has hosted the classic ESPN show. The last time the “College GameDay” crew visited Charlottesville was in 2016 when the Cavaliers hosted North Carolina.
The crowds that Virginia has produced in those past two experiences have been praised for being especially enthusiastic.
“As great as that [Kentucky] crowd was, as great as our Kansas, Michigan State crowds are, you can’t beat what we’ve experienced here in the past two years,” Davis said. “I don’t like to rank crowds … but I’m so old now, I don’t care if people get mad. If they get mad, be better than Virginia.”
Fans will be able to enter JPJ at 9:30 a.m., and seating will be according to general admission. Admission and parking will be free for all fans attending, and the first 2,000 fans will receive an official ESPN College GameDay T-shirt. Additionally, all fans will have the chance to receive complimentary tickets to the men’s lacrosse home opener vs. Loyola at 1 p.m. Saturday.