• Loading stock data...
Friday, March 28, 2025
Nominations Are Open for Front Office Sports Honors! Submit Now

Women’s March Madness Is Making Stars in the ESPN Studio, Too

  • Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike, and Andraya Carter host the network’s studio show for women’s college basketball.
  • The trio is drawing praise from fans as more people tune in to the women’s games.
Courtesy ESPN

It’s not just the players and coaches in women’s college basketball having a moment. ESPN’s studio show is drawing rave reviews as the women’s NCAA tournament is exploding in popularity.

The trio of Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike, and Andraya Carter were widely praised for their funny and expert analysis in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, especially as the NCAA bumbled through an incorrectly painted court.

“Social media can be really nasty,” Duncan tells Front Office Sports. “So sometimes I’m like, ‘Is this a setup? Everybody’s being so nice.’”

As fans took to social media to comment on Hailey Van Lith’s difficulty guarding Caitlin Clark on Monday night, the love poured in for the analysts. Boston Globe sports reporter Ethan Fuller called them “immediately the best studio crew in basketball” in a post, while Chicago Sky player Brianna Turner posted that she wasn’t sure whether she was “more excited for the games or the halftime report.” One fan jokingly referred to them as the three branches of the U.S. government.

“If you’re talking about us, that means you’re talking about women’s basketball. And ultimately, that’s the win,” Duncan says.

Duncan, a SportsCenter anchor and ESPN host since 2016, says she hasn’t received this amount of media attention since she shared a conversation she had with Kobe Bryant about being a “girl dad” in the wake of the superstar’s death.

But that attention came from something tragic and was fundamentally about Bryant. Now Duncan and the studio crew are emerging as Inside the NBA–level stars. Ogwumike and Carter dap each other up on the air. When Duncan counts them down to predict a second-half x-factor at the same time, the duo says the same thing. Carter pulls out chopsticks and mimics “surgery” to explain Clark’s prowess.

While Duncan won’t compare herself to Ernie Johnson, she says their roles of facilitating conversation, adding context, and setting up analysts for success are similar. You can find her opinions on the Elle Duncan Show podcast or Around the Horn, but in the women’s college basketball studio show, she’s allowing the other women on the desk to tell her “where they want the basketball” and feeding it to them.

“For me, the satisfaction comes from the fact that people are getting to see these people be themselves,” Duncan says. “If there’s anything that I hope that any future broadcasters, current broadcasters, or whatever are watching, it’s that you can be you.”

In women’s sports, the talent has always been there, but getting investment has always felt like an “appeal to people’s morality,” Duncan says. Now, it’s just smart business, especially with soaring viewership and record-breaking attendance this postseason. Duncan says she hopes these numbers pale in comparison to future ones, and that fans continue to follow these players beyond their college careers. “I hope that this is not basketball’s zenith,” she says.

ESPN got very lucky that Iowa didn’t get knocked out in its difficult regional, but in the game where it felt closest against West Virginia, the Hawkeyes drew nearly 5 million viewers. The Sweet 16 game against Colorado got close to 7 million viewers. The Elite Eight doubleheader, in prime time on a night without men’s tournament games, should easily pass that mark, and it could even beat last year’s championship, which set a new record for the most-watched women’s college basketball game at 9.9 million viewers.

“It’s just an investment in women, and watching it come to fruition, and it is coming from all the sacrifices of the women that played before, of the women that sat in boardrooms before and begged and pleaded for more investment and resources,” Duncan says. “And now they are seeing all the fruits of their labor.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NCAA Denies Colorado-Syracuse Spring Football Game

The schools hoped for permission to organize a formal scrimmage.
Matt Weiss

Everything You Need to Know About the Michigan Hacking Scandal

Matt Weiss is accused of hacking athletes’ accounts to access intimate photos.
Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; A view of March Madness signage and the court before an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Brigham Young Cougars at Prudential Center.

Robinhood Takes Down New Jersey March Madness Markets

New Jersey regulators sent a cease-and-desist letter.

UFL Kicking Off 2025 Season With Labor Fight Still Simmering

The league’s first game is still on, even without a labor deal in place.

Featured Today

Kendall Coyne Schofield

Kendall Coyne Schofield Wants More for the Next Wave of Mom-Athletes

The Walter Cup–winning Frost captain says small changes mean “everything.”
Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks to pass the ball against USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) in the first half at XL Center.
March 23, 2025

‘More Value to Be Had’: Were Women’s March Madness Media Rights Undersold?

Could the NCAA have gotten millions more in its latest TV deal?
Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Creighton Bluejays forward Jasen Green (0) dunks the ball during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena
March 22, 2025

Basketball-Only Schools Could See Power Surge After House Settlement Approval 

Football teams might monopolize the revenue-sharing dollars at power conference schools.
Mar 15, 2025; New York, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm guard RJ Luis Jr. (12) after hitting a three-point basket against the Creighton Bluejays in the second half at Madison Square Garden.
March 20, 2025

Perfect Storm: St. John’s Biggest Fans Can’t Bet on the School

In the No. 1 sports betting market, the Red Storm are off-limits.
exclusive

ESPN Making Erin Dolan In-Game Betting Analyst for UFL Games

Erin Dolan will provide betting news and notes during game broadcasts.
March 26, 2025

Yankees RSN Faces Comcast Blackout Threat Ahead of Opening Day

The Yankees-led RSN and the No. 2 U.S. cable carrier clash again.
Both teams line the field during the singing of the national anthem prior to the start of the opening day game between the NY Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
March 27, 2025

Yankees RSN, Comcast Reach Last-Minute Extension in Ongoing Dispute

The two sides will keep negotiating as large-scale issues remain unresolved.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pursued by Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.
March 26, 2025

RFK-Threatened Pharma Ad Ban Wouldn’t Hurt NFL Broadcasters

It wouldn’t be the first effort to restrict drug ads.
Apr 5, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; General view of Yankee Stadium before an opening day game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays.
March 25, 2025

Could ESPN Have a Future With MLB? Network Hints at Renegotiation

The Disney-owned network signals a willingness to renegotiate.
March 25, 2025

March Madness TV Ratings Surge to 32-Year High Despite No Cinderellas

Games so far have averaged 9.4 million viewers.
March 24, 2025

No Cinderella, No Problem: Why Sweet 16 Could Draw Huge Ratings

There are only four conferences represented in the men’s Sweet 16.