The Bird & Taurasi Show will feature Charles Barkley, Geno Auriemma, and more

ESPN’s MegaCast production for the Women’s Final Four once again includes Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi holding court on their own simulcast.

That’s been good news for viewers, as it was last year.

Sunday’s national title game between Iowa (featuring superstar Caitlin Clark) and LSU (featuring Kim Mulkey’s viral outfits) looks set to be a big draw on ESPN, part of an ongoing surge in popularity that has led to calls for the women’s tournament rights to be sold as a separate package for the first time. (A move which NCAA president Charlie Baker seems very open to making.)

For the title game, The Bird & Taurasi Show will call on some legitimately huge names in basketball, ESPN announced today. Charles Barkley, Geno Auriemma, Chris Paul, Becky Hammon, and more will join the lively telecast.

https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/1642599098040610816

Breaking out the heavy hitters in the contacts list makes all the sense in the world here. Honestly, one of ESPN’s biggest strengths as a network is the ability to lend the appropriate amount of spectacle and weight to big games. The MegaCast approach does that, as does the ability to bring in huge names for a simulcast. (As we’ve seen on Monday Night Football the past few years.)

The women’s basketball championship is one of the biggest championship properties in ESPN’s portfolio, and it’s been awesome to see the network treat it as such.

(screengrab via DimeUPROXX on Twitter)