By Ryan
Everyone will be a college basketball fan starting Sunday, March 15, as the 65-team field for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is announced live on CBS at 6pm ET.
CBS college hoops action starts on Sunday at 12pm ET with the Road to the Final Four preview show. The studio show has a new look as former UNLV standout Greg Anthony joins Greg Gumbel and Seth Davis live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
Following that, it’s the finals of the SEC Tournament at 1pm ET and then the finals of the Big Ten Tournament at 3:30pm ET.
CBS Sports broadcasts the one-hour NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show at 6pm ET, during which the exclusive, live, first-time announcement of the pairings for the NCAA Tournament are made. The show originates from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, hosted by Gumbel, along with Anthony and Davis. Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will be live from Indianapolis.
Immediately following CBS Sports’ live bracket reveal, CBS College Sports Network takes over with Bracket Breakdown at 7pm ET featuring comprehensive analysis of the field, as well as interviews with players and coaches. CBS College Sports Network’s Adam Zucker and CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson host the show, along with analysts Pete Gillen, Steve Lappas and RPI expert Jerry Palm from their New York studio. Bracket Breakdown also features CBS Sports’ Gumbel, Anthony and Davis throughout the program.
ESPN usually has to play second fiddle to CBS during tournament time, but they do have coverage of the ACC Tournament final (ESPN) and the Southland Conference Tournament final (ESPN2), both at 1pm ET. ESPN will also have a special extended College Gamenight from 7-9pm, analyzing the tournament brackets.
If you thought you’d miss crusty Billy Packer sticking it to the mid-majors this year, think again. Billy Packer’s Survive and Advance premieres on FSN Sunday at midnight (local time) and airs each Sunday through April 5. Packer is joined by fellow curmudgeon Bob Knight at the Wynn Las Vegas for a recap of the best and worst from the weekend’s tournament action. Throughout the series, Packer and Knight will be joined by former NCAA stars Isiah Thomas, Steve Alford, David Thompson and Christian Laettner, plus national championship winning coaches Jerry Tarkanian, Rollie Massimino and Denny Crum. Plus, a handful of celebrities will also pop by the set to weigh in on the tournament.
(BTW, I hate the phrase “M*rch M*dness,” so you’ll get none of that here.)
Photo: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS ©2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved
@bigmac: I’ve got UNC and Nova in the Final Four, too. I’ve got Missouri beating Memphis but losing to UConn in the Elite 8. And I’ve got Wake Forest over Louisville. UNC beats Wake in the finals.
hey guys!!! i just wanted to see wat uu guys had 2 say about my pics. i got nova louisville unc and mizzo going to then the final four then i got unc and louisville going to the championship and i got unc winning by 3 points. wat do uuu guys think bout datt!! get back to mee plzz!! let me no wat uu think… thanksss!!))