College Basketball on CBS
Encyclopedia
College Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm (usually referred to on air as the Road to the Final Four) is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS
. In 1982
, CBS Sports obtained broadcast television rights to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
from NBC
(who had aired it since 1969
).
For their inaugural season, CBS had to scramble to arrange a regular season schedule as NBC still held exclusive rights to certain conferences. CBS also signed Billy Packer
away from NBC to be its top analyst (teaming with play-by-play man Gary Bender
and later Brent Musburger
and Jim Nantz
). Packer also played a key role in helping CBS put together its schedule. In the 1981-82 season, CBS did however, happen to obtain contracts with the Metro
and Missouri Valley Conference
s. During the 1982 tournament
, CBS introduced 11:30 games on Thursday and Friday nights of for the first two weekends. CBS also aired an NBA game in the noon timeslot on Sunday, March 14 while only showing a doubleheader of NCAA games.
NFL on CBS
broadcaster Tom Brookshier
became the subject of controversy because of a remark he made during a Philadelphia Eagles
vs. New Orleans Saints
game broadcast on December 11, 1983. After a program note for an upcoming telecast of an NCAA men's basketball game involving the University of Louisville
, Brookshier said that the players on the Louisville team had "a collective I.Q. of about 40". This resulted in Neal Pilson, then president of CBS Sports, apologizing to Louisville school officials and later suspending Brookshier for the last weekend of the NFL's regular season. Louisville's athletic director, Bill Olsen, felt that the remark was racist, since Louisville's starting five were all African American
. Brookshier later apologized, calling his remark "stupid" and "dumb", but was angered over CBS' reaction, saying "I'm not about to be judged on one comment." He added, "I've done a lot of things for charity. Now my own network is bailing out on me and taking me off the air. After 20 years at CBS, I deserve better than this." The apology was accepted by the university, as its president, Donald Swain, invited Brookshier to be the featured speaker at the school's annual football kickoff luncheon in Clarksville, Indiana
on August 2, 1984. Brookshier was reinstated in CBS's announcing lineup for the 1984 season, continuing as a network commentator through 1987.
For the 1984 tournament
, CBS expanded its coverage on the first Sunday to a tripleheader. The following season
marked the first year that CBS aired a regional semifinal tournament doubleheader, leaving ESPN
with only one live game each of these nights. 1987
marked the first year that CBS used the song "One Shining Moment
" for its tournament epilogue.
, CBS expanded its coverage on the first Saturday to show a quadrupleheader. This particular tournament also marked Brent Musburger
's last assignment for CBS. Although Musburger was fired on April Fools Day (Sunday during Final Four weekend), he still did play-by-play for the championship game. Musburger had done play-by-play (although he worked in the studio for the first weekends) for CBS' coverage of the Final Four since 1985
.
In the 1990–91 season, CBS' February 10 broadcast of a game between UNLV
and Arkansas
(#1 vs #2 in the nation at the time, respectively) drew the highest rating
for a regular season college basketball game since 1985.
In 1991
, CBS assumed responsibility for covering all games of the NCAA tournament, with the exception of the single Tuesday night "play-in" game. (The play-in game - between teams ranked 64 & 65 - is televised by ESPN
, except for the first one, which was aired on then-CBS owned TNN
, and used CBS graphics and announcers.) For the evening sessions in the first round, CBS only came on the air at 7:30 p.m. for basketball in the regions which got a 7:30 game. Otherwise, most of the country was "in the dark" until 8 p.m. 1991 was also the first year that the Saturday regional finals started at 3:30 p.m.
In 1993, CBS adopted their current theme, which has been used in variations ever since (the first update coming in 2003).
The 1995 tournament
was the first year that CBS moved the Sunday regional finals to 2:30 p.m. During the 1995–96 season, CBS used a "wheel" concept on selected days. In other words, they used a set of games with start times usually staggered by one hour. For example, CBS might have a game starting at 2 p.m., another one at 3 p.m., and a third one at 4 pm. Some areas of the country would see the 2 p.m. game, then join the middle game in progress around 4 p.m. (likely seeing the second half only), and then join the late game in progress around 5 pm. Other areas might see the first half of the 2 p.m. game, then see the entire 3 p.m. game and then join the late game in progress. CBS would periodically use this concept the next few seasons as well. It would influence how the 2011 tournament
was conducted in terms of start times, except now four different networks would be airing games.
With the 1998 tournament
, CBS started using the Jim Nantz
-Billy Packer
team to call games the first weekend. The previous several years, Nantz worked the studio on the first weekend (as was the case with his predecessor, Brent Musburger) while Packer called games with various partners.
, CBS assigned the team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer to a Thursday/Saturday tournament regional for the first time ever. The following year
had CBS broadcast the Saturday second round quadrupleheader at 1 p.m. and the Final Four to 6 p.m. for the first time.
On March 20 and 21, 2003
, CBS provided Iraq War coverage during the afternoon sessions. As a result, so ESPN carried the tournament games using CBS announcers. This also led CBS to expand to a quadrupleheader on Sunday March 23. Also in 2003, CBS struck a deal with Yahoo!
to offer live streaming of the first three rounds of games under its Yahoo! Platinum service, for $16.95 a month.
For 2004
, CBS assigned Jim Nantz and Billy Packer to a Thursday-Saturday regional for the third time in four years. This was also the only year that team of Nantz and Packer worked Thursday-Saturday tournament games on each of the first two weekends. Also 2004, CBS sold access to March Madness On Demand for $
9.95, which provided games not otherwise shown on broadcast television. The service was free for AOL
subscribers. In 2005, the service charged $19.95 but offered enhanced coverage of pregame and postgame interviews and press conferences.
In 2006, March Madness On Demand was available free of charge, but dropped the coverage of interviews and press conferences. The service was profitable and set a record for simultaneous online streams at 268,000. March Madness On Demand has been available free to online users in all subsequent years.
In addition, CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) broadcast two "late early" games that would not otherwise be broadcast nationally. These were the second games in the daytime session in the Pacific Time Zone
, to avoid starting games before 10 a.m. These games are also available via March Madness on Demand and on CBS affiliates in the market areas of the team playing. In most markets, stations break between 5 and 7 p.m. EDT
for regular late afternoon programming, which consists of local news and the CBS Evening News
, plus other syndicated programming such as The Oprah Winfrey Show
. In areas where The Price is Right
was pre-empted for basketball, the game show aired in this window. CBS-CS also broadcast the official pregame and postgame shows and press conferences from the teams involved.
For the 2008 tournament
, CBS moved the Saturday regional final doubleheader to 6:30 p.m. 2008 also marked the last NCAA tournament to be broadcast by Billy Packer (as he would be replaced by Clark Kellogg
), a run that started in 1974
.
and analog
had the option of airing separate games on their HD and SD channels, to take advantage of the available high definition coverage.
Beginning in 2007, all games in the tournament (including all first and second round games) were available in high definition, and local stations were required to air the same game on both their analog and digital channels. However, due to satellite limitations, first round "constant" feeds were only available in standard definition. Some digital television stations choose not to participate in HDTV broadcasts of the first and second rounds and the regional semifinals, and split their signal into digital subchannel
s to show all games going on simultaneously. Most notably, WRAL-TV
in Raleigh, North Carolina
has split its digital signal four ways since 2000 to show all of the games. In 2007, CBS broadcast all games from each regional site in HDTV, however, due to limitations in the CBS broadcast center, only the "Flex" feeds were in HD, constant feeds were in SD. Upgrades at the CBS broadcast center allowed all feeds, flex and constant, to be in HD for the 2008 tournament.
The entire country sees the regional finals, the national semifinals, and the national championship. At the end of CBS' coverage, a highlight reel featuring memorable moments from the tournament is shown, set to the song "One Shining Moment
" originally written and performed by David Barrett, and subsequently covered by Teddy Pendergrass
, Luther Vandross
and beginning in 2010, Jennifer Hudson
.
would snag the rights to future tournament games However, on April 22, 2010, the NCAA signed a 14-year agreement with CBS and Turner Broadcasting System
worth more than $10.8 billion, allowing CBS to continue airing the entire regional finals through the national championship, with CBS and Turner splitting coverage of earlier rounds in the now 68-team field. After 2015, the regional finals, Final Four and national championship will alternate between CBS and TBS
.
CBS receives the same number of "windows," or time slots, for its tournament coverage as in previous years. However, all games will now be nationally - rather than regionally - televised. Both games from a particular section and site are shown back-to-back on the same network each day, except for the second session on March 20, 2011
, which was split between CBS and TruTV so that CBS could show 60 Minutes
at its regular time, or as close to it as possible. CBS also keeps coverage of the Division II final
, which is part of the larger contract for this tourney.
broadcast the remaining 63 games of the NCAA tournament proper. Most areas saw only eight of 32 first round games, seven second round games, and four regional semifinal games (out of the possible 56 games during these rounds). Coverage preempted regular programming on the network, except during a 2 hour window from about 5 ET until 7 ET when the local affiliates could show programming. The CBS format resulted in far fewer hours of first-round coverage than under the old ESPN format, but allows the games to reach a much larger audience than ESPN is able to reach.
CBS provided three sets of feeds from each venue, known as "constant" "swing" and "flex." Constant feeds remained primarily on a given game, and were used primarily by stations with local interest in a game. Despite its name, a constant feed would occasionally veer away to other games for brief updates, but coverage generally remained with the initial game. Swing feeds tended to stay on games of natural interest, such as teams from local conferences, but would go to other games that are close. On a flex feed, coverage bounced around from one venue to another, depending on action at the various games in progress. If one game was a blowout, coverage would switch to a more competitive game. Flex games had no natural interest for the stations carrying them, allowing the flex game to be the best game in progress. Station feeds were planned in advance and stations had the option of requesting either constant or flex feed for various games. All games on DirecTV
's Mega March Madness
were the constant feed.
announced an unprecedented 15-year television contract with CBS worth an estimated $
55 million a year. This will continue the relationship the SEC already has with CBS, which puts the SEC in the unique position as the only conference to have its own exclusive national television network of the big three networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC) to display the SEC's events.
All Rankings from that week's AP Poll
or Tim Brando
or James Brown
or Sam Ryan or Tracy Wolfson
or Gus Johnson
, Seth Davis
and/or Greg Anthony
or Clark Kellogg
or Bill Cowher
, Ernie Johnson
and Matt Winer
Studio Analysts: Greg Anthony
, Charles Barkley
, Seth Davis
, Reggie Miller
, Kenny Smith
, Steve Smith
, Tom Crean
and Rick Pitino
and NCAA Tournament
. Tom Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham
, and Hubie Brown
all worked NCAA Regionals during years when also serving as the lead NBA analyst for CBS. Billy Packer
worked NBA playoff games in 1987
and 1988
while he was the CBS' lead college basketball analyst.
, TNT and truTV as part of its tournament coverage partnership with CBS.
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
. In 1982
1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, CBS Sports obtained broadcast television rights to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
from NBC
College Basketball on NBC
College Basketball on NBC is a former television program created and produced by NBC Sports that broadcast NCAA Division I men's basketball games. The program existed in some shape or form from 1969–1998. From 1969–1981, NBC covered the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
(who had aired it since 1969
1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky...
).
1980s
Besides being their first year covering the NCAA tournament, 1982 also marked the first year that the Selection Show was broadcast.For their inaugural season, CBS had to scramble to arrange a regular season schedule as NBC still held exclusive rights to certain conferences. CBS also signed Billy Packer
Billy Packer
Anthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
away from NBC to be its top analyst (teaming with play-by-play man Gary Bender
Gary Bender
Gary Bender is a retired American sportscaster and 2008 inductee in to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. He officially retired, April 13, 2011, from Fox Sports Arizona network after 18 years calling the NBA Phoenix Suns games.-Early career:...
and later Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
and Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz
James William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
). Packer also played a key role in helping CBS put together its schedule. In the 1981-82 season, CBS did however, happen to obtain contracts with the Metro
Metro Conference
The Metropolitan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because all of its charter members were in urban metropolitan areas in, or at least on the fringes of, the Southern United States...
and Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
s. During the 1982 tournament
1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, CBS introduced 11:30 games on Thursday and Friday nights of for the first two weekends. CBS also aired an NBA game in the noon timeslot on Sunday, March 14 while only showing a doubleheader of NCAA games.
NFL on CBS
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
broadcaster Tom Brookshier
Tom Brookshier
Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Brookshier was an American professional football player, coach and sportscaster. He was a starting defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles for seven seasons from 1953 to 1961...
became the subject of controversy because of a remark he made during a Philadelphia Eagles
1983 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1983 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 51st in the league. The team improved upon their previous output of 3–6, winning five games. Despite the improvement, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season.-Player Selections:...
vs. New Orleans Saints
1983 New Orleans Saints season
The 1983 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 17th as a member of the National Football League. They improved on their previous season's output of 4-5, winning eight games. Despite the improvement, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the seventeenth consecutive...
game broadcast on December 11, 1983. After a program note for an upcoming telecast of an NCAA men's basketball game involving the University of Louisville
Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the 18th winningest college basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 10th best winning percentage in college basketball history. Currently coached by Rick Pitino, the Cardinals of the University of Louisville have been to 37 NCAA...
, Brookshier said that the players on the Louisville team had "a collective I.Q. of about 40". This resulted in Neal Pilson, then president of CBS Sports, apologizing to Louisville school officials and later suspending Brookshier for the last weekend of the NFL's regular season. Louisville's athletic director, Bill Olsen, felt that the remark was racist, since Louisville's starting five were all African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. Brookshier later apologized, calling his remark "stupid" and "dumb", but was angered over CBS' reaction, saying "I'm not about to be judged on one comment." He added, "I've done a lot of things for charity. Now my own network is bailing out on me and taking me off the air. After 20 years at CBS, I deserve better than this." The apology was accepted by the university, as its president, Donald Swain, invited Brookshier to be the featured speaker at the school's annual football kickoff luncheon in Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville is a town in Clark County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River as a part of the Louisville Metropolitan area. The population was 21,724 at the 2010 census. The town, once a home site to George Rogers Clark, was founded in 1783 and is the oldest American town in the Northwest...
on August 2, 1984. Brookshier was reinstated in CBS's announcing lineup for the 1984 season, continuing as a network commentator through 1987.
For the 1984 tournament
1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 53 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1984, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Seattle, Washington. A total of...
, CBS expanded its coverage on the first Sunday to a tripleheader. The following season
1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began...
marked the first year that CBS aired a regional semifinal tournament doubleheader, leaving ESPN
College Basketball on ESPN
College Basketball on ESPN is a presentation of the college basketball television package on the ESPN family of networks. The television network broadcasts games of all the major conferences and many mid-major conferences of Division I NCAA basketball....
with only one live game each of these nights. 1987
1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
marked the first year that CBS used the song "One Shining Moment
One Shining Moment
"One Shining Moment" is a song written by David Barrett about the NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship. One Shining Moment is traditionally played at the end of CBS Sports' coverage of the championship game of the tournament...
" for its tournament epilogue.
1990s
For the 1990 tournament1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1990, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Denver, Colorado...
, CBS expanded its coverage on the first Saturday to show a quadrupleheader. This particular tournament also marked Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
's last assignment for CBS. Although Musburger was fired on April Fools Day (Sunday during Final Four weekend), he still did play-by-play for the championship game. Musburger had done play-by-play (although he worked in the studio for the first weekends) for CBS' coverage of the Final Four since 1985
1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began...
.
In the 1990–91 season, CBS' February 10 broadcast of a game between UNLV
UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are a NCAA Division I men's basketball team who play at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. Their most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2011 when they received an at–large bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning an 8-seed in...
and Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
The Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team represents the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The school's team currently competes in the Southeastern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008...
(#1 vs #2 in the nation at the time, respectively) drew the highest rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for a regular season college basketball game since 1985.
In 1991
1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana...
, CBS assumed responsibility for covering all games of the NCAA tournament, with the exception of the single Tuesday night "play-in" game. (The play-in game - between teams ranked 64 & 65 - is televised by ESPN
College Basketball on ESPN
College Basketball on ESPN is a presentation of the college basketball television package on the ESPN family of networks. The television network broadcasts games of all the major conferences and many mid-major conferences of Division I NCAA basketball....
, except for the first one, which was aired on then-CBS owned TNN
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
, and used CBS graphics and announcers.) For the evening sessions in the first round, CBS only came on the air at 7:30 p.m. for basketball in the regions which got a 7:30 game. Otherwise, most of the country was "in the dark" until 8 p.m. 1991 was also the first year that the Saturday regional finals started at 3:30 p.m.
In 1993, CBS adopted their current theme, which has been used in variations ever since (the first update coming in 2003).
The 1995 tournament
1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1995, and ended with the championship game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle,...
was the first year that CBS moved the Sunday regional finals to 2:30 p.m. During the 1995–96 season, CBS used a "wheel" concept on selected days. In other words, they used a set of games with start times usually staggered by one hour. For example, CBS might have a game starting at 2 p.m., another one at 3 p.m., and a third one at 4 pm. Some areas of the country would see the 2 p.m. game, then join the middle game in progress around 4 p.m. (likely seeing the second half only), and then join the late game in progress around 5 pm. Other areas might see the first half of the 2 p.m. game, then see the entire 3 p.m. game and then join the late game in progress. CBS would periodically use this concept the next few seasons as well. It would influence how the 2011 tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
was conducted in terms of start times, except now four different networks would be airing games.
With the 1998 tournament
1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1998, and ended with the championship game on March 30 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
, CBS started using the Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz
James William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
-Billy Packer
Billy Packer
Anthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
team to call games the first weekend. The previous several years, Nantz worked the studio on the first weekend (as was the case with his predecessor, Brent Musburger) while Packer called games with various partners.
2000s
In 20012001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 2001 with the play-in game, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in...
, CBS assigned the team of Jim Nantz and Billy Packer to a Thursday/Saturday tournament regional for the first time ever. The following year
2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia...
had CBS broadcast the Saturday second round quadrupleheader at 1 p.m. and the Final Four to 6 p.m. for the first time.
On March 20 and 21, 2003
2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 2003, and ended with the championship game on April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, CBS provided Iraq War coverage during the afternoon sessions. As a result, so ESPN carried the tournament games using CBS announcers. This also led CBS to expand to a quadrupleheader on Sunday March 23. Also in 2003, CBS struck a deal with Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
to offer live streaming of the first three rounds of games under its Yahoo! Platinum service, for $16.95 a month.
For 2004
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
, CBS assigned Jim Nantz and Billy Packer to a Thursday-Saturday regional for the third time in four years. This was also the only year that team of Nantz and Packer worked Thursday-Saturday tournament games on each of the first two weekends. Also 2004, CBS sold access to March Madness On Demand for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
9.95, which provided games not otherwise shown on broadcast television. The service was free for AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
subscribers. In 2005, the service charged $19.95 but offered enhanced coverage of pregame and postgame interviews and press conferences.
In 2006, March Madness On Demand was available free of charge, but dropped the coverage of interviews and press conferences. The service was profitable and set a record for simultaneous online streams at 268,000. March Madness On Demand has been available free to online users in all subsequent years.
In addition, CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) broadcast two "late early" games that would not otherwise be broadcast nationally. These were the second games in the daytime session in the Pacific Time Zone
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
, to avoid starting games before 10 a.m. These games are also available via March Madness on Demand and on CBS affiliates in the market areas of the team playing. In most markets, stations break between 5 and 7 p.m. EDT
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
for regular late afternoon programming, which consists of local news and the CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News
CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963....
, plus other syndicated programming such as The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
. In areas where The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
was pre-empted for basketball, the game show aired in this window. CBS-CS also broadcast the official pregame and postgame shows and press conferences from the teams involved.
For the 2008 tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
, CBS moved the Saturday regional final doubleheader to 6:30 p.m. 2008 also marked the last NCAA tournament to be broadcast by Billy Packer (as he would be replaced by Clark Kellogg
Clark Kellogg
Clark Clifton Kellogg, Jr. is the VP of player relations for the Indiana Pacers as well as the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and former player in the National Basketball Association.-High School:...
), a run that started in 1974
1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It was the first tournament to officially be designated as a Division I championship—previously, NCAA member...
.
HDTV coverage
The Final Four has been broadcast in HDTV since 1999. From 2000 to 2004, only one first/second round site and one regional site were designated as HDTV sites. In 2005, all regional games were broadcast in HDTV, and four first and second round sites were designated for HDTV coverage. Local stations broadcasting in both digitalDigital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
and analog
Analog television
Analog television is the analog transmission that involves the broadcasting of encoded analog audio and analog video signal: one in which the message conveyed by the broadcast signal is a function of deliberate variations in the amplitude and/or frequency of the signal...
had the option of airing separate games on their HD and SD channels, to take advantage of the available high definition coverage.
Beginning in 2007, all games in the tournament (including all first and second round games) were available in high definition, and local stations were required to air the same game on both their analog and digital channels. However, due to satellite limitations, first round "constant" feeds were only available in standard definition. Some digital television stations choose not to participate in HDTV broadcasts of the first and second rounds and the regional semifinals, and split their signal into digital subchannel
Digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a means to transmit more than one independent program at the same time from the same digital radio or digital television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compression techniques to reduce the size of each individual...
s to show all games going on simultaneously. Most notably, WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV
WRAL-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Raleigh, North Carolina. WRAL-TV has been the flagship station of Capitol Broadcasting Company since its inception, and is currently the CBS affiliate for the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/Fayetteville area, known collectively as the Triangle...
in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
has split its digital signal four ways since 2000 to show all of the games. In 2007, CBS broadcast all games from each regional site in HDTV, however, due to limitations in the CBS broadcast center, only the "Flex" feeds were in HD, constant feeds were in SD. Upgrades at the CBS broadcast center allowed all feeds, flex and constant, to be in HD for the 2008 tournament.
The entire country sees the regional finals, the national semifinals, and the national championship. At the end of CBS' coverage, a highlight reel featuring memorable moments from the tournament is shown, set to the song "One Shining Moment
One Shining Moment
"One Shining Moment" is a song written by David Barrett about the NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship. One Shining Moment is traditionally played at the end of CBS Sports' coverage of the championship game of the tournament...
" originally written and performed by David Barrett, and subsequently covered by Teddy Pendergrass
Teddy Pendergrass
Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade...
, Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
and beginning in 2010, Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
.
2010s
Despite CBS' contract to carry the tournament until 2013, the NCAA had the option of ending the agreement after the 2010 championship. This led to speculation that ESPNCollege Basketball on ESPN
College Basketball on ESPN is a presentation of the college basketball television package on the ESPN family of networks. The television network broadcasts games of all the major conferences and many mid-major conferences of Division I NCAA basketball....
would snag the rights to future tournament games However, on April 22, 2010, the NCAA signed a 14-year agreement with CBS and Turner Broadcasting System
NCAA March Madness (CBS/Turner)
NCAA March Madness is the title of the coverage of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament jointly produced by CBS Sports and Turner Sports, with coverage airing on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, beginning with the 2011 tournament.Initially, CBS will continue to have coverage during most rounds,...
worth more than $10.8 billion, allowing CBS to continue airing the entire regional finals through the national championship, with CBS and Turner splitting coverage of earlier rounds in the now 68-team field. After 2015, the regional finals, Final Four and national championship will alternate between CBS and TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
.
CBS receives the same number of "windows," or time slots, for its tournament coverage as in previous years. However, all games will now be nationally - rather than regionally - televised. Both games from a particular section and site are shown back-to-back on the same network each day, except for the second session on March 20, 2011
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
, which was split between CBS and TruTV so that CBS could show 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
at its regular time, or as close to it as possible. CBS also keeps coverage of the Division II final
NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of schools in the United States that are generally smaller than the higher-profile institutions of Division I...
, which is part of the larger contract for this tourney.
Former
Until 2010, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
broadcast the remaining 63 games of the NCAA tournament proper. Most areas saw only eight of 32 first round games, seven second round games, and four regional semifinal games (out of the possible 56 games during these rounds). Coverage preempted regular programming on the network, except during a 2 hour window from about 5 ET until 7 ET when the local affiliates could show programming. The CBS format resulted in far fewer hours of first-round coverage than under the old ESPN format, but allows the games to reach a much larger audience than ESPN is able to reach.
CBS provided three sets of feeds from each venue, known as "constant" "swing" and "flex." Constant feeds remained primarily on a given game, and were used primarily by stations with local interest in a game. Despite its name, a constant feed would occasionally veer away to other games for brief updates, but coverage generally remained with the initial game. Swing feeds tended to stay on games of natural interest, such as teams from local conferences, but would go to other games that are close. On a flex feed, coverage bounced around from one venue to another, depending on action at the various games in progress. If one game was a blowout, coverage would switch to a more competitive game. Flex games had no natural interest for the stations carrying them, allowing the flex game to be the best game in progress. Station feeds were planned in advance and stations had the option of requesting either constant or flex feed for various games. All games on DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
's Mega March Madness
Mega March Madness
Mega March Madness was a pay-per-view out-of-market sports package covering games in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship which was exclusive to DirecTV since 2002 and supplemented the coverage from CBS Sports. The charge for the package was a one-time $69 charge per year...
were the constant feed.
Current
As of 2011, CBS airs all of their games nationally. They will air a total of 26 games in 2011: eight second round games (four games per day), seven third round games (four games the first day and three games on the second due to a showing of 60 Minutes, as previously mentioned), four games in the Sweet Sixteen (two games per day), all of the Elite Eight (four games) and Final Four games (2 games), and the Championship Game.Current regular season scheduling line-up (for 2011-12)
In August 2008, the SECSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
announced an unprecedented 15-year television contract with CBS worth an estimated $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
55 million a year. This will continue the relationship the SEC already has with CBS, which puts the SEC in the unique position as the only conference to have its own exclusive national television network of the big three networks (CBS, NBC, and ABC) to display the SEC's events.
All Rankings from that week's AP Poll
| Date | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 3 | 12:00: North Carolina at Kentucky |
|||
| December 10 | 12:00: Washington vs Duke |
|||
| December 17 | 2:00: Butler vs Purdue |
4:00: Memphis at Louisville Arizona vs Gonzaga |
||
| December 31 | 12:00: Louisville at Kentucky |
|||
| January 8 | TBD: Wisconsin at Michigan |
|||
| January 14 | TBD: Oregon at Arizona |
|||
| January 15 | TBD: Indiana at Ohio State |
|||
| January 21 | 12:00: Alabama at Kentucky |
2:00: Michigan at Arkansas |
4:00: Connecticut at Tennessee Kansas at Texas |
|
| January 28 | 1:00: Texas at Baylor |
|||
| January 29 | 1:00: Michigan at Ohio State |
|||
| February 4 | 1:00: Vanderbilt at Florida Marquette at Notre Dame |
|||
| February 5 | 1:00: Michigan at Michigan State |
|||
| February 11 | 1:00: Connecticut at Syracuse |
|||
| February 12 | 1:00: Illinois at Michigan |
|||
| February 18 | 1:00: UCLA at St. John's UNLV at New Mexico |
TBD: Indiana at Iowa |
||
| February 19 | TBD: Penn State at Wisconsin Michigan State at Purdue |
|||
| February 25 | 12:00: Vanderbilt at Kentucky |
2:00: UCLA at Arizona Villanova at Georgetown |
4:00: Missouri at Kansas |
|
| February 26 | 2:00: Pittsburgh at Louisville |
|||
| March 3 | 12:00: Memphis at Tulsa |
2:00: LSU at Auburn |
4:00: Louisville at Syracuse |
TBD: Washington at UCLA Washington State at USC Colorado at Oregon State Utah at Oregon |
| March 4 | 12:00: Kentucky at Florida |
TBD: Ohio State at Michigan State Illinois at Wisconsin Michigan at Penn State |
||
| March 10 | ||||
| March 11 | ||||
Regular season current lineup (for 2010–11)
Studio: Greg GumbelGreg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
or Tim Brando
Tim Brando
Tim Brando is a radio host and CBS Sports studio host and play-by-play announcer.-Biography:...
or James Brown
James Brown (TV personality)
James Brown , commonly called "J.B.", is an American sports announcer known for being the host of The NFL Today on CBS and Inside the NFL on Showtime. He is the former host of the FOX network's NFL pregame show, Fox NFL Sunday.-Early life:Born on February 25, 1951 in Washington, D.C. to John and...
or Sam Ryan or Tracy Wolfson
Tracy Wolfson
Tracy Wolfson is an American sportscaster for CBS Sports. She is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in communications.-Early life and career:...
or Gus Johnson
Gus Johnson (sportscaster)
Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
, Seth Davis
Seth Davis
Seth Davis is a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine and an in-studio analyst for CBS' NCAA men's college basketball coverage with Greg Anthony and host Greg Gumbel. Davis attended Duke University, graduating in 1992 with a degree in political science...
and/or Greg Anthony
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
or Clark Kellogg
Clark Kellogg
Clark Clifton Kellogg, Jr. is the VP of player relations for the Indiana Pacers as well as the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and former player in the National Basketball Association.-High School:...
or Bill Cowher
Bill Cowher
William Laird "Bill" Cowher is a former American football coach and player. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach on January 5, 2007, 11 months to the day after winning 2005–06's Super Bowl XL...
- Jim NantzJim NantzJames William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
or Verne LundquistVerne LundquistMerton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
or Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
or Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
, play-by-play, Clark KelloggClark KelloggClark Clifton Kellogg, Jr. is the VP of player relations for the Indiana Pacers as well as the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and former player in the National Basketball Association.-High School:...
, analyst, and Steve KerrSteve KerrStephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
analyst.- Twelve games: Kentucky-North Carolina (with Johnson), St. Louis-Duke (with Eagle), Texas-North Carolina (with Lundquist), Kentucky-Louisville (with Johnson), Kansas-Michigan (with Lundquist), Maryland-Villanova (with Lundquist), Texas-Kansas (with Lundquist), Duke-St. John's (with Lundquist), Michigan State-Wisconsin (with Johnson), Ohio State-Purdue (with Lundquist), BYU-San Diego State (with Lundquist), Duke-North Carolina (with Nantz), Michigan-Ohio State (with Nantz)
- Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
or Greg GumbelGreg GumbelGreg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
or Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
, play-by-play, and Greg AnthonyGreg AnthonyGregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
, analyst.- Five games: Stanford-Butler (with Gumbel), Purdue-West Virginia, Ohio State-Illinois, Minnesota-Purdue (with Eagle), St. John's-UCLA (with Eagle)
- Verne LundquistVerne LundquistMerton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
or Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
or Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
or Spero DedesSpero DedesSpero Dedes is a Greek-American sportscaster born in Paramus, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Paramus High School and a 2001 graduate of Fordham University in New York....
or Kevin HarlanKevin HarlanKevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
or Tim BrandoTim BrandoTim Brando is a radio host and CBS Sports studio host and play-by-play announcer.-Biography:...
, play-by-play, and Bill RafteryBill RafteryBill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
, analyst.- Six games: South Carolina-Ohio State (with Dedes), Tennessee-Connecticut (with Eagle), Florida-Mississippi State (with Harlan), Illinois-Northwestern (with Brando), Indiana-Ohio State (with Johnson), Villanova-Pittsburgh (with Lundquist)
- Kevin HarlanKevin HarlanKevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
or Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
, play-by-play, and Dan BonnerDan BonnerDan Bonner is an analyst and color commentator covering NCAA men's basketball. He previously played basketball at the University of Virginia and coached the UVa women's team for two seasons. He also coached girls' basketball and soccer at Robert E...
, analyst.- Four games: Stanford-UCLA (with Harlan), Florida-Kentucky (with Harlan), Kansas-Missouri (with Johnson), Wisconsin-Ohio State (with Johnson)
- Kevin HarlanKevin HarlanKevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
, play-by-play, Reggie MillerReggie MillerReginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...
, analyst, and Dan BonnerDan BonnerDan Bonner is an analyst and color commentator covering NCAA men's basketball. He previously played basketball at the University of Virginia and coached the UVa women's team for two seasons. He also coached girls' basketball and soccer at Robert E...
, analyst.- One Game: Memphis-UTEP
- Kevin HarlanKevin HarlanKevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
, play-by-play, and Reggie MillerReggie MillerReginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...
, analyst.- One game: Kentucky-Tennessee
- Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
, play-by-play, and Jim SpanarkelJim SpanarkelJames Gerard Spanarkel is an American television analyst for the National Basketball Association. Spanarkel, who himself was a professional basketball player, was selected 16th overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1980...
, analyst.- Two games: Pittsburgh-Louisville, Indiana State-Missouri State
- Tim BrandoTim BrandoTim Brando is a radio host and CBS Sports studio host and play-by-play announcer.-Biography:...
, play-by-play, and Mike GminskiMike GminskiMichael Thomas Gminski is a retired American college and professional basketball player. Gminski played his high school ball for Masuk High School in Monroe, CT. From there he played four seasons with the Duke Blue Devils, from 1977 to 1980. He led the team in scoring during his junior and senior...
, analyst.- Two games: Syracuse-Georgetown, Michigan State-Michigan
- Spero DedesSpero DedesSpero Dedes is a Greek-American sportscaster born in Paramus, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Paramus High School and a 2001 graduate of Fordham University in New York....
, play-by-play, and Bob WenzelBob WenzelBob Wenzel is a former American college basketball coach and a current broadcaster for ESPN, the Big East Network, and CBS Sports.-College playing/Coaching career:...
, analyst.- One game: Oregon-Arizona
NCAA Tournament lineup (for 2010–11)
Studio Hosts: Greg GumbelGreg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
, Ernie Johnson
Ernie Johnson
Ernie Johnson may refer to:*Ernie Johnson *Ernie Johnson , running back at UCLA*Ernie Johnson **Ernie Johnson, Jr. , son and sports commentator...
and Matt Winer
Matt Winer
Matthew Ward Winer is an American television personality for Turner Sports and formerly with ESPN.-Career:Turner Sports signed Winer in 2010 to contribute to coverage of sports across its networks. He became the primary studio host for Major League Baseball on TBS, replacing Ernie Johnson Jr., who...
Studio Analysts: Greg Anthony
Greg Anthony
Gregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
, Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
, Seth Davis
Seth Davis
Seth Davis is a writer for Sports Illustrated magazine and an in-studio analyst for CBS' NCAA men's college basketball coverage with Greg Anthony and host Greg Gumbel. Davis attended Duke University, graduating in 1992 with a degree in political science...
, Reggie Miller
Reggie Miller
Reginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...
, Kenny Smith
Kenny Smith
Kenneth "The Jet" Smith is a retired National Basketball Association player and current TV basketball analyst, primarily for Inside the NBA on TNT.-Early life:...
, Steve Smith
Steve Smith (basketball)
Steven Delano "Steve" Smith is a retired American basketball player. He played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the...
, Tom Crean
Tom Crean
Thomas Crean also known as the "Irish Giant", born on was an Irish seaman and Antarctic explorer from County Kerry...
and Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
- Jim NantzJim NantzJames William Nantz, III is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his work with CBS Sports television.-Early life:...
, Clark KelloggClark KelloggClark Clifton Kellogg, Jr. is the VP of player relations for the Indiana Pacers as well as the lead college basketball analyst for CBS Sports and former player in the National Basketball Association.-High School:...
, Steve KerrSteve KerrStephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
and Tracy WolfsonTracy WolfsonTracy Wolfson is an American sportscaster for CBS Sports. She is a University of Michigan graduate with a degree in communications.-Early life and career:... - Marv AlbertMarv AlbertMarv Albert is an American television and radio sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called...
, Steve KerrSteve KerrStephen Douglas "Steve" Kerr is a retired American professional basketball player. He shot .454 from three point range over his career and currently holds the record as the most accurate three-point shooter in NBA history...
and Craig SagerCraig SagerCraig Sager , is currently a sportscaster for TNT and TBS. Sager is a graduate of Northwestern University. He has previously covered sports for CBS and CNN. His nickname is "America's Sideline Reporter".... - Verne LundquistVerne LundquistMerton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...
, Bill RafteryBill RafteryBill Raftery is an American basketball analyst and play-by-play announcer and former college basketball coach.-High School:...
and Lesley VisserLesley VisserLesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the... - Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
, Len ElmoreLen ElmoreLeonard J. "Len" Elmore is an American sportscaster, lawyer and former National Basketball Association player....
and Marty SniderMarty SniderMarty Snider is an American Sportscaster. Snider is a pit reporter for NASCAR on TNT. He has been a part of Turner Sports' NASCAR coverage since 1998. Snider also served as a NASCAR pit reporter for NBC Sports from 1999-2006. In 2006, Snider was a part of the Emmy award winning NBC/TNT NASCAR... - Kevin HarlanKevin HarlanKevin Harlan is an American television sports announcer. The son of former Green Bay Packers executive Bob Harlan, he currently broadcasts NFL and college basketball games on CBS. Harlan is also a play-by-play announcer for the NBA on TNT...
, Reggie MillerReggie MillerReginald Wayne "Reggie" Miller is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association career with the Indiana Pacers...
, Dan BonnerDan BonnerDan Bonner is an analyst and color commentator covering NCAA men's basketball. He previously played basketball at the University of Virginia and coached the UVa women's team for two seasons. He also coached girls' basketball and soccer at Robert E...
and Sam Ryan - Ian EagleIan EagleIan Eagle is an American sports announcer calling National Football League games on CBS, New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network and hosts Full Court Press, a basketball talk show with former player Kenny Smith on Sirius Satellite Radio...
, Jim SpanarkelJim SpanarkelJames Gerard Spanarkel is an American television analyst for the National Basketball Association. Spanarkel, who himself was a professional basketball player, was selected 16th overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1980...
and David AldridgeDavid AldridgeDavid Aldridge is a reporter for the Turner television networks TNT, TBS and TBD.-Education and early career:... - Tim BrandoTim BrandoTim Brando is a radio host and CBS Sports studio host and play-by-play announcer.-Biography:...
, Mike GminskiMike GminskiMichael Thomas Gminski is a retired American college and professional basketball player. Gminski played his high school ball for Masuk High School in Monroe, CT. From there he played four seasons with the Duke Blue Devils, from 1977 to 1980. He led the team in scoring during his junior and senior...
and Lewis JohnsonLewis JohnsonLewis Johnson is a reporter for ESPN, and NBC Sports. He formerly worked for Versus. He was the sideline reporter for Notre Dame football home games and in 2001 and 2002 was a sideline reporter for the NBA Finals on NBC and for the network's Arena Football telecasts from 2003 through 2006... - Spero DedesSpero DedesSpero Dedes is a Greek-American sportscaster born in Paramus, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Paramus High School and a 2001 graduate of Fordham University in New York....
, Bob WenzelBob WenzelBob Wenzel is a former American college basketball coach and a current broadcaster for ESPN, the Big East Network, and CBS Sports.-College playing/Coaching career:...
and Jaime Maggio
In relation to The NBA on CBS
CBS often used the same analysts for both the NBA PlayoffsNBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
and NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. Tom Heinsohn, Billy Cunningham
Billy Cunningham
William John "Billy" Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid.- Beginnings :...
, and Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
all worked NCAA Regionals during years when also serving as the lead NBA analyst for CBS. Billy Packer
Billy Packer
Anthony William "Billy" Packer is a former American sportscaster for CBS Sports and a published author.-Early life:Packer is a graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania...
worked NBA playoff games in 1987
1987 NBA Playoffs
The 1987 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1986-1987 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics four games to two in the Finals...
and 1988
1988 NBA Playoffs
The 1988 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1987-1988 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons four games to three in the Finals...
while he was the CBS' lead college basketball analyst.
Theme music
The current theme for CBS' coverage, simply titled "CBS NCAA Basketball Theme", was written by Bob Christianson and has been in use by the network since the 1992-1993 season. While different arrangements have been used over that time, the melody has remained largely the same. The theme has also carried over to TBSTBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
, TNT and truTV as part of its tournament coverage partnership with CBS.