March Madness announcers by game: Full list of broadcast teams for 2026 NCAA Tournament

As the NCAA tournament begins, CBS and Turner are set to broadcast the entire tournament.

CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV will each carry select games over the next three weeks, leading up to the Final Four and national championship on TBS. The tournament will take up much of the sports world’s attention, and a big part of March is the game announcers who will be calling several games over the course of the tournament.

The 2026 March Madness announcing teams saw some shakeups, but the top team of Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill will return to call the Final Four. While TNT no longer broadcasts NBA games, the network's announcers will return to basketball for this year's NCAA tournament.

2026 March Madness Announcing Teams

*Regional Weekend teams*

**First Four teams**

MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Printable bracket 

Who are the March Madness announcers?

CBS and Turner sports will once again compile broadcast teams with big names from the networks.

In studio, Ernie Johnson will only work the Final Four this year, opening the door for some new hosts. Additionally, the studio crews will be split between panels in New York and panels in Atlanta throughout March.

In Johnson's place, Adam Zucker, and Nate Burleson will all anchor coverage from New York for the first two weeks of the tournament. They will be joined by a combination of Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Clark Kellogg and Renee Montgomery as analysts.

In Atlanta, Adam Lefkoe will serve as the host, while Bruce Pearl, Jamal Mashburn, Jalen Rose and Seth Davis will be the studio analysts. Finally, Jamie Erdahl will be providing mid-game updates, and Gene Steratore returns as the rules analyst.

Of course, the big announcing stories of the tournament is who will be calling the games, as there are ten different crews that will be on the call throughout. Here's a look at the 2026 March Madness announcers:

SN EXPERT BRACKETS: DeCourcy (Arizona) | Bender (Michigan) | Iyer (Arizona) | Gay (UCLA women)

Ian Eagle, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery, Tracy Wolfson

For the third year in a row, Ian Eagle will lead CBS' top March Madness team alongside Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson. Eagle was promoted to the No. 1 Play-by-Play announced in the tournament after Jim Nantz retired, reuniting him with Raftery, with whom he called games in the past.

Hill and Raftery have been a part of the No. 1 crew since 2015, becoming staples on the March Madness coverage. Wolfson, who is also the top sideline reporter for NFL broadcasts, has been working on the NCAA tournament for over two decades.

Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce

Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson and Allie LaForce are a familiar announcing team in March, as they've worked together in every NCAA tournament since 2021. Anderson is TBS' top MLB announcer, and also called NBA games when TNT was broadcasting professional games.

Jim Jackson calls all kinds of basketball games throughout the year, as he calls Los Angeles Clippers games and also does college games for Fox Sports. LaForce is another Turner Sports veteran who has reported on college and NBA games for CBS and Turner networks for over a decade.

Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi

Kevin Harlan is no stranger to big moments in March, and the CBS veteran returns for another year in the NCAA tournament, However, his analayst team saw a shakeup this year, as Robbie Hummel replaces Dan Bonner on this team.

Stan VAn Gundy will temporarily step away from calling NBA games to assist with MArch MAdness, as he's done for the past two seasons. Additionally, Lauren Shehadi is one of TBS' main MLB reporters who began working on the NCAA tournament in 2021.

Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn

No play-by-play and analyst duo has more experience calling games together than Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas. The announcing pair has worked as a team in every March Madness tournament since 2015, and in 2024, they were promoted to being a regional final broadcasting team after Jim Nantz retired.

While Catalon and Lappas have worked with several sideline reporters over the years, Evan WAshburn has been the third member of the team since 2024. Washburn typically works with Ian Eagle in NFL games, but he has also been an NCAA tournament sideline reporter since 2015

Brandon Gaudin, Chris Webber, Andy Katz

Brandon Gaudin joins CBS and Turner for his first NCAA tournament in 2026. Normally the Atlanta Braves play-by-play reporter, Gaudin has also worked on a variety of sports for Fox including baseball, college basketball and football in his career.

Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel, Jon Rothstein

Spero Dedes has been working for CBS since the 2000s, which includes being an NCAA tournament announcer for almost two decades. His analyst partner is longtime basketball announcer Jim Spanarkel, a veteran who has almost three decades of experience calling March Madness games.

The sideline reporter on this team is Jon Rothstein, who covers college basketball for CBS throughout the year. Rothstein is usually in studio for CBS, but he will move to the sidelines for the first round.

Tom McCarthy, Candace Parker, Dan Bonner, AJ Ross

Tom McCarthy has become a more prominent voice on CBS broadcasts, doing both football and college basketabll games to go along with his job as the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies. This year, McCarthy is working with a new team alongside Candace Parker and Dan Bonner.

Parker moves from the studio, where she has been since 2018, to game coverage, as she will call games for the first time. Bonner, meanwhile, is a longtime NCAA tournament analyst who has worked with Kevin Harlan and Brian Anderson in the past.

Finally, AJ Ross will be the sideline reporter for this crew, as she has done every year since 2021.

Brad Nessler, Wally Szczerbiak, Jared Greenberg

Normally CBS' top college football announcer, Brad Nessler lends his voice to college basketball once again in March. However, Nessler is working with a completely new crew for the 2026 NCAA tournament.

Nessler will call games with Wally Szczerbiak this year, as Szczerbiak will move from studio coverage to game coverage in 2026. Joining these two is NBA reporter Jared Greenberg, who will be working his first ever NCAA tournament this season.

Brian Anderson, Charles Barkley, Dick Vitale, Jenny Dell

The NCAA tournament will feature a treat for fans in the First Four as Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale will join Brian Anderson for No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 NC State. Vitale's contract with ESPN typically keeps him from calling tournament games, while Barkley is usually a studio analyst this time of the year.

Barkley and Vitale worked a game on ESPN together earlier in the year, and now truTV gets the duo for MArch along with Anderson. The sideline reporter for this crew is Jenny Dell, who will work all four First Four games. 

Jordan Kent, Jim Spanarkel, Jenny Dell

For the other three games on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jim Spanarkel will join NCAA tournament freshman Jordan Kent for the call. Kent was a former NFL player who now calls game as a play-by-play announcer for college football, basketball, and the WNBA on CBS.

Once again, college football sideline reporter Jenny Dell will be the sideline reporter here, as she is set to work each game on Tuesday and Wendesday.

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

March Madness announcing schedule 2026

First Four

Tuesday, March 17

Wednesday, March 18

First Round

Thursday, March 19

Friday, March 20

Second round

Saturday, March 21

Sunday, March 22

Sweet 16

Thursday, March 26

Friday, March 27

Elite Eight

Saturday, March 28

Sunday, March 29

Final Four

Saturday, April 4

National Championship

Monday, April 6

SN EXPERT BRACKETS: DeCourcy (Arizona) | Bender (Michigan) | Iyer (Arizona) | Gay (UCLA women)