Hello friends, this is your NCAA Tournament table of official tip-off times, channel assignments and announcer selections for the first two rounds of March Madness; and the play-in games.
My Michigan State Spartans got a bad draw in terms of start time, and an even worse channel assignment. However, the announcer team of Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill more than makes up for it.
That’s an even trade, maybe an upgrade. It’s the same team that will call the Final Four; it’s the A-Team of the NCAA Tournament. Duke gets a prime time tip, on CBS, and the #1 seed, in the easiest bracket, because it’s Duke, and they are of course better than all of us.
Because Duke is what’s right and we’re what’s wrong, and Coach K does things the right way, and everyone else does things the wrong way and…whatever, here are your NCAA Tournament tip times.
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Play-in games Tuesday, March 17
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Tip (ET)
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Network
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Site
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Game
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Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter Producer/Director |
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6:40 p.m. |
truTV |
Dayton I |
Manhattan vs. Hampton |
Brian Anderson/Steve Smith//Lewis Johnson |
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Tom Heitz/Mark Grant |
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After conc. I |
truTV |
Dayton II |
BYU vs. Ole Miss |
Anderson/Smith//Johnson |
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Heitz/Grant |
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First Round Games Wednesday, March 18
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6:40 p.m. |
truTV |
Dayton I |
North Florida vs. Robert Morris |
Ian Eagle/Doug Gottlieb//Evan Washburn |
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Heitz/Grant |
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After conc. I |
truTV |
Dayton II |
Boise State vs. Dayton |
Eagle/Gottlieb//Washburn |
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Heitz/Grant |
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Thursday Afternoon, March 19 (NOON-6:00 PM, ET)
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Tip (ET)
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Network
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Site
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Game
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Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter Producer/Director |
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12:15 p.m. |
CBS |
Pittsburgh I |
Notre Dame vs. Northeastern |
Brian Anderson/Steve Smith//Lewis Johnson |
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Jonathan Segal/Renardo Lowe |
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12:40 p.m. |
truTV |
Louisville I |
Iowa State vs. UAB |
Verne Lundquist/Jim Spanarkel//Allie LaForce |
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Craig Silver/Suzanne Smith |
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1:40 p.m. |
TBS |
Jacksonville I |
Baylor vs. Georgia State |
Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas//Jamie Erdahl |
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Vic Frank/Andy Goldberg |
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2:10 p.m. |
TNT |
Portland I |
Arizona vs. Texas Southern |
Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Dan Bonner//Rachel Nichols |
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Bob Mansbach/Mike Arnold |
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After conc. I |
CBS |
Pittsburgh II |
Butler vs. Texas |
Anderson/Smith//Johnson |
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Segal/Lowe |
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After conc. I |
truTV |
Louisville II |
SMU vs. UCLA |
Lundquist/Spanarkel//LaForce |
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Silver/Smith |
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After conc. I |
TBS |
Jacksonville II |
Xavier vs. BYU/Ole Miss |
Catalon/Lappas//Erdahl |
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Frank/Goldberg |
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After conc. I |
TNT |
Portland II |
VCU vs. Ohio State |
Harlan/Miller/Bonner//Nichols |
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Mansbach/Arnold |
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Second Round Games Thursday Evening, March 19 (6:30 PM, ET-Midnight) (Announce Teams Same as Day Games)
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Tip (ET)
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Network
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Site
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Game
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Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter Producer/Director |
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6:50 p.m. |
TBS |
Pittsburgh III |
Villanova vs. Lafayette |
Anderson/Smith//Johnson |
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Segal/Lowe |
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7:10 p.m. |
CBS |
Louisville III |
Cincinnati vs. Purdue |
Lundquist/Spanarkel//LaForce |
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Silver/Smith |
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7:20 p.m. |
TNT |
Jacksonville III |
North Carolina vs. Harvard |
Catalon/Lappas//Erdahl |
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Frank/Goldberg |
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7:27 p.m. |
truTV |
Portland III |
Utah vs. Stephen F. Austin |
Harlan/Miller/Bonner//Nichols |
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Mansbach/Arnold |
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After conc. III |
TBS |
Pittsburgh IV |
N.C. State vs. LSU |
Anderson/Smith//Johnson |
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Segal/Lowe |
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After conc. III |
CBS |
Louisville IV |
Kentucky vs. Hampton/Manhattan |
Lundquist/Spanarkel//LaForce |
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Silver/Smith |
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After conc. III |
TNT |
Jacksonville IV |
Arkansas vs. Wofford |
Catalon/Lappas//Erdahl |
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Frank/Goldberg |
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After conc. III |
truTV |
Portland IV |
Georgetown vs. Eastern Washington |
Harlan/Miller/Bonner//Nichols |
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Mansbach/Arnold |
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Second Round Games Friday Afternoon, March 20 (NOON-6:00 PM, ET)
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Tip (ET)
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Network
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Site
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Game
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Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter Producer/Director |
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12:15 p.m. |
CBS |
Omaha I |
Kansas vs. New Mexico St |
Marv Albert/Chris Webber/Len Elmore//Craig Sager |
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Scott Cockerill/Lonnie Dale |
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12:40 p.m. |
truTV |
Charlotte I |
Michigan State vs. Georgia |
Jim Nantz/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill |
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Mark Wolff/Bob Fishman |
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1:40 p.m. |
TBS |
Seattle I |
Northern Iowa vs. Wyoming |
Spero Dedes/Mike Gminski//Jaime Maggio |
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Ryan Galvin/Chris Svendsen |
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2:10 p.m. |
TNT |
Columbus I |
West Virginia vs. Buffalo |
Ian Eagle/Doug Gottlieb//Evan Washburn |
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Ken Mack/Jim Cornell |
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After conc. I |
CBS |
Omaha II |
Wichita State vs. Indiana |
Albert/Webber/Elmore//Sager |
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Cockerill/Dale |
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After conc. I |
truTV |
Charlotte II |
Virginia vs. Belmont |
Nantz/Raftery/Hill |
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Wolff/Fishman |
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After conc. I |
TBS |
Seattle II |
Louisville vs. UC Irvine |
Dedes/Gminski//Maggio |
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Galvin/Svendsen |
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After conc. I |
TNT |
Columbus II |
Maryland vs. Valparaiso |
Eagle/Gottlieb//Washburn |
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Mack/Cornell |
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Second Round Games Friday Evening, March 20 (6:30 PM, ET-Midnight) (Announce Teams Same as Day Games)
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Tip (ET)
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Network
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Site
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Game
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Play-by-Play/Analyst//Reporter Producer/Director |
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6:50 p.m. |
TBS |
Omaha III |
Oregon vs. Oklahoma St. |
Albert/Webber/Elmore//Sager |
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Cockerill/Dale |
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7:10 p.m. |
CBS |
Charlotte III |
Duke vs. North Florida/ Robert Morris |
Nantz/Raftery/Hill |
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Wolff/Fishman |
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7:20 p.m. |
TNT |
Seattle III |
Iowa vs. Davidson |
Dedes/Gminski//Maggio |
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Galvin/Svendsen |
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7:27 p.m. |
truTV |
Columbus III |
Oklahoma vs. Albany |
Eagle/Gottlieb//Washburn |
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Mack/Cornell |
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After conc. III |
TBS |
Omaha IV |
Wisconsin vs. Coastal Carolina |
Albert/Webber/Elmore//Sager |
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Cockerill/Dale |
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After conc. III |
CBS |
Charlotte IV |
San Diego State vs. |
Nantz/Raftery/Hill |
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Wolff/Fishman |
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After conc. III |
TNT |
Seattle IV |
Gonzaga vs. North Dakota St |
Dedes/Gminski//Maggio |
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Galvin/Svendsen |
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After conc. III |
truTV |
Columbus IV |
Providence vs. |
Eagle/Gottlieb//Washburn |
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Mack/Cornell |
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Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. You can read Banks’ feature stories and op-eds in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and hear his regular guest spots on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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