Plenty of changes to the ‘Madness’
Though the top teams, big name coaches and key storylines may appear to be the same as they’ve been in any other March, the 2011 NCAA tournament will look awfully different. You might not realize it now, but for you, the viewer at home, things have certainly changed. Here are four major things to look for:
1 Steve Kerr for 3: Steve Kerr, who led the Arizona Wildcats to a Final Four in 1988, joins the CBS telecast for the Final Four. He joins Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg to form a formidable three-man crew.
2 The tournament tips tonight: With the expanded field of 68 teams, there are two “first-round” games tonight and tomorrow. They start at 6 on a channel called truTV. “What channel is that??I’m not sure I?get truTV,” said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. Well, it’s the old CourtTV, was rebranded in 2008 and shows murder mysteries that entice Angela Lansbury fans. Thirteen games will be aired on the Turner-owned cable station, as well as the college All-Star game.
3 The games are everywhere: No more anxiously waiting for CBS to take you to a buzzer-beater in some region — or let them screw you out of watching your favorite team start-to-finish. Instead, games will be aired in their entirety on CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV. If you’ve got an iPad, every game is accessible on your tablet, too.
4 It’s Marvelous: As part of the CBS-Turner marriage, Marv Albert joins the tourney broadcast team. As does Sir Charles, Reggie Miller, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager’s wardrobe.
