For Final Four ... Crowded Booths on Radio, TV

So much for simple or subtle.

If it's a big game -- a sporting event that has become a cultural touchstone -- it apparently requires a more-is-better approach in terms of broadcast talent, too.

While CBS Sports has garnered some attention as it expands from a two-man broadcast team (Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg) to three (adding Steve Kerr), it has no exclusivity to the approach this weekend at the Final Four.

Westwood One, the radio home for the NCAA Tournament on 450 stations across the United States, has twice that many talkers.

After host John Tautges welcomes listeners to the broadcast, Westwood One still has enough for its own starting five. The team: play-by-play man Kevin Kugler; former national champion coach John Thompson; former coach and veteran analyst Bill Raftery; two-time national champion and three-time Final Four participant Bill Walton; and reporter Jim Gray, he of the lengthy resume and amazing ability to aggravate people.

On the TV side, CBS Sports hopes the addition of Kerr brings a bit more discussion and interaction to the booth. Ironically, while everyone associated with the move insists it's a no-egos, win-win addition, they also hope for some disagreement between Kellogg and Kerr during the broadcast.

"It's better TV," director Bob Fishman said Friday.

And honestly, more might be better on radio, too. As long as those involved keep in mind that it's the game that matters most, some varied perspectives can help and make a broadcast better.

Still, just like the larger venues the NCAA values as hosts for the Final Four (because of more ticket revenue), there is a point at which more can become a bit much. If the broadcasts have not reached that point, listeners and viewers can certainly hear and see it from here.

First-Year Success of Deal, Three-Man Final Four TV Crew Heighten Anticipation for CBS Sports

HOUSTON -- When most people spend a $1,000, and especially thousands of dollars, they usually know what to expect from their purchase. They certainly hope they got a good deal, and they usually have all their questions answered.



Ironically, the folks at CBS Sports and Turner Sports, the entities that combined to spend $10.8 billion over 14 years for TV rights to the NCAA Tournament, were not so sure about what would happen with their investment.



During the past three weeks, though, that outlay has proven to be pretty wise -- at least in terms of success measured by fan response, ratings and viewership for the first year of the deal.



"We had a lot of questions going into this," said CBS Sports president Sean McManus. "Everything turned out even better than I had hoped. From a production standpoint, the broadcasts were seamless. The presentation was as good as it's ever been."



In addition, CBS and Turner have been thrilled with ratings, which were at record levels through the first two weeks as four different networks shared the broadcasts with each carrying games in their entirety. This past week, those numbers leveled off a bit as CBS regained its exclusivity for the regional semifinals and finals, but the overall numbers remain high.



So, CBS takes a decidedly upbeat approach into this weekend's Final Four in steamy Houston (where temperatures could near 90 degrees Saturday) -- a significant contrast from last year in Indianapolis when the possibility that CBS could lose rights to televising the tournament was openly debated.



With the Turner partnership, though, CBS effectively ushered in a better way to televise the event.



"We couldn’t be happier or more optimistic as we go into Final Four weekend," McManus said. "We're only a couple weeks into a 14-year deal, but so far it's pretty good."



Even if ratings for the Final Four stay flat with previous years, the tournament overall would have enjoyed a great ratings run this year. And if those ratings somehow uptick this weekend, it would only add to the CBS/Turner success -- even with an event they've tweaked significantly.



Those changes will continue during the Final Four, as CBS uses a three-man broadcast crew, adding NBA veteran Steve Kerr, who worked earlier rounds of the tournament with Marv Albert, to the proven duo of Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg.



The trio worked a handful of games together earlier in the season, most notably the first night of the First Four and the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, where they were rough at times (as they seemed unprepared or unwilling to focus on the teams involved in the games) but play-by-play man Nantz insists the trio has meshed well from the beginning.



"I felt really good about how it went from the get-go," Nantz said. "Some of those earlier games we were focusing on bigger-picture items, who was going to make the tournament or what the selection committee thought of a team's chances. Now we're going to be locked in on these critical games."



Technologically, CBS will focus with a total of 22 cameras while working on a basketball venue that has been crafted inside a football stadium.



Producer Bob Dekas, who has worked the past 30 Final Fours with director Bob Fishman (the longest run of any such tandem in TV sports), believes Reliant Stadium ranks as the best of recent big-venue locations for the event. CBS has worked at the stadium three previous times with the basketball configuration and Dekas thinks the layout works better here in Houston than it did in Indy (Lucas Oil Stadium) or Detroit (Ford Field) in recent years.



Plus, the production pair knows that having all those cameras does not mean they must use them all.



"We're going to cover the game with the cameras it makes sense for the viewers to cover the game with," said Fishman, who has directed 91 Final Four games. "The others are used for reaction and things like that. You're not going to see 20 different angles every trip up the floor."



Thankfully, the viewer-first approach seems to be the main mantra for CBS -- right behind the network's happiness over the ratings/viewership. Kellogg pledged to practice the viewer-first approach during the weekend broadcasts.



"My job is to be prepared, be the best partner you can for the people you're working with and remember to serve the game and serve the viewers," Kellogg said.

Report: Super Bowl Already Ads 80% Sold

According to tvbythenumbers.com, which cites an official from Fox Sports, the network has already sold 80 percent of its advertising inventory for Super Bowl XLV next February at Cowboys Stadium.

Cost for ads has been slightly ahead of the $2.3 million per minute that CBS Sports charged for the Super Bowl this past year.

So, in terms of TV presentation, only one question remains about the big game -- the halftime entertainment. That announcement could come, if it follows the usual NFL timeline, before training camps open in July. With the game in Dallas, a crossover country-type performer (Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney) has been championed by some, but the NFL has most often leaned toward aging rock bands.

Fox previously announced that its hit show "Glee" would get the coveted post-Super Bowl timeslot.

CBS Sports Set for Another SEC Season

CBS Sports announced highlights of its 2010 college football season featuring the Southeastern Conference, which include Florida-Tennessee, a prime-time doubleheader the first weekend of October and a Notre Dame game.

CBS Sports serves as the exclusive national network broadcaster of SEC home games and has first choice of available games each week for which will be the "Game of the Week." As part of its 15-year deal with the conference, CBS also carries the SEC Championship Game.

This marks the second year of the agreement and things such as Florida-Tennessee and Georgia-Florida represent obvious choices long before the season begins.

Notre Dame appears on the CBS schedule because the Notre Dame-Navy matchup is a Navy home game (although it will be played at New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey). Notre Dame, with all it's home games broadcast by NBC and most road games then picked up by ABC/ESPN, last appeared in a regular season game televised by CBS in 2008. That game was against Navy as well.

Here's a look at the schedule CBS announced (all games are Saturdays unless noted otherwise):

• Sept. 18 -- Florida at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m.
• Oct. 2 -- Doubleheader, 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Oct. 23 -- Notre Dame vs. Navy, Noon
• Oct. 30 -- Georgia vs. Florida, 3:30 p.m.
• Nov. 13 -- Doubleheader, Noon and 3:30 p.m.
• Dec. 4 -- SEC Championship Game, 4 p.m.
• Dec. 11 -- Army vs. Navy, 2:30 p.m.
• Friday, Dec. 31 -- Sun Bowl, 2 p.m.
  

CBS Sports Adds Partner, Keeps Tournament

CBS Sports and partner Turner Broadcasting System made the winning bid for an expanded NCAA Tournament beginning in 2011, the NCAA and those broadcast partners announced Thursday.

The 14-year deal worth more than $10.8 million includes TV, Internet and wireless rights through 2024.

As part of the agreement, all games in the tournament -- which would grow from 65 to 68 teams based on a recommendation by the Division I Men's Basketball Committee this week -- will be available live in their entirety on one of four national TV networks. So, instead of CBS providing regional coverage of only a single game to a specific area of the country during a certain broadcast window, viewers with access to the broadcast network and its partner cable channels may choose for themselves which game to watch when games overlap throughout the tournament.

Sixty-eight teams would also mean a play-in (officially "opening round") game in each of the tournament's four regions in the week before the first full weekend of play. And, with several outlets (CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV) those games could be shown on separate channels at the same time or as two doubleheaders on a two channels. Although ESPN has broadcast the lone play-in game for the 65-team tournament in the past, the announcement Thursday indicated that the CBS-Turner deal would include all games in the tournament beginning in 2011.

The deal also moves later-round action in the tournament to cable for the first time, with CBS and Turner splitting coverage of regional semifinal games beginning in 2011.

Through 2015, CBS has exclusive coverage of the regional finals and Final Four, but beginning in 2016 it would split that coverage with Turner -- with the Final Four alternating every year between CBS Sports and TBS.

According to interim NCAA president Jim Isch, the deal provides more than $740 million annually to the organization. Revenue from the tournament provides nearly 96 percent of the NCAA's income.

Many thought the NCAA's quest for more money would lead to a greatly expanded tournament (as many as 96 games) and the possibility that ESPN, with its ability to generate money to pay for rights fees through its cable subscription fees, would emerge as the tournament's home.

Instead, CBS found a capable cable partner with Turner (which can also add cable revenue on a per-subscriber basis from basic cable bills) and held onto an event that has been one of its major sports properties for nearly three decades.

"This agreement with our colleagues at Turner and the NCAA secures CBS's standing as a year-round leader in sports television well into the next decade," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports. "In this agreement, we have created a new strategic partnership that not only makes this prestigious property an ongoing core asset in our stable of major television events, but a profitable one as well."

For TBS, which just a few weeks ago landed Conan O'Brien as host of a late-night program beginning in the fall, the deal provides more visible programming and more visibility in general. While ratings and viewership for regional semifinal games (and eventually regional finals and the Final Four) that air on TBS should logically be lower than those on CBS during the lifetime of the agreement, the events should draw larger-than-usual numbers for TBS and, again, allow access to cable with viewers who pay for specific channels as part of their monthly cable bills -- a revenue stream not available to broadcast networks such as CBS.

"This is landmark deal for Turner Broadcasting and we're extremely pleased to begin a long-term relationship with the NCAA and our partners at CBS and to have a commitment tht extends well into the next decade," said David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System Inc.

Masters Ratings/Viewers Up, But Not a Record

According to Neilsen Media Research numbers from CBS Sports, an estimated 46.5 million viewers watched all or part of weekend coverage of The Masters.

Third- and fourth-round coverage of the tournament was the most watched in nine years, when 47.9 million viewers watched Tiger Woods win in 2001. This year's numbers were up 11 percent from last year, when 46.5 million people watched the final two rounds of the event -- which included a two-hole playoff before Angel Cabrera won over Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell.

Numbers for this year were up in large part because of the presence/return to competition of Woods and the storyline involving champion Phil Mickelson.

Still, Woods' first championship at The Masters, in 1997, remains the highest-rated golf tournament ever. Back then, 32 percent of all TVs in the United States were tuned into the action during the final round. This year's final round attracted 24 percent.

On ESPN, the first and second rounds last week (Thursday and Friday) averaged 4.3 million viewers to become the most-viewed two-round golf telecasts in cable history.

A, B, C ... Woods for Hype at Masters

It's subtle, but it's wrong -- and it's another a part of the unnecessary hype for The Masters by CBS Sports and ESPN.

As the first major of the year, and as a result of the loving treatment the golf tournament has always earned from its broadcast partners, The Masters has an unrivaled role as the best and most well-known tournament on U.S. soil -- and possibly the world.

Even casual fans know the characters and storylines, especially this year with Tiger Woods returning to competition.

Sometimes the hype by CBS Sports and ESPN goes beyond reason, though, and the nontraditional and unethical and use of on-screen graphics showing the leaders provides a tangible example.

In any sport's standings, whether it's golf or a team sport, individuals or teams with idential records are typically listed alphabetically. So, if four golfers were minus-4 at a tournament, they would be listed in order by their last names -- Bronson, Mulder, Parker and Smith, for example.

At The Masters, Woods always comes first when he's tied with other golfers. It happens with live coverage from CBS Sports and on "SportsCenter" segments or updates on ESPN.

It's a subtle move that puts Woods higher on the leaderboard. Logically, the TV types could argue that the lists are accurate becuase all players tied have the same score, but it's most striking when Woods is one of three golfers standing on a number. He's then listed first, followed by two golfers listed in alphabetical order.

In fairness, almost every broadcast entity follows the "Woods Alphabet" when the world's best golfer is involved and they're covering an event. It's all about the hype, pushing the sport's most TV-friendly name to the top of the leaderboard whenever possible. That's just it, though, it's hype ... pushing ... and it's wrong -- because it shows the broadcasters obvious bias.

As The Masters Begins, It's (Correctly) Just Golf

When Tiger Woods tees off at 1:42 p.m. Thursday, ESPN will have the shot live.

Then, at 4 p.m., as the all-sports network begins its first-round coverage of The Masters and the world's best and most-talked-about golfer completes his round, almost all his other shots will be show live as well.

Judging by the comments of on-air talent and behind-the-scenes folks for both ESPN, which carries the tournament's first and second rounds Thursday and Friday, and CBS Sports, which carries the third and fourth rounds on Saturday and Sunday, it will be golf on TV and nothing more with Woods this weekend.

While ESPN gets the first opportunity at the story of Woods' return to competition (and it could be the only opportunity of he were to somehow miss the cut and miss weekend action, although that's unlikely), there's no sense of urgency to share that story. They certainly will not dwell on the infidelity, stint in sex rahab or much else.

In a teleconference earlier this week, ESPN host said "no one's bigger than The Masters" and ESPN executive vice president John Wildhack said the tournament is "THE story line, and we're here to cover The Masters tournament."

Likewise, in an separate teleconference earlier this week, Jim Nantz said nearly a half dozen times in the span of a half-hour phone call with CBS Sports talent and production staff that they would be in Augusta, Ga., to cover a golf tournament, not conduct a "studio show."

Both Nantz and Tirico are correct. At this point, the Woods story should move to his performance on the golf course. While some critics want background, context or perspective about Woods' off-course life and what happened last fall that cost him millions of dollars in sponsorship and possibly his marriage, to dwell on those aspects would be irresponsible and wrong.

Sure, they need mentioned, probably when we viewers first meet Woods again on a telecast. After that, though, it would be overkill. Most viewers no longer care about the specifics -- they either know they'll never know or have finally come to the realization that there's no need for him to know.

Still, Woods will be front and center Thursday and Friday -- as least as much as ESPN can put him front and center in a responsible manner -- because he remains golf's overriding personality and story. His news conference from Augusta National on Monday drew higher TV ratings than all the tournaments on the Golf Channel last year.

People -- that's patrons if you're watching The Masters -- want the golf story, though. And both ESPN and CBS Sports seem more than happy to oblige.

Championship Game Scores for CBS Sports

Underdog Butler and proven TV power Duke drove ratings for Monday night's championship game of the NCAA Tournament 34 percent higher than last year's championship game.

Butler-Duke pulled a 16.0 household rating and a 25 share -- up from 11.9/19 for North Carolina-Michigan State in 2009.

According to CBS Sports, the Butler-Duke numbers tied 2005 (North Carolina-Illinois) as the highest-rated game in metered markets since 1999 (UConn-Duke).

Not surprisingly, Butler-Duke drew its highest ratings from 11:30 to 11:45 p.m., with 20.3/35.

With the championship game, the average overnight ratings for the tournament was 6.6/14, a 5 percent increase over last year. That makes the just-completed tournament the highest rated overall since 2005, which averaged 6.9/15.

In terms of the national championship telecast itself, CBS Sports provided accurate and enjoyable coverage. Analyst Clark Kellogg has seemingly developed more of a comfort level being critical on a big stage (although he rarely disagreed with any fouls called) and the production stayed away from any easy and lazy "Hoosiers" or Cinderella/underdog storylines.

Yes, there was one bit of "Hoosiers" music and collage of images late in the game, but it was not over the top.

While play-by-play man Jim Nantz and Kellogg talked about the atmosphere in Lucas Oil Stadium a couple of times -- with Nantz asking his partner "Have you ever seen as scene like this?" -- the atmosphere did not transfer well to viewers at home. It seemed no more loud or raucous than any other championship basketball game.

Later, Kellogg guessed wrong when he suggested that Duke would shoot early in a possession late in the game. At the time the Blue Devils were up, so it seemed to make sense that they'd hold the ball a bit before shooting. That was one of the few missteps during the telecast, though.

Technically, the only problem seemed to be an overuse of high overhead cameras that provided an unfamiliar angle on game action. While the typical sideline shot was slightly higher because of camera placement in the stadium, it was hard to tell any difference by what showed up on screen. Too often, though, the production team selected shots from even higher cameras that hung over the court.

They seemed like something that would be a fine selection for diagramming a play or providing a slow motion recap of action that had happened, but for live action the angle was just different enough that it seemed uncomfortable. It was not a bad view, just something not typical of a basketball game and trotting it out during the national championship game seemed that it was more a matter of utilizing bells and whistles as opposed to providing a comfortable or familier viewing experience for fans at home.

Passing Touch and Passing Responsibility

Two games Saturday set half of the field for the Final Four, and they provided a glimpse of a play-by-play man who deserves more high-profile assignments as well as an interesting look at how TV analysts/experts often fail to shoulder responsibility when they're wrong.

Unfortunately, it's not likely the announcer will get better assignments during the NCAA Tournament or that those analysts and experts will change their approach.

First, the announcer. Play-by-play man Gus Johnson, whose work draws regular raves at this time of year (as it should all year round), put together another stellar effort working with Len Elmore as Butler defeated Kansas State. Johnson brought accuracy, emotion and energy to the assignment, setting up Elmore, who capably found spots for interesting comments and insights. They're a solid announcing team that works well with each other and entertains and informs viewers -- a perfect TV match.

After the Butler game, when Johnson led the telecast through all the correct high points (OK, a some a little earlier than necessary with several minutes remaining in the game), CBS Sports moved to West Virginia-Kentucky, called by Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas.

It was a stark contrast, with Enberg fumbling a bit during the intro to the second game. Still, Enberg-Bilas also represent another solid TV match. They're understated compared to Johnson-Elmore, but Enberg eventually found his rhythm during the game and the underappreciated Bilas provided quality analysis to match the regional final assignment.

With Enberg leaving college basketball assignments after this season's tournament (meaning Saturday was his final game), a spot higher on the pecking order of announce teams for the events would seem open for Johnson.

A logical move would be to keep Johnson-Elmore together and find another partner for Bilas -- he's a worthy member of a top team but it would be insanity to break up Johnson-Elmore.

But, and it's a big but, CBS Sports might not have the tournament next year and Johnson could be left out of the action on an ESPN-controlled event. Many expect the NCAA to opt out of its current TV deal before an August deadline to do so, look for more money and potentially expand the event in the future.

If that were to happen, Johnson could just get shut out of a bigger role -- despite regularly proving he deserves one.

Now, those analysts and experts. They continually prove they cannot admit they were wrong.

Again, the Butler game was a perfect example. Nobody on CBS pre-game studio show picked Butler and most people at ESPN also expected a Kansas State victory.

After Butler controlled the game and advanced to the Final Four, nobody, nobody at all, said they were surprised or wrong. Instead, it was revisionist history -- pointing to when they (the basketball media) were collectively correct earlier -- or citing things that sounded like excuses.

Both Greg Anthony on CBS and Dick Vitale on ESPN pointed to the fact that Butler should not be a surprise, and that the team was a top-10 pick during the preseason. Never mind that they both said Butler would lose when previewing the game.

Guest CBS analyst Bill Self, the Kansas coach, said Butler did a great job reacting and rebounding when it was trailing in the game. (Vitale also made the same point.) OK, that's a nice example of giving credit when deserved, but Self could've offered more insight there. It was an example begging for more details from a coach. What do you say? What do you not say? How do you keep a team calm or motivate them at a time like that?

Finally, Seth Davis said K-State looked tired after playing a double overtime game in the regional semifinal. Really? A game two-days earlier was an appropriate excuse? Especially for college players at the top level who often played multiple games during the same day during their summer basketball leagues.

Maybe our experts sometimes just need to say they were surprised or wrong. That would be an important improvement for TV sports.

No Packer? No Problem in NCAA Tournament

Forty-nine games into the NCAA Tournament, and the absence of Billy Packer for the second year in a row has helped make an exciting event a bit more enjoyable.

Appropriately (and thankfully), analysts, experts and fans have been more interested in the games themselves than the folks calling the action. That's the way it should be.

This tournament marks the second Packer has not worked since he was replaced by Clark Kellogg as the lead analyst for CBS Sports. That move, announced in July 2008, heralded the start of more enjoyable experiences for college basketball viewers during the postseason.

While Packer always found a way to stoke some controversy, Kellogg offers context.

Few on-air TV types drive ratings (although some believe John Madden could), but Packer always seemed to believe he was the show. His ability to evoking reaction and response were reliable, but mostly a matter of appropriately timed tournament-related bluster.

Sure, Kellogg (and most of the other color commentators) seem somewhat bland by comparison, but Packer relished a role as the outspoken conscious of college basketball and in striving to meet that self-imposed expectation he sometimes just sounded critical or harsh for no reason at all.

This season, we're getting good games with generally good descriptions of the action -- minus any unnecessary agendas or talking points. If that stuff does have a place on TV sports (and it does), it's coming from experts in the studio or those working halftime shows.

Without Packer on the NCAA games, we've seen a move toward a better balance in that regard.

Ratings, Response Strong for Tournament

According to initial Saturday night ratings for the NCAA Tournament, CBS attracted an average of 9.6 million viewers -- helping the network "win" the night, and continuing a trend of strong response for this year's tournament.

On Thursday, the first day of the tournament, the network's "March Madness on Demand" effort attracted the largest single day of traffice for a live sports event in Internet history. Three million unique visitors consumed 3.4 million hours of combined audio and video during that single afternoon.

Those who watched the tournament online that first day represented a 20 percent increase from 2009.

Also, CBS said the online "Boss Button," which hides the screen with audio and video from the online coverage with one click of a button, was clicked more than 1.7 million times Thursday.

CBS Sports: No Split Screens for Tournament

CBS Sports programming head Michael Aresco told USA Today the network does not plan to utilize split screens for coverage of games during the NCAA Tournament, and that it has instituted an approach that will allow more flexibility to switch between games if they become lopsided.

Switches are something that inevitably bring excitement and interest to the event, so that's a good thing. Let's hope the network leans toward the upper range of his stated 10- to 15-point window when a teams is leading to make a switch, though. After all, a 10-point lead requires just two or three possessions before it could become a slight, single-digit advantage.

Also, what's interesting, is that at a time when TV screens keep getting bigger and bigger -- a seemingly perfect match for split screen or picture-in-picture presentation -- the network does not plan to follow a path that would match that potential technology. Aresco said CBS would not use side-by-side or split-screen views for games.

Another reason for that move might eventually be 3D technology. That approach seems set to emerge, or at least be pushed, as the next big thing in sports TV programming and viewing and watching a game on 3D by itself probably represents the preferred method, as opposed to a split-screen approach.

Master-ful Move Makes Comcast a Player

When Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf at The Masters, ratings on ESPN and CBS Sports should spike to record levels.

It's a fairly safe place for Woods to return, because officials at Augusta National can limit who gets credentials from the media to the exclusive event, thereby limiting questions about the personal problems of the world's best golfer. It's also a ratings bonanza for the tournament's TV partners -- ESPN, which provides coverage of the first two rounds and CBS, which carries the final rounds the season's first major, scheduled April 8-11, as it has since 1956.

Still, another media player has emerged this year: Comcast. According to Variety, the media giant, which built its strength as a cable operator and might soon acquire NBC, plans to provide 3D coverage of all four rounds of The Masters.

That coverage will be available only on a special Comcast channel or online (masters.com). Of course, people who want to see the coverage must have computer screens or TV capable of showing 3D programming.

While that's a minority of screens at this time, industry and TV experts expect 3D-compatible hardware as the next major area of growth for media in the coming years. Also, the move makes Comcast a player on its own terms for a major sports event -- something else that might become a growth area in future years.

Real Seeds: No. 1s All Tip in Prime Time

While some continue to debate who was seeded where and why for the NCAA Tournament, there was no debate about who would end up in prime-time TV slots for games Thursday and Friday.

All four top seeds (Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse) were slotted to tip at 7:15 p.m. ET or later because, even in what should be lopsided matchups, the network believes, and ratings usually confirm, that big-name, top-seeded teams matter.

Not surprisingly, the 8-9 matchup in each of the four regions also was assigned to tip at night. Logically, at least according to seeds, that game should be the best first-round game in each region, which makes it a strong candidate as good TV. It's also a good fallback when the top seeds build big leads against their overmatched opponents in those same timeslots.

Here's a look at the TV times, team seeds and announcing tandems for all of the first-round games ...

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

12:20 p.m., 10 Florida vs. 7 BYU (Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner)
12:25, p.m., 6 Notre Dame vs. 11 Old Dominion (Dick Enberg/Jay Bilas)
12:30 p.m., 2 Villanova vs. 15 Robert Moris (Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery)
2:30 p.m., 4 Vanderbilt vs. 13 Murray State (Spero Dedes/Bob Wenzel)
After 12:20 game, 2 Kansas State vs. 15 North Texas (Harlan/Bonner)
After 12:25 game, 3 Baylor vs. 14 Sam Houston (Enberg/Bilas)
After 12:30 game, 7 Richmond vs. 10 St. Mary's (Lundquist/Raftery)
After 2:30 game, 5 Butler vs. 12 UTEP (Dedes/Wenzel)

THURSDAY EVENING

7:10 p.m., 8 UNLV vs. 9 Northern Iowa (Harlan/Bonner)
7:15 p.m., 1 Kentucky vs. 16 East Tennessee State (Enberg/Bilas)
7:20 p.m., 6 Marquette vs. 11 Washington (Dedes/Wenzel)
7:25 p.m., 3 Georgetown vs. 14 Ohio (Lundquist/Raftery)
After 7:10 game, 1 Kansas vs. 16 Lehigh (Harlan/Bonner)
After 7:15 game, 8 Texas vs. 9 Wake Forest (Enberg/Bilas)
After 7:20 game, 3 New Mexico vs. 14 Montana (Dedes/Wenzel)
After 7:25 game, 6 Tennessee vs. 11 San Diego State (Lundquist/Raftery)

FRIDAY AFTERNOON

12:15 p.m., 2 West Virginia vs. 15 Morgan State (Gus Johnson/Len Elmore)
12:25 p.m., 6 Xavier vs. 11 Minnesota (Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel)
12:30 p.m., 5 Temple vs. 12 Cornell (Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg)
2:30 p.m., 4 Purdue vs. 13 Siena (Tim Brando/Mike Gminski)
After 12:15 game, 7 Clemson vs. 10 Missouri (Johnson/Elmore)
After 12:25 game, 3 Pitt vs. 14 Oakland (Eagle/Spanarkel)
After 12:30 game, 4 Wisconsin vs. 13 Woffard (Nantz/Kellogg)
After 2:30 game, 5 Texas A&M vs. 12 Utah State (Brando/Gminski)

FRIDAY EVENING

7:10 p.m., 8 Gonzaga vs. 9 Florida State (Johnson/Elmore)
7:15 p.m., 7 Oklahoma State vs. 10 Georgia Tech (Eagle/Spanarkel)
7:20 p.m., 5 Michigan State vs. 12 New Mexico State (Brando/Gminski)
7:25 p.m., 1 Duke vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff or Winthrop (Nantz/Kellogg)
After 7:10 game, 1 Syracuse vs. 16 Vermont (Johnson/Elmore)
After 7:15 game, 2 Ohio State vs. 15 UC-Santa Barbara (Eagle/Spanarkel)
After 7:20 game, 4 Maryland vs. 13 Houston (Brando/Gminski)
After 7:25 game, 8 California vs. 9 Louisville (Nantz/Kellogg)

Regional Strength a Tournament Tale

Just minutes after the folks at CBS Sports unveiled the NCAA Tournament field Sunday evening, with Kansas as the "No. 1 overall seed," the network's talking heads were almost unanimous about the difficult challenge ahead for the Jayhawks.

Analyst Clark Kellogg looked at the Midwest Region bracket, saw Ohio State, Georgetown and Maryland and declared Kansas had the toughest road to Indianapolis and the Final Four.

Sorry, but that just sounds like hype for a couple of reasons.

First, because at this poinst of the season we expect quality teams to beat quality teams in order to advance. Second, Kansas will never have to play all three of those teams to reach the Final Four. Sure, if seeds hold Jayhawks will have to beat two of the three Kellogg mentioned (OSU, Georgetown and Maryland) but no team has to beat everyone in its region -- and it's hype like that that just makes the anticipation for the first meaningful games Thursday agonizing.

What the toughest region blather might indicate, though, is just where CBS's top play-by-play team (Jim Nantz and Kellogg) end up calling games when the tournament begins.

Also, the CBS folks questioned the move of Syracuse to the West Region at the No. 1 seed. It was a fair question (although the Orange's early exit from the Big East Tournament seemed reason enough), and the chair of the tournament selection committee, Dan Guerrero, the athletic director at UCLA, sidestepped it twice by talking in circles.

Granted, it was not a time for tough questions, and the analysts ensured that by lobbing softballs and not seeking specifics -- especially when Seth Davis asked about teams such as Illinois, Mississippi State and Virginia Tech, which did not make the field. He lumped all three of them into one question, making it all the easier for Guerrero to ramble on about nothing as he gave an answer.

Hellacious Hype Makes March Maddening

As much as abundant hype during the two weeks before the Super Bowl engage and entertain me, the four days between the announcement of the field for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday and the first-round games on Thursday bore me to tears.

Let's play the games already!

Especially as this final week of conference tournaments winds down, when games usually mean nothing more than who falls where on the seed lines for the Big Dance, it's just time to play some meaningful basketball.

But, all the sports outlets -- CBS Sports, ESPN, every big and small talk radio show from coast, and anything and everything else -- will gladly play along. That's what makes March Madness so maddening.

Credit ESPN as the worst offender, with 89 hours (according to their creative accounting) part of the "Tournament Countdown" on ESPNU. That's right, between 7 p.m. Sunday and noon Thursday, they've labeld everything on ESPNU as programming leading up to the start of the tournament. That includes "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," which is simulcast with EPSN Radio. Will he really focus the entire show, every day, on college basketball? Let's hope not.

But, that's the power of the bracket, because even your grandma know about the bracket and advertisers and media outlets love to tie into that approach. Already this year SportsIllustrated.com and Lite Beer have conducted an online bracket for the best swimsuit model photos of all time.

On the heels of the highest-rated season of college basketball ever on ESPN (an average of 1.3 million viewers for 131 games, up 8 percent), it's also the power of college basketball itself.

In the hours after pairings are announced Sunday, almost every sports-related site on the Internet will boast some sort of bracket competition, allowing participants (most for free simply because the event drives so much traffic) to fill out brackets and compete for prizes.

It really is a powerful product -- and that power is in large part the reason the NCAA might sever its TV deal with CBS Sports after this year and look for more money (even though the remaining three years on the deal guarantee $2.1 billion). Still, it's also really an annoying product, because it produces so many byproducts.

With 65 teams (at least until somebody loses Tuesday), you'd think all those potential storylines would be appealing. They're not, though. Only a few teams in the tournament really have a chance and the abundance of hype, talk and what-ifs just make for an unbearable wait from the time we know the field until the the first game tips off.

No Change for March Madness Lineup

While expanding the NCAA men's basketball tournament remains a prominent topic because the NCAA wants more money -- with potential TV revenues driving that discussion for change -- CBS Sports announced its lineup of on-air talent for this year's event, and it included just one slight change.

The announcing tandems are ...
Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg
Dick Enberg/Jay Bilas
Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery
Gus Johnson/Len Elmore
Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner
Ian Eagle/Jim Spanarkel
Tim Brando/Mike Gminski
Spero Dedes/Bob Wenzel

Only Dedes represents a change from last year's lineup.

Game assignments will be made Sunday after the tournament field is announced.

CBS Plans 3D with LG for Final Four

CBS Sports plans to roll out 3D broadcasts of its events beginning with the Final Four in April.

Network officials announced the move, in partnership with LG Electronics USA and Cinedigm Certified Digital Cinemas.

So, with CBS talent (Dave Ryan/Steve Lappas), LG technology and 100 theaters owned by Cinedigm across the country, some people will be able to watch the national semifinals and national championship game in 3D.

The broadcasts will also be available in Lucas Oil Stadium and at the NCAA's interactive fan event in Indianapolis, Bracket Town.

With ESPN and its partner Sony having already experimented with 3D (for college football and again earlier this month with a Harlem Globetrotters game), and ready to roll out broadcasts with the FIFA World Cup this summer, the CBS-LG partnership represents another logical step -- with a broadcaster and technology source pairing up to address the same challenge.

Not surprisingly, the jockeying to be the first, or at least perceived as the first, with 3D has already started.

“CBS Sports has always been on the forefront of new technology to enhance the viewing experience,” said Ken Aagaard, executive vice president operations and engineering for CBS Sports. “Through our partnership with the NCAA and LG, and the technological innovations of Cinedigm, we are excited to be able to present Men’s Final Four weekend in 3D offering fans an exciting and different way to view a major sporting event.”

The rollout of 3D also allows LG, which LG which introduced the first 3D LCD sets in Korea last year, to preview its entrance into the U.S. consumer electronics market with that technology. The company will be introducing the new feature in a line of 3D-enabled LED HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players in the United Sates beginning this May.

Knight: NCAA Tournament Already Too Big

With a 96-team NCAA Tournament seemingly a foregone conclusion sooner rather than later because the NCAA wants more money -- and not because 31 worthy teams are left out of the existing 65-team event -- a few more people have lined up to oppose the idea.

Bob Knight, the all-time victories leader in Division I-A men's basketball and current TV analyst, offered his insights with "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio.

First, there was some sarcasm (what else from the often acerbic former coach?) and a tongue-in-cheek suggestion: "If they want to expand, expand it all the way, and then you play one game and you’re right back to 64. Then you’ve giving every team that can just dribble the basketball the opportunity to participate."

His real opinion came later: "I don’t think there should be any expansion. The ideal tournament to me is 32 teams. With 32 teams in the tournament, you’ve set up a tournament where virtually every team is going to be pretty good and have a chance to go somewhere."

The existing 11-year deal between CBS and the NCAA for the tournament runs for another three years, but a clause allows the NCAA to opt out after this season with no penalty -- if it decides to do so by July 31. Because the event provides a huge portion of the NCAA's annual revenue (more than 90 percent), some NCAA officials see it as an area for even more growth.

Opponents correctly argue that a 96-team would diminish much of the charm of the tournament and further water down college basketball's regular season. Those arguments do nothing to sway supporters, for whom the current economy provides another motivating factor. Some NCAA officials see this year's opt-out window as a perfect time to rebid the tournament, making the rights for the event available at a time when other sports properties are not on the market.