South Florida and the Florida Gators headline a packed opening day of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 19, as the Round of 64 delivers wall‑to‑wall action across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. The Bulls take center stage in the early afternoon window with their 1:30 p.m. matchup against Louisville on TNT, while Florida anchors the late slate with a 9:25 p.m. tip on TNT. The day features marquee programs, high‑stakes seed battles and several potential upsets as March Madness officially hits full speed.
Sports Talk Florida has the Gators and the Bulls covered
CBS will air 21 games, including the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, while TBS will televise 21 games and carry the Final Four and National Championship. truTV will air or simulcast 23 games, and TNT will carry 15 games throughout the tournament .
Announcer pairings for march madness 2026
Ian Eagle returns as the lead play‑by‑play voice for the third straight year, calling the Final Four alongside Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and reporter Tracy Wolfson .
Studio coverage will be anchored by Ernie Johnson, with Nate Burleson, Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe rotating as hosts. Jamie Erdahl will provide updates throughout the tournament.
Studio analysts include Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Renee Montgomery in New York, while Bruce Pearl, Jamal Mashburn, Jalen Rose and Seth Davis anchor coverage from Atlanta .
Additional broadcast teams include Brian Anderson with Jim Jackson, Kevin Harlan with Robbie Hummel and Stan Van Gundy, Andrew Catalon with Steve Lappas, Brad Nessler with Wally Szczerbiak, Spero Dedes with Jim Spanarkel, Tom McCarthy with Candace Parker and Dan Bonner, and Brandon Gaudin with Chris Webber. Gene Steratore serves as rules analyst
