How the Charles Barkley–Dick Vitale Pairing Came Together The broadcast will mark the first time Dick Vitale has called an NCAA tournament game. Charles Barkley and Dick Vitale will be on the call together alongside Brian Anderson for truTV’s coverage of Texas–NC State in the First Four round of the NCAA tournament on Tuesday night. It didn’t take much effort to pair the legendary analysts. After the news broke in late 2024 that ESPN would license the iconic Inside the NBA studio show from TNT, Barkley and Vitale were talking with each other and came up with the idea of working together on some games. “It was pretty easy on both sides. It came together pretty quickly because we all looked at each other and thought this is a really good idea and we should take advantage of this,” ESPN’s SVP of production Tim Corrigan, who oversees the network’s NBA coverage, told Front Office Sports. “When you have two legends and they’re synonymous with the sport of basketball, pro and college, there’s always going to be an intrigue and an interest on both sides.” CBS was also looped into the discussions, as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports partners with the network on the NCAA tournament. The two might be a combined entity by next year’s March Madness, as Paramount is set to purchase WBD pending regulatory approval. Tuesday night’s First Four matchup will be the second game Barkley and Vitale have worked together after they previously called Indiana-Kentucky alongside Dave O’Brien on ESPN in December. Notably, it will also be the first NCAA tournament game that the 86-year-old Vitale has called in his storied broadcasting career. CBS had explored the possibility of adding the former Detroit coach to its coverage in the past, but it never came to fruition.#paramount #ncaa_tournament #charles_barkley #dick_vitale #tim_corrigan
Dick Vitale to Make NCAA Tournament Broadcasting Debut with Charles Barkley Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale will make his NCAA Tournament broadcasting debut on Tuesday when No. 11 seed NC State faces No. 11 seed Texas in the First Four game in Dayton, Ohio. The winner of that matchup will advance to the first round to face No. 6 seed BYU in Portland, Oregon on Thursday. Vitale will call the game alongside Brian Anderson, Charles Barkley, and sideline reporter Jenny Dell. This marks the first time Vitale will broadcast an NCAA Tournament game in his career, though he and Barkley previously teamed up for Indiana’s matchup against Kentucky earlier this season. CBS Sports Executive Producer Harold Bryant highlighted the significance of the broadcast, stating that Vitale “has meant so much to the game of basketball” and that having him call the game with Barkley will be “must-see TV.” The collaboration is expected to draw significant attention as the First Four kicks off the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Vitale, 86, made his return to television last year after a nearly two-year hiatus due to battling four types of cancer. His return was initially scheduled for a game earlier in 2025 but was delayed by an accident at his home. Vitale has been a staple of ESPN’s basketball coverage since the 1979-80 season, calling over 1,000 games throughout his career. He is also a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Beyond his broadcasting career, Vitale has been a prominent advocate for pediatric cancer research through the V Foundation, raising tens of millions of dollars over the years. His contributions to the sport and charitable efforts have solidified his legacy as one of college basketball’s most influential figures.#ncaa_tournament #cbs_sports #charles_barkley #first_four #dick_vitale
