CBS and Turner ready to kick off NCAA hoops

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NCAA March MadnessCBS Sports and Turner Sports begin this year’s “Road to the Final Four” as CBS broadcasts the exclusive, live first-time announcement of the pairings for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. A new broadcast immediately following on Turner’s truTV will delve into the 68 teams, their rankings and the brackets.


The “NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show” airs Sunday, March 11, 6:00-7:00 pm on CBS. CBS Sports’ Greg Gumbel, Greg Anthony and Seth Davis host live from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York.  Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Turner Sports’ Steve Kerr join Gumbel, Anthony and Davis via satellite from the site of the Big Ten Championship at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  In addition, Jeff Hathaway, Chairman of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, joins live from Indianapolis to provide an in-depth look into the selection process.

Immediately following the Selection Show, truTV will air “Infiniti NCAA Hardcore Brackets” 7:00-8:00 pm ET, a new one-hour show providing in-depth analysis, including the public release of the Selection Committee’s 1-to-68 team rankings for the first time in NCAA Championship history. Gumbel hosts and is joined by Turner Sports’ Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith as well as Anthony and Davis.  Hathaway and Mike Bobinski, Vice Chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2012-13 season, will join the show to discuss the bracket and provide exclusive details regarding the committee’s deliberations throughout the weekend. The show is part of the NCAA’s expanded educational initiative to enhance understanding of the championship selection process.

Additionally, the NCAA Championship Selection show will be available online and mobile via NCAA March Madness Live, which can be launched from NCAA.comCBSSports.com and SI.com.

Game coverage for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14 with the “NCAA First Four” on truTV presented by Northwestern Mutual, and the tournament concludes with the National Championship game Monday, April 2 on CBS.