BS Sports and Turner Sports today announced TeamCast commentator teams for the 2018 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship from San Antonio with Michigan, Loyola (IL), Villanova and Kansas competing for the National Championship. TeamCast coverage will air on TNT and TruTV, alongside TBS’s traditional telecasts of the NCAA Final Four National Semifinals on Saturday, March 31, and National Championship on Monday, April 2.
TeamCast presentations – team-specific telecasts tailored to the schools participating in the Final Four National Semifinals – return for the fourth time in the last five years. The inventive concept will continue to present the game with unprecedented local flavor including comprehensive team and player storylines, music, custom graphics and show packaging, additional cameras and team-centric replays, custom halftimes with school features and more.
TeamCast Commentator Teams:
“Michigan TeamCast” on TNT at 6:09 p.m. ET
Matt Park, play-by-play – Park just completed his 11th season as the voice of the Michigan women’s basketball team. He is a three-time Michigan Association of Broadcasters award winner for play by play on both radio and television.
Jay Feely, analyst – Feely, a Michigan alum, has been an analyst for the NFL ON CBS since 2016 after first joining CBS Sports Network in 2014. Feely works as THE NFL ON CBS’ kicking analyst, as well, including serving in that role beginning in 2015 and during Super Bowl 50. He won a National Championship with Michigan in 1997 and enjoyed a 14-year NFL career as a kicker.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reporter – Dr. Gupta, a Michigan alum, is a multiple Emmy-award winning chief medical correspondent for CNN, where he has worked since 2001. He is the host of Vital Signs for CNN and a member of the staff and faculty at the Emory University School of Medicine.
“Loyola (IL) TeamCast” on truTV at 6:09 p.m.
Jeff Hagedorn, play-by-play – Hagedorn, a Loyola alum, currently serves as the radio voice for the Loyola men’s basketball team. He previously worked on television coverage of the Houston Rockets.
Jerry Harkness, analyst – Harkness served as captain of Loyola’s 1963 National Championship team, which was inducted to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. That same year, Harkness was awarded the Muhammad Ali Athlete Award and he is also a member of the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame.
Shams Charania, reporter – Charania, a Loyola alum, currently serves as an NBA reporter for Yahoo! Sports, breaking news from around the league.
“Kansas TeamCast” on TNT (following first game)
Dave Armstrong, play-by-play – Armstrong has served as TV play-by-play announcer for Jayhawks games since 1993. He has also been a play-by-play announcer for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.
Scot Pollard, analyst – Pollard, a Kansas alum, appeared in an Elite 8 and three Sweet 16s in his four years as a Jayhawk, finishing his career in the school’s top-5 in rebounds and blocked shots. He won an NBA title with the 2008 Boston Celtics, capping a 12-year NBA career.
Rob Riggle, reporter – Riggle, a Kansas alum, is currently an actor – appearing in dozens of films and television shows - and a sports fanatic. He has appeared on NFL pregame show coverage for FOX since 2012.
“Villanova TeamCast” on truTV (following first game)
Scott Graham, play-by-play – Graham returns as play-by-play announcer for Villanova’s TeamCast after serving in the same role in 2016. He currently announces Big East games for a variety of networks.
Randy Foye, analyst – Foye, a Villanova alum, was a 2006 first team All-American and the Big East Player of the Year in leading Villanova to the Elite 8. He played for seven teams in a 12-year NBA career.
Kacie McDonnell, reporter – McDonnell, a Villanova alum, returns as reporter after serving in the same role in 2016. She currently works for NESN, covering Boston-area teams.
National Semifinal game coverage will tip-off on Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET, with TBS featuring three hours of pre-game coverage beginning at 3 p.m. (At the Final Four presented by Infiniti, followed by The Final Four Show from 4-6 p.m.). For the second time in the 80-year history of the event, TBS will televise the National Championship on Monday, April 2, with Capital One Championship Central pre-game coverage starting at 7 p.m., followed by the opening tip at 9:20 p.m. Coverage on both nights will conclude with Inside March Madness presented by Buick.
Saturday’s NCAA Final Four National Semifinals will feature Loyola (IL) against Michigan at 6:09 p.m. on TBS. Kansas against Villanova will follow 40 minutes after the completion of the Loyola (IL)/Michigan game. Jim Nantz will call the action with analysts Grant Hill and Bill Raftery with reporter Tracy Wolfson for the fourth straight year.
Ernie Johnson and Greg Gumbel will host studio coverage from the Final Four and National Championship with a group of analysts headlined by Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg and Kenny Smith. Four former NCAA basketball champions – Candace Parker, Christian Laettner, Danny Manning and Kris Jenkins – along with Brendan Haywood, Seth Davis and college coaches will also be part of on-site coverage from San Antonio.
Accompanying the live television coverage, NCAA March Madness Live will once again provide live streaming of the NCAA Final Four National Semifinals – including the TeamCast presentations – and the National Championship Game on desktop computers, tablets, mobile phones and most set-top boxes.