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There are nine announcing teams for the Turner Sports Network (CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV) when it comes to coverage of the 2023 NCAA tournament. The crew featuring Tom McCarthy, Avery Johnson and Jon Rothstein will handle the First Four games, and only four crews will be covering the weekend regional games and beyond. Here, we’ll look at the top five crews and rank them ahead of the tournament.
2023 March Madness announcer rankings
No. 5 — Brad Nessler, Brendan Haywood, Dana Jacobson
Jacobson is actually one of the top sideline reporters in the game, and generally gets good information from the sidelines. Nessler has plenty of experience as an announcer, but Haywood could still use more reps as a color commentator. That’s likely where this team will fall short of the others. This team is not part of the weekend coverage in the regional games.
No. 4 — Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
Jackson is one of the better color commentators in the sport, and is the difference between the No. 5 team and the No. 4 team. Anderson and LaForce are fine in their roles but don’t offer much more than what is required.
No. 3 — Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, Evan Washburn
Now we start getting into the real debate. Eagle is in the running as one of the top play-by-play announcers, and Washburn is a veteran sideline report. Spanarkel is good in his role but he’s likely where this team falls short in comparison to the top two crews.
No. 2 — Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi
Harlan, in my opinion, is one of the most exciting play-by-play announcers outside of Gus Johnson. Van Gundy usually provides good analysis, and can bring in plenty of relevant anecdotes from his coaching career. Bonner and Shehadi are good in their roles, but the brilliance of Harlan and Van Gundy are the defining parts of this crew.
No. 1 — Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Tracy Wolfson
Was there going to be any other team coming in at No. 1? Nantz is embarking on his final NCAA tournament run, and he’s been a legend in the industry. Raftery and Hill provide strong analysis and good banter, while Wolfson typically gets the most information from the sidelines and provides timely updates when needed. This group has the most overall chemistry and it comes through on the broadcast. There’s a reason this is the crew for the final weekend.