The NCAA men’s basketball tournament will be missing a familiar face in 2024.
Veteran college basketball presenter Greg Gumbel will not work this coming tournament, according to a Monday evening report from Richard Deitsch of The Athletic. Per Deitsch, Gumbel is dealing with family health issues.
“Look for Ernie Johnson to pick up more studio time,” Deitsch wrote, referring to the Inside the NBA host.
Gumbel, 77, began hosting CBS’s coverage of the tournament in 1998. In 2023, the network celebrated Gumbel’s 25th anniversary hosting one of its tentpole events.
A trailblazer, Gumbel was the first Black play-by-play announcer to broadcast a major championship sporting event when he called the Baltimore Ravens’ 34-7 win over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV in January 2001.
In addition to Johnson’s NBA and MLB duties, he has worked on the men’s tournament since Turner Sports began broadcasting it in 2011.
The full list of tournament commentators can be seen below.
Here are the announcer pairings for the NCAA men's Tournament and one thing that stands out that I really like:
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) March 12, 2024
The addition of @RobbieHummel pic.twitter.com/14HBuIDQAx
The 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament tips off with the First Four on March 19–20. The tournament begins in earnest when first-round matchups begin March 21.
