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2w ago

Vitale, Barkley to Call Indiana–Kentucky on Dec. 13 and a 2026 First Four Game

For Vitale, the First Four assignment will be his first NCAA Tournament game on U.S. television.

ESPN's Dick Vitale and former Auburn basketball player Charles Barkley at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019. Kentucky leads Auburn 35-27 at halftime. Jc Mbbak 10
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 15: ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale talks to the Cameron Crazies before the game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Stanford Cardinal at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 15, 2025 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • ESPN, TNT Sports and CBS announced the cross-network pairing, starting with Indiana–Kentucky on Dec. 13 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET.
  • Dave O’Brien will handle play-by-play for the regular-season game, with Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley as analysts.
  • The duo will reunite in March 2026 for a First Four telecast on truTV, with the play-by-play announcer still to be named.
  • The collaboration is enabled by recent rights and licensing arrangements among the networks, including ESPN’s deal to carry TNT’s Inside the NBA and other content swaps.
  • Vitale, 86, returned to broadcasting after being declared cancer-free and had long declined CBS tournament offers, while Barkley has publicly sought a game with Vitale since 2013.