| College Basketball on NBC Sports | |
|---|---|
 NBC's current college basketball logo duringBig Ten Conference games. | |
| Genre | College basketball telecasts |
| Presented by | SeeList of College Basketball on NBC personalities |
| Theme music composer | Roger Tallman Alex Hitchens |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 120 minutes or until end of game |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network |
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| Release | March 8, 1969 (1969-03-08) – February 28, 1998 (1998-02-28) |
| Release | January 1, 2012 (2012-01-01) – present |
College Basketball on NBC Sports is the de facto branding used for broadcasts ofNCAADivision I men's college basketball games produced byNBC Sports, the sports division of theNBC television network in the United States. TheNBC network broadcastcollege basketball games in some shape or form between1969 and1998. From1969 to1981,[1] NBC covered theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. It became the first major network to broadcast the championship game, at a cost of more thanUS$500,000 in 1969.
In 2011,Comcast's sports channelVersus became part of NBC Sports after the company's acquisition ofNBC Universal, and was relaunched as NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) in 2012. During the 2010s, NBCSN primarily carried coverage of basketball from theAtlantic 10 Conference,Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), andIvy League.
NBCSN would lose the CAA and Ivy League, but retained its A-10 package. It was renewed in 2021 under a multi-year deal, and moved toUSA Network in January 2022 after the shutdown of NBCSN. In August 2022, NBC Sports announced that it had acquired rights toBig Ten basketball as part of a larger agreement with the conference, with a package of games airing on Peacock beginning in the 2023–24 season.
On November 12, 2022, college basketball returned to the main NBC network when theNotre Dame women's college basketball team took on theCalifornia women's college basketball team as part of the inaugural Citi Shamrock Classic. It was the first women's college basketball game to ever air on NBC, and the first college basketball game of any kind since 1998.[2] Men's college basketball returned to the main NBC network during the2024–25 season.
NBC's relationship with college basketball dates as far back as February 28, 1940, whenW2XBS (the futureflagship station for NBC, WNBC) presented adoubleheader at New York City'sMadison Square Garden. TheUniversity of Pittsburgh faced off againstFordham University, followed byGeorgetown University againstNew York University.
For NBC's first year of tournament coverage in 1969, the network aired the consolation game nationally and the national semi-finals on a regional basis (which were held on a Thursday night).1972 marked the final year that NBC aired the consolation game. Thefollowing year marked the first time that theFinal Four was held on a Saturday, and was the first prime time championship game[3] to air on NBC.
From 1969 to 1972,Final Four contests were split national telecasts. Because the NCAA Tournament wasn't seeded, but based on geography, the Final Four generally had two eastern and two western teams. NBC, with a prime-time slot, televised the eastern-oriented game in theeast, and the western-oriented game in thewest. It essentially was a split-national telecast, with the split occurring over the time, not simultaneous games. This inevitably created problems, such as whenLouisville playedUCLA in the late game in1972, people in the east didn't see it. And, if the first game went into overtime, NBC couldn't close out the eastern window and open the western window. The western United States would get the end of the early game, but the east would still not get to see the late game. The secondary problem was that the east didn't get to see UCLA in the tournament until the title game.
By1974, NBC was providing coverage of nine games in seven windows (a far cry from the current tournament coverage). Thefollowing year, NBC aired ten games in nine windows – presenting the regional finals as a tripleheader with regional coverage in the middle time slot; this was also the first year that Billy Packer covered the Final Four.
NBC did not start airing regular season games until about 1975–76,[4] when the network partnered with the ad-hoc sports serviceTVS Television Network. WhileNBC Sports' on-air talent was used, the production was covered by TVS. By this point, NBC would air regional and national games on Saturdays, and national games (called byDick Enberg,Al McGuire[5] andBilly Packer[6]) on Sundays. As for the regional telecasts[7] on Saturdays, typically in theNortheast, before the game featuring theBig East orAtlantic 10 conferences, it was the "ECAC Game of the Week".
For the 1976–77 season, NBC moved the national games to Sundays. NBC added a Saturday game on the last weekend of the season to show undefeatedSan Francisco take onNotre Dame.
NBC added first round Sunday coverage during the1977 tournament.
In the 1977–78 season,C.D. Chesley (who controlled theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rights at the time) wanted NBC to televise select ACC games as part of its national package as it had the previous few years. However, NBC wanted to feature intersectional games. This action greatly upset Chesley, who wound up selling the rights to theACC Tournament final toABC. As a result, there was a notable absence of ACC home games in NBC's college basketball schedule for the 1977–78 season. For this season, NBC addedAl McGuire to the No. 1 team alongside Dick Enberg and Billy Packer. Early in the season, NBC stationed McGuire in a remote location and went to him only for periodic commentary. Eventually, NBC moved McGuire courtside to form a three-man announcer team.Dick Stockton filled in for Enberg on at least three games.
In1978, NBC aired all regional finals games nationally for the first time, moving two of the games to Sunday. NBC split up the analysts from its No. 1 announcer team for the first two weekends of the tournament. Al McGuire for the most part, worked with Curt Gowdy while Billy Packer generally worked with Dick Enberg. While Dick Enberg served as the play-by-play announcer for NBC's Final Four coverage in 1978, Curt Gowdy moved over to a hosting role for the Final Four coverage.
NBC's coverage of the1979 NCAA championship game between Indiana State andMichigan State to this day, remains the highest-rated game (garnering a 24.1 rating) in the history[8] of televised college basketball.
On Super Bowl Sunday 1981, NBC broadcast the Ohio State-Virginia game (with Don Criqui doing play-by-play)at 1:30 pm. ET. In NBC's final year covering the NCAA tournament,1981,[9] the network introduced a policy of switching from game to game on the fly. Before this, NBC would naturally, stay with the regionally-televised games to their conclusion.
After NBC lost the tournament rights toCBS[10] (which started a separate regular season package) beginning in1982, they continued with TVS through 1983, wrapping up with theACC Tournament Final[11] (which NBC had traditionally wrapped up their coverage with, by this point).
After TVS went back to broadcasting separate, regional games beginning in 1983–84,[12] NBC was left to pick up the games[13][14] that CBS did not want (save for theACC Final) for the rest of the 1980s.
During this period, NBC's promotional slogan for its game broadcasts was "College basketball, it's thestuff Saturdays are made of!"[15][16] Another slogan that NBC used in game promotions was "Sundaycome on home to college basketball on NBC!"[17]
On January 27, 1985,Jim Valvano (who was still theNC State coach) called a game betweenIndiana andIllinois alongsideBob Costas for NBC after coaching a game the previous day.
With CBS andESPN gaining strength in the 1990s, all NBC could put together was a 4–5 game package featuring a then-mediocreNotre Dame program. By the 1992–93 season, NBC only broadcast two games, both involving Notre Dame (a February 6 contest againstDuke, and a February 13 contest againstKentucky). NBC was seeing much more success with itsbroadcasts ofNotre Dame football games than the team's basketball telecasts by this point.
On February 22, 1992, Al McGuire called his last game for NBC (UCLA @ Notre Dame). CBS signed McGuire for theNCAA tournament. In the 1993–94 season, NBC only aired one game, which wasUCLA @ Notre Dame on February 5.
In the meantime, NBC also aired theWooden Classic[18] from 1994[19][20] to 1996.
For the 1995 edition of the Wooden Classic, ABC regionally televised the first half of the doubleheader (Villanova vs.Purdue) withRoger Twibell andDick Vitale on the call. At approximately 3:45 pm. Eastern time, NBC broadcastMaryland vs.UCLA for the second half. On December 7, 1996, the first game of the Wooden Classic doubleheader (Utah vs.Arizona) tipped off at 1:45 pm, but NBC joined the action in progress at 2 p.m. for most of the country.
NBC's final men's college basketball during this period was a February 28, 1998 contest between Notre Dame and theProvidence Friars. NBC continues to maintain a broadcasting relationship with the university as it airs all Notre Dame football home games and select away games.
WhenComcast andNBC Universal merged in 2011, college basketball onVersus was integrated into NBC Sports with the channel's relaunch as NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) on January 1, 2012.[21] In 2012, NBC Sports reached agreements to carryColonial Athletic Association (CAA) basketball and football on NBCSN andComcast SportsNet,[22][23]Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) basketball on NBCSN,[24] and renewed NBCSN's rights to theIvy League for two additional seasons.[25] By the late-2010s, NBC Sports had lost the CAA and Ivy League to other broadcasters.[26][27]
In 2021, NBCSN continued its relationship with the A-10 under a multi-year deal. 25 regular season games are broadcast per-season, as well as selected games from theAtlantic 10 men's basketball tournament.[24] NBCSN shut down at the end of 2021, after whichUSA Network assumed its A-10 broadcasts (among other sports properties).[28]
In August 2022, NBC Sports announced that it had reached a seven-year deal to carryBig Ten Conference athletics on its platforms, which will include a package of Big Ten men's and women's basketball games onPeacock beginning in the 2023–24 season. Peacock will air up to 47 men's basketball games and 30 women's basketball games per-season (including 32 and 20 intraconference games respectively), as well as the opening night doubleheaders of the men's and women's conference tournaments.[29][30]
NBC Sports carried two inaugural showcase games during the 2022–23 season; NBC aired the Citi Shamrock Classic on November 12, 2022, betweenNotre Dame andCalifornia's women's basketball teams. It marked the first women's college basketball game to ever air on NBC, and its first college basketball game overall since 1998.[31] Peacock would sponsor and air the Peacock Classic on December 2, 2022, betweenBaylor andGonzaga—a rematch of the2021 national championship game.[32]
For the 2023–24 season, it was announced thatNoah Eagle,Jac Collinsworth, andTerry Gannon would be the primary play-by-play broadcasters for Big Ten men's basketball, whileRobbie Hummel andStephen Bardo will be the primary game analysts. Additionally,Paul Burmeister, Steve Burkowski, Rich Lerner, and Steve Schlanger would provide play-by-play on select games, whileTre Demps would be an additional game analyst. For Big Ten women's basketball, Zora Stephenson,Cindy Brunson, and Sloane Martin were announced as play-by-play broadcasters, with Meghan McKeown and Julianne Viani serving as game analysts.[33]Ahmed Fareed was announced as studio host for Big Ten men's coverage, working with studio analystsJosh Pastner, and Jordan Cornette, while Carolyn Manno was announced as the studio host for Big Ten women's coverage, with studio analystsAliyah Boston and Meghan McKeown.[34] Along with Big Ten basketball, Peacock also announced they would air the Indy Classic and the final day of thePhiladelphia Big 5, the latter of which was also simulcast onNBC Sports Philadelphia Plus.[35][36]
On December 14, 2023, NBC Sports announced an extension to its Atlantic 10 agreement. NBC Sports will continue to air 25 men's regular season games and 3 women's regular season games, mostly on USA Network. USA Network will also air the first, second and quarterfinals of theAtlantic 10 men's basketball tournament and the quarterfinals of theAtlantic 10 women's basketball tournament.[37] Games that previously streamed for free on the NBC Sports App would now air on Peacock.[38]
On June 27, 2024, theBig East announced new media rights agreements with NBC,Fox, andTNT Sports; in the 2024–25 season, Peacock would air 30 games, including five tournament games in the early round and quarterfinal stages, and two would air on NBC. The coverage will expand to 60 men's and women's games beginning in the 2025–26 season.[39][40] NBC also aired three women's and two men's Big Ten games in the 2024–25 season, an increase from the previous season.[41][42] For the first time, the NBC SportsFAST channel (laterNBC Sports NOW) aired games including the inaugural Women's Basketball Coaches Association Showcase, one game from the NABC Hall of Fame Classic, and the men's and women's HBCU All-Star Game.[43][44]
For the 2025–26 season, NBC Sports announced an agreement with theBig 12 Conference to exclusively broadcast 20 men's basketball games.[45] NBC Sports also announced an expanded agreement with the NABC Hall of Fame Classic to broadcast all four games on Peacock and NBC Sports NOW.[46]
As previously mentioned, NBC and TVS were partners in televising college basketball from 1975 to 1983. Typically on Saturdays, NBC and TVS would broadcast a regional slate of college basketball from the various conferences.
| Preceded by | NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship television broadcaster 1969 –1981 | Succeeded by |