CBS Sports and TNT Sports announced the list of game announcers for the 2026 men’s March Madness tournament coming up later in the month. LVFL and Tennessee Basketball legend Candace Parker is amongst the group, serving as a game analyst for the first and second rounds during the tournament.
Parker will serve on a team that features Tom McCarthy in the play-by-play role, Dan Bonner as an analyst, and AJ Ross as the sideline reporter.
Parker previously served as a studio commentator during the 2025 NCAA men’s tournament, alongside notable names such as Ernie Johnson, Clark Kellogg, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Jay Wright, and Adam Lefkoe. She’ll be moving up and into the arena for this year’s tournament coverage, highlighting her continued rise throughout the industry.
The only other Tennessee connection for the March Madness television lineup is that former UT men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl will serve as a studio analyst in the Atlanta studio alongside Jamal Mashburn, Jalen Rose, and Seth Davis.
Earlier in the season, Parker was on the call for one of Tennessee’s basketball games last fall. She served as an analyst for the Vols’ Players Era Tournament opening game against Rutgers in Las Vegas.
Conference tournament games start next week, meaning that the NCAA Tournament is just right around the corner. Before we know it, teams will be dispersed all over the country, looking to climb the ladder to survive and advance.
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Here’s a look at the full schedule for this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament:
First Four
- March 17, 18
- Host Site: Dayton, OH
First and Second Rounds
- March 19, 21
- Host Sites: Buffalo, NY | Greenville, SC | Oklahoma City, OK | Portland, OR
– – – - March 20, 22
- Host Sites: Tampa, FL | Philadelphia, PA | San Diego, CA | St. Louis, MO
South Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 26, 28
- Host Site: Houston, TX
West Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 26, 28
- Host Site: San Jose, CA
Midwest Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 27, 29
- Host Site: Chicago, IL
East Regional (Sweet 16, Elite 8)
- March 27, 29
- Host Site: Washington, D.C.
Final Four/Championship
- April 4, 6
- Host Site: Indianapolis, IN
Tennessee Bracketology
The Tennessee Volunteers are 21-9 overall and 11-6 in SEC play with one game remaining in the regular season. The Vols will host in-state rival Vanderbilt this Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. ET before heading to Nashville next week for the SEC Tournament.
In Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology report for ESPN on Tuesday, the tournament seeding expert had Tennessee tagged as the 5-seed in the East Region. Lunardi has Tennessee taking on 12-seed Yale in the first round with a potential matchup against 4-seed Gonzaga or 13-seed UNC Wilmington in the second round. Those games are slated to be played in Portland, OR.
Based on the scheduling and site listings above, Tennessee’s hypothetical path to the final weekend would include a stop in Portland for the first and second rounds, a trip to Washington, D.C., for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8, and a finish in Indianapolis for the Final Four and Championship.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee Basketball coverage with the college basketball postseason right around the corner.
