Dick Vitale to call first March Madness game alongside Charles Barkley

Mar 4, 2026 - 21:00

LEXINGTON, KY - DECEMBER 13: Basketball Hall of Fame member and commentator Charles Barkley walks to the floor with legendary announcer Dick Vitale before a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Kentucky Wildcats on December 13, 2025, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Dick Vitale is a college basketball legend, but somehow the 86-year-old announcer has never called a March Madness game. That’s about to change: Vitale will be on the call for a First Four game in the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament next to Charles Barkley thanks to a partnership between ESPN and Turner Sports.

Turner has long owned the rights to March Madness, and that means Vitale, an ESPN employee, wouldn’t call games during college basketball’s spotlight event. An emerging partnership between ESPN and Turner formed when Turner lost the NBA rights in the latest TV deal, but ESPN swooped in to save the beloved ‘Inside the NBA’ featuring Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson. It’s nice to see the two sides working together to get Dickie V on the call for a tournament game.

Here’s the official announcement:

Game Announcers for the First Four pic.twitter.com/wlqx7jrzhi— March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 4, 2026

Vitale and Barkley were also on the call together for the Indiana vs. Kentucky game on Dec. 13 earlier this season. Let’s hope these two sports broadcasting icons get a good game to call when the bracket is announced.

Vitale beat several different types of cancer in recent years, including melanoma, lymphoma, and vocal cord cancer. He’s one of the best ambassadors for the sport, and he deserves a shot to call March Madness after giving us so many iconic regular season calls over the years.