But as the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday, a titan is missing from the coverage on CBS: Greg Gumbel.
However, the presence of the longtime host of the Selection Sunday bracket reveal show was still felt on Sunday as CBS opened its show with a tribute to Gumbel.
Gumbel, who died in December at 78 years old from cancer, had anchored the network’s Selection Sunday show and NCAA Tournament coverage for 25 years. He was considered the quintessential voice of March Madness for many, as his voice greeted men’s college basketball fans on Selection Sunday and throughout the tournament with the iconic CBS March Madness soundtrack in the background.
That isn’t the only tribute being made to Gumbel by CBS on Sunday. As noted by Seth Davis on X (formerly Twitter), the entire CBS production crew is wearing Rolling Stones shirts today in honor of Gumbel, who was a big fan of the band.
Can your picks survive March Madness? Join our Survivor Pool to find out
Watch: CBS pays tribute to Greg Gumbel
Here’s a look at the tribute video to Gumbel that CBS opened the network’s Selection Sunday show with:
The 2025 NCAA Tournament gets underway with the First Four on Tuesday, March 18 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The first set of first-round games will start on Thursday, March 20.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.