Ernie Johnson Misses Early 2026 March Madness Rounds

Veteran broadcaster Ernie Johnson will miss the opening rounds of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, known as March Madness, due to scheduling conflicts with his NBA commitments, CBS Sports announced this week. The 69-year-old, a fixture on the tournament's studio coverage since 2011, plans to return for the Final Four and national championship games in Indianapolis.

Johnson's absence from the first two weeks of the event, which begins in late March, stems from the ramped-up schedule of "Inside the NBA," the popular postgame show he hosts that shifted to ESPN this season after TNT lost NBA broadcast rights. The program aired sporadically earlier in the year, with only four episodes from December through January, but it will appear more frequently through March and into the playoffs, including coverage of the NBA Finals. This overlap prevents Johnson from handling both roles during the tournament's early stages, marking a departure from his annual presence alongside analysts like Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

Stepping in for Johnson as a studio host in New York will be Nate Burleson, a 44-year-old former NFL wide receiver who has built a prominent career as a CBS...