TV Teams Mirror Talent on the Tournament Courts

With a handful of unexpected teams in the Sweet 16, the NCAA Tournament has showcased the depth and talent that exists in college basketball. That's the case among broadcasters working the games, too.

And, just like the teams on the court, there are several good teams but not really one overpowering standout working for CBS Sports/Turner Sports during the tournament.

Here's a look at the four remaining broadcast teams who will work regional action this weekend:

Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg/Tracey Wolfson

They're clearly the No. 1 team working the tournament, but they're also the most predictable, the personification of the CBS Sports tradition. They're not flashy, and when they're working games the NCAA clearly has a partner among its broadcast partners.

With Nantz, who knows how the process works after years of referring to "patrons" during The Masters, viewers get the company line. And when it comes to any sort of criticism, especially of the officials, Kellogg shies away from that topic like a basketball big man trying to avoid any necessary ballhandling.

They're a Final Four fixture, at least as long as the tournament's last three games remain on CBS. When those games move to TBS, though, do not be surprised to see a change behind the microphone. And that could happen as soon as next year.

Marv Albert/Steve Kerr/Craig Sager

When that move comes, the Albert-led group could be a strong candidate to get the assignment. Until then, Albert remains one of the best in the basketball business, and his away-from-work peccadilloes barely remain memories for most people.

Meanwhile, Kerr is honest and open while Sager (always hard to miss on the sideline with his sartorial skills) does his job well. Actually, among the top three broadcast teams the sideline reporters -- Wolfson, Sager, Nichols -- might be as strong as any trio in any sport in regard to those duties.

Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery/Rachel Nichols

Even with age, and occasional missed or slow calls, Lundquist and Raftery work well together. There's not a team farther down on the networks' depth chart that deserves to be elevated above them and they continue to relate the action on the court and surrounding the games they work well.

Nichols might be in a position to get bumped up in the near future. Among many ESPN expats, her move from the all-sports network could be one that pays off the best.

Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Len Elmore/Lewis Johnson

They're enjoyable, but clearly fourth among the four. A proven bunch of pros, they provide the kind of depth and talent the networks need to capably cover the tournament. It's hard to imagine them, as a group, elevating above the others. If reconstituted, though, maybe Harlan could get a shot to move higher on the depth chart.