• New voices include Kevin Keatts, Mike Neighbors, Emeka Okafor, Dennis Scott and Rodney Terry, plus longtime ESPN commentators Nell Fortner and Miles Simon return
• Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden headline top men’s announce team; Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe return as lead women’s crew
• Longtime referee Dee Kantner joins women’s lead announce team as rules analyst

ESPN’s extensive coverage of the 2025-26 college basketball season, which features a combined 7,000+ men’s and women’s games, tips off Monday, Nov. 3 and will once again feature the deepest roster of on-air play-by-play voices, analysts, hosts, reporters and other on-air contributors.

ESPN Men’s Basketball Coverage

Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas, who both joined ESPN in 1995, will once again pair up to call marquee men’s games on ESPN and ABC, including on the Saturday Prime franchise. This season, Kris Budden joins the crew as the lead men’s basketball reporter.

Plus, Dick Vitale, one of the most beloved figures in college basketball, returns for his 46th season this fall. His first assignment comes at the inaugural Dick Vitale Invitational (Nov. 4: 8:45 p.m. ET, ESPN) featuring Texas vs. No. 6 Duke alongside play-by-play voice Dave O’Brien, Bilas and Budden. The new men’s college basketball event will annually honor Vitale, the Hall of Fame broadcaster and one of the sport’s most iconic voices and ambassadors.

Returning men’s analysts who will call signature games on a weekly basis include Cory Alexander, Jimmy Dykes, Sean Farnham, Fran Fraschilla and Jay Williams.

ESPN has signed an additional five men’s college basketball analysts, bolstering its roster for the nearly 700 linear games that will air across ESPN networks during the 2025-26 season. New voices include:

• Kevin Keatts – ESPN and ACC Network College Basketball Studio Analyst
  • Former NC State head coach led the Wolfpack to the 2024 ACC Tournament championship and an NCAA Final Four
  • Keatts will serve as a studio analyst across ESPN and ACC Network, making his debut Friday, Nov. 7, during No. 19 Kansas vs. No. 25 North Carolina (7 p.m., ESPN).
• Emeka Okafor – ESPN College Basketball Game Analyst
  • The 2004 Final Four Most Outstanding Player for the national champion UConn Huskies, a consensus First-Team All-American, NABC Co-Player of the Year and Big East Player of the Year
  • Okafor will call games in several leagues across ESPN networks, making his debut Tuesday, Nov. 18 for Monmouth at Syracuse (9 p.m., ACCN).
• Dennis Scott – ESPN and ACC Network Game and Studio Analyst
  • Former Georgia Tech All-American and the 1990 ACC Player of the Year
  • Scott will primarily call games across ESPN networks and will also work as a studio analyst on ACC Network. Scott makes his debut Tuesday, Nov. 11 for Radford at No. 25 North Carolina (7 p.m., ACCN).
• Miles Simon – ESPN College Basketball Game Analyst
  • 1997 Final Four Most Outstanding Player and national champion for the Arizona Wildcats, and a consensus First-Team All-American in 1998. Simon previously worked for ESPN from 2008-17.
  • Simon will call Big 12 games across ESPN networks with his first assignment coming Thursday, Nov. 20 for Pittsburgh vs. UCF (7 p.m., ESPN2).
• Rodney Terry – ESPN College Basketball Game Analyst
  • Former Texas head coach led the Longhorns to the 2023 Big 12 Tournament championship. Terry was named the 2023 Sporting News Coach of the Year.
  • Terry will serve as the analyst for SEC games across ESPN networks, making his debut Wednesday, Nov. 5, for North Alabama at Mississippi State (9 p.m., SECN).

ESPN’s extensive men’s basketball studio coverage will feature hosts Kevin Connors and Zubin Mehenti with analysts Seth Greenberg, Tom Crean, Malcolm Huckaby and Keatts (ESPN); Joel Berry II and Luke Hancock (ACCN); Ron Slay and Pat Bradley (SECN); and more.

Other voices who will be part of ESPN’s men’s college basketball coverage in 2025-26:
Play-by-play: Jay Alter, Roxy Bernstein, Cooper Boardman, Kevin Brown, Mike Corey, Brian Custer, Wes Durham, Ted Emrich, Dave Flemming, Eric Frede, Kevin Fitzgerald, Lowell Galindo, Tom Hart, Rich Hollenberg, Chuckie Kempf, Kanoa Leahey, Robert Lee, Evan Lepler, Mike Monaco, Mike Morgan, Mark Neely, Roy Philpott, Karl Ravech, Eric Rothman, John Schriffen, Doug Sherman, Matt Schumacker, Jon Sciambi, Pete Sousa, Anish Shroff, Chris Sylvester, James Westling
Analysts: Mark Adams, Debbie Antonelli, Paul Biancardi, Dane Bradshaw, Ben Braun, Jim Boeheim, Dan Bonner, Perry Clark, Randolph Childress, Jon Crispin, Daymeon Fishback, Luke Hancock, Richard Hendrix, Bryndon Manzer, King McClure, Terrence Oglesby, David Padgett, Noah Savage, Chris Spatola, Tim Welsh, Mark Wise, Corey Williams, Scott Williams

Reporters: Angel Gray, Alyssa Lang
Contributors: Paul Biancardi, Joe Lunardi

ESPN Women’s Basketball Coverage

The top women’s announce team of Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe returns with the trio’s first assignment coming at the Peraton Armed Forces Classic as the reigning national champions and preseason No. 1 UConn take on No. 20 Louisville on Tuesday, Nov. 4 (5:30 p.m., ESPN).

The duo of play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins and 2024 Curt Gowdy Media Award recipient Debbie Antonelli return for their 30th season of calling games together. The pair teams up on Tuesday, Nov. 11 to call Clemson at No. 2 South Carolina (6 p.m., ESPN2). Reporter Jess Sims will join the announce team after her College GameDay Built by The Home Depot football duties conclude.

Other returning women’s analysts who will call weekly marquee games include Andraya Carter, Carolyn Peck, Christy Thomaskutty and Stephanie White.

ESPN has added a pair of analysts to this season’s women’s college basketball coverage. Former Purdue, Auburn, Georgia Tech and USA Women’s National Team head coach Nell Fortner – a longtime ESPN commentator before returning to the coaching ranks, and former Washington and Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors will both call games across ESPN networks.

Plus, Dee Kantner, the longtime referee who worked 26 NCAA Final Fours and 16 National Championships – joins ESPN’s lead announce team as a rules analyst, a first-of-its-kind role in women’s college basketball. Her first assignment comes on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at the Peraton Armed Forces Classic.

The popular studio trio of host Elle Duncan alongside Sports Emmy nominee Andraya Carter and WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike returns this season. Kelsey Riggs Cuff will also host studio coverage, while other studio analysts include Meghan McKeown, legendary Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, Ari Chambers and more.

Other voices who will be part of ESPN’s women’s college basketball coverage in 2025-26:
Play-by-play: Jay Alter, Krista Blunk, Mike Corey, Eric Frede, Sam Gore, Angel Gray, Tiffany Greene, Jenn Hildreth, Joey Lindstrom, Alex Loeb, Courtney Lyle, Matt Schick, Brenda VanLengen

Analysts: Tamika Catchings, Aja Ellison, Kelly Gramlich, Andrea Lloyd, Anne O’Neil, Steffi Sorensen, Angela Taylor, Brooke Weisbrod

Contributors: Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou

ESPN Men’s College Basketball Commentator Pairings Through November 30:

ESPN Women’s College Basketball Commentator Pairings Through November 30: