Here's Why Jim Nantz Is Not Calling March Madness Games

Jim Nantz became CBS's lead announcer for March Madness and the Final Four in 1990, working alongside analysts like Billy Packer, Clark Kellogg, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill. 

FanSide.com reports recent Capital One ads for March Madness have utilized Nantz alongside Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee to promote the credit card company's sponsorship of the tournament, showing how tied to the sport he is.

Jim Nantz

In recent years, Nantz's commitments to cover the NFL and golf have limited his appearances with college basketball, leaving him unavailable to call games until right before the end of the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament. Selection Sunday will be a bit different this year, however, as Nantz will no longer be a part of the network's March Madness coverage.

Prior to last year's NCAA Tournament, Nantz announced his intentions to step away from college basketball coverage in order to spend more time with his family when he isn't calling golf or the NFL. The fact that the Final Four was in Houston, Nantz's hometown, and was going to be broadcast on CBS offered him the perfect opportunity to go out on a high note.

College basketball fans are in good hands as Nantz will be succeeded by Ian Eagle, who has been a long-time staple of CBS' college basketball coverage and has helped the network cover the NCAA Tournament since 1998. Eagle has been calling regional finals for a long time and is now being elevated to the top team at age 53, giving one of the nation's best broadcasters a championship to call his own.