"Won’t sound like the selection show without him" - Greg Gumbel's absence from 2024 March Madness draws heartfelt reactions from college hoops fans

Selection Sunday began as it always has been, but college basketball fans were quick to realize that it was missing an iconic voice of Greg Gumbel in the broadcast booth.

The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch reported that Gumbel will miss this year’s NCAA Tournament due to “family health issues.”

"CBS/WBD's NCAA men's basketball tournament broadcast assignments usually get announced this week but one small piece of news: Greg Gumbel won't be working the tournament this year as he deals with family health issues. Look for Ernie Johnson to pick up more studio time," Deitsch tweeted.

Gumbel’s absence was quite noticeable for fans, and they were quick to shower the legendary broadcaster with a lot of love online.

"Won’t sound like the selection show without him," a fan commented.

As the tweet previously mentioned, Greg Gumbel will be replaced by Ernie Johnson of NBA on TNT fame.

However, it wouldn’t be the first time that Johnson and Gumbel’s career paths cross. Johnson has shared broadcasting duties with Gumbel since Turner Sports started airing March Madness 13 years ago.

The Greg Gumbel situation

Aside from revealing that Greg Gumbel is dealing with “family health issues,” further details about the entire situation have not been revealed. So it could be safe to assume that it is grave enough for the veteran broadcaster to skip Selection Sunday, an occasion he’s been a critical part of for over 25 years.

Gumbel’s voice has been a part of CBS’s college basketball coverage since 1998, when he first left NBC. But Selection Sunday is not the only one he’s stepping away from as of this moment, as he’s already backed away from his usual play-by-play commentary duties for NFL games. This is despite him renewing his contract with CBS last year.

Gumbel’s career has spanned an incredible 46 years, wherein he worked for multiple networks over the decades. He started as a reporter, anchor and play-by-play announcer for ESPN, then has been a common voice covering college basketball, the NFL and the NBA, among others.

He also most notably covered two Winter Olympic games in 1992 and 1994, alongside Major League Baseball, the College World Series and even hosted the 1995 World Figure Skating championships.