The tournament rolls on Friday in Dayton where CBS's Clark Kellogg is calling the games in that bracket. Travis Wells caught up with Kellogg in Ohio to get his thoughts on all the Madness and his role in the hoopla.
Kellogg has worked with CBS Sports since 1993 and he's now in his fifth year as the network's lead college basketball analyst. For Kellogg it's pretty easy to see why the NCAA Tournament has become a national phenomenon.
“I'm in love with the game of basketball and have been for a long time,” Kellogg said. “But just some of the special stories that unfold during this three week run to a championship is awfully special. I think the game itself, the one and done format, adds to the drama. The fact that you have some of the teams that we don't get to see a lot of on national television a casual fan might not know about and the whole festival of basketball, human drama, Competition, the fact that it's three weeks and you go from 68 down to a champion. All of that lends itself to being a really special and exciting event.”
Kellogg watches hundreds of games a year, and he's always preparing for the next one, especially around tournament time.
“I try to prepare all year long,” Kellogg said. “I'm watching games and taking notes on not just the teams that I am covering but the teams that I may end up covering come tournament time. I've always tried to prepare for the tournament during the year by watching as many teams as I can and knowing as many teams and players as I can and coaching styles.”
Kellogg will do Ohio State's games in Dayton this weekend, and as a former Buckeye player, he has a soft spot for the program. But he also knows he has a job to do.
“When I'm calling a game, I'm trying to talk about what I see. It's not 'we'. It's Ohio State and whoever they are playing and that's the way I've been able to draw that line. And for the Buckeye nation I am never biased enough and for some fans on the other side of the equation they say I am over biased. The public hears what they want to hear. But I know across the board that I try to be fair.”
Unlike the teams, Kellogg already knows he'll advance to next weekend's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. And then it's on to Atlanta for the Final Four.
