Sportscasters have a way of making basketball feel bigger, louder, and somehow even more alive. And few voices have ever captured that magic the way Dick Vitale’s has. For more than four decades, his voice has echoed across living rooms, sports bars, and campus arenas with “diaper dandies,” “PTP’ers,” and those classic “Awesome, baby!” calls. And now, the legend himself has a special March Madness assignment loading… this time teaming up with the one and only Chuckster, Charles Barkley.

Both icons are teaming up for two must-see telecasts this college basketball season, according to a press release from Warner Bros. Their first showdown in the booth comes on December 13, when Indiana and Kentucky go head-to-head. Their second pairing will happen in March during the NCAA Tournament’s First Four, setting the stage for Dickie V and the Chuckster to bring the madness during March Madness!

This will be the first time in their long, decorated careers that Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley share the broadcast booth for an NCAA Tournament game. And for Vitale, it’s an especially meaningful moment. Now 86 years old, he’s spent decades breaking down teams as ESPN’s lead analyst during the regular season and conference tournaments. But now, he finally gets to call a March Madness game.

For years, fans have wondered if Dick Vitale would ever get the chance to call an NCAA Tournament game. It’s been a talking point forever, but the timing and logistics just never lined up. Even though Vitale has been one of the biggest voices in college basketball during the regular season, CBS owned the exclusive tournament rights for a long time, which made any crossover extremely difficult.

Although he’d been offered the chance before. Former CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus invited Vitale to call NCAA Tournament games in both 2006 and 2021, but Vitale ultimately turned down both opportunities.

For Vitale to be back calling games at all is incredible when you consider everything he’s battled through. Over the past four years, the Hall of Fame broadcaster has faced melanoma, lymphoma, and laryngeal cancer — three major diagnoses, each one treated and overcome. Earlier this year, he made his emotional return to the mic, sitting courtside for the then No. 2 Duke vs. Clemson matchup. It was his first on-air assignment in 22 months.

Thanks to the new licensing deal between ESPN and TNT Sports, Vitale will finally get to work alongside his close friend Charles Barkley during March Madness. Fans will not only hear Vitale calling games again, but they will also get to enjoy the fun energy these two bring when they are together.

Both icons shared their excitement about getting the chance to call games together.

Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley react to their special March Madness announcement

“Are you serious!? I can’t wait to join ‘Sir Charles’ for the Indiana-Kentucky game. He’s so shy and introverted, and I hope that Dave O’Brien and I can get him to share some opinions!” Vitale joked after the announcement was made. “But seriously, I am so honored and thrilled that Chuck asked me to do a game with him. We’ve both wanted to do this in the past, and I’m thrilled we finally made it happen.”

For a man who has called more than 1,000 games and become one of the most beloved voices in college basketball, seeing Dick Vitale this excited to share a booth with Charles Barkley says everything you need to know about how special the Chuckster really is as an analyst.

The Auburn graduate himself revealed that it had always been a dream of his to call a game alongside Dick Vitale. “I told these guys one of my goals is to do a game with Dick Vitale,” Barkley said. “I would love to do a game with him because I think he’s been great for college basketball. It’d be good for the game.”

While March Madness is still a few months away, make sure to mark your calendars — because on December 13 we finally get a first look at these two icons teaming up. That’s must-see TV. Exciting times ahead! Who do you think takes the matchup between Indiana and Kentucky? Let us know in the comments down below!