Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley will call the Kentucky vs. Indiana game

The Indiana game at Rupp Arena on December 13 is already circled on many fans’ calendars. Those of us watching from home will get an extra special treat. ESPN announced today that Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley will call the game alongside play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien (Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Vitale and Barkley will also call one of the First Four games in Dayton on truTV as part of TNT and CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Tournament. The pairing is made possible by ESPN’s new partnership with TNT Sports, which includes “Inside the NBA,” which stars Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith.

“Dick and Charles are two of the most entertaining and iconic voices in basketball, so having them together on the same broadcast is a true gift for fans,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN’s President of Content. “We are thrilled to have it come to fruition, especially for a marquee college basketball rivalry game like Indiana-Kentucky in primetime on ESPN.”

“This is a unique opportunity for Dick and Charles, two of the biggest personalities in the game to be side-by-side calling games for the first time,” said Craig Barry, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer, TNT Sports. “This is great for the game and the fans, we can’t wait to see what unfolds.”

We’re pumped about the Kentucky vs. Indiana game, but it’s also cool that Vitale will finally call an NCAA Tournament game. There have been efforts from both sides (Vitale/ESPN and CBS) to make it happen over the years, but soon, it will be a reality.

“Dick has meant so much to the game of basketball, and we have long felt he deserved an opportunity to call an NCAA Men’s Tournament game, and we are delighted he has finally agreed following several offers,” said Harold Bryant, Executive Producer and Executive Vice President, Production, CBS Sports. “Having him call the game with Charles will be must-see TV and a great way to tip off the First Four.”

It will be Vitale’s second trip to Rupp Arena in 12 days. Tomorrow night, he’ll be on the call for Kentucky vs. North Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge alongside Dave O’Brien and Jay Williams (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). The legendary broadcaster returned to the sideline last season after a long cancer battle and called Kentucky’s loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Hopefully, the games vs. North Carolina and Indiana will be better performances by the Cats. With both Vitale and Barkley on the call for the latter, they’ll at least be entertaining.

“My next games (with ESPN) are at one of my (favorite) places at Rupp Arena,” Vitale said last week. “Yes can’t wait Dec 2 (for Kentucky vs. North Carolina) & Dec 13 (Indiana) vs Cats. Spoke with (Mark Pope) today & he is so positive that they will be successful. Love the passion & spirit of BBN fans.”

This may be Vitale and Barkley’s first college basketball broadcast together, but thanks to Conan O’Brien, we got a sneak peek of their chemistry during a sketch in 2013. Hearing them call the Cats vs. the Hoosiers should be awesome, baby!