CBS and TNT Sports have been hit with multiple absences already during the 2026 NCAA Tournament due to illness. As viewers were welcomed to Friday’s coverage of the Round of 64, they would have noticed a major change with Renee Montgomery at the main desk in New York in place of Kenny Smith.
Host Adam Zucker was joined by Montgomery, Clark Kellogg, and Charles Barkley. As he introduced the day’s coverage he made note that Smith was under the weather and shared a get-well message. Smith had taken an early exit from late night coverage on Thursday as he was absent from the set after the game between Michigan and Howard.
True to form, Barkley teased his longtime Inside the NBA colleague by telling him to keep his shirt on at the beach.
Smith’s absence followed up the situation on Thursday where play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson was pulled from the announcing lineup due to his own illness. Anderson sounded noticeably hoarse throughout the First Four game in Dayton between NC State and Texas that he called alongside Barkley and Dick Vitale in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After battling through that contest, Anderson was replaced by Jason Benetti on CBS/TNT. However, Anderson is scheduled to return to commentary duties on Saturday.
Renee Montgomery is a studio analyst for CBS’s WNBA coverage. She has made her mark not just in her WNBA playing career where she won two championships, but as an activist and team owner. Montgomery is currently part-owner of the Atlanta Dream and led social justice initiatives, sitting out the 2020 WNBA season to focus on the Black Lives Matter movement and societal reform.
But for her broadcasting career, this is certainly the biggest opportunity that Montgomery will have in front of the massive NCAA Tournament audience. Hopefully Kenny Smith will be back in action and feeling better soon. And hopefully none of the other CBS and TNT personalities catch whatever is going round at the moment.
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