2016 BIG EAST Tournament commentator pairings revealed

The 2016 BIG EAST Tournament is less than a week away, and on Thursday, the commentators who will be calling the action at Madison Square Garden were revealed.

Much like the last two years, the headline pairing is, of course, Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery. Per the release from FOX Sports PR, Gus and Raft will be calling the first round matchups in the tournament as well as the evening round of quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 9 and Thursday, March 10.

Additionally, like last year's event, Jim Jackson will be joining Johnson for semifinal action as well as the BIG EAST Tournament Final, which will of course be broadcasted on the big FOX network as opposed to FS1, like it had been the previous two seasons.

Justin Kutcher, who has gotten reps in the BIG EAST Tournament since it moved to FOX in the past, will again be on the call. The veteran announcer will call afternoon quarterfinal matchups at Noon and 2:30 p.m. ET alongside Jackson.

Finally, for the second year in a row, Molly McGrath will be roving as the sideline reporter for all nine games of the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament. McGrath made her BIG EAST Tournament debut a season ago, subbing in for Erin Andrews, who had been the sideline reporter during the 2014 event.

None of this news should be surprising. In all likelihood, Raftery will likely be calling Big Ten Tournament action on CBS as he did a season ago along with Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, and Tracy Wolfson. Most BIG EAST fans might clamor for the pairing of Gus and Raft, but Jackson is a pro and has been a solid voice on color commentary all season. Plus, it's not like we're getting completely shutout of the pairing, either.

McGrath meanwhile should no doubt excel in her role as sideline reporter for the second straight. Kutcher, too, has been terrific and is an easy choice to provide a voice for BIG EAST coverage. While Joe Davis has been a presence all season, FOX will be keeping him out west for the Pac-12 Tournament, which makes a lot of sense considering that Davis will be one of the voices for the Los Angeles Dodgers' TV broadcasts this season alongside the incomparable Vin Scully.

So, there you have it. If I had to venture a guess, we should be hearing about the NCAA Tournament commentator pairings very soon too. Last year's were issued out on March 4. Tomorrow is... well, check your calendar, folks.

Game	Time	Commentators
BIG EAST First Round #1	7 p.m. ET	Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST First Round #2	9:30 p.m. ET	Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST Quarterfinal #1	Noon ET	Justin Kutcher, Jim Jackson, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST Quarterfinal #2	2:30 p.m. ET	Justin Kutcher, Jim Jackson, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST Quarterfinal #3	7 p.m. ET	Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST Quarterfinal #4	9:30 p.m. ET	Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST Semifinal #1	6:30 p.m. ET	Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST Semifinal #2	9 p.m. ET	Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson, Molly McGrath
BIG EAST Final	5:30 p.m. ET	Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson, Molly McGrath