Courtesy USA Today

(March 11, 2009) With Selection Sunday days away, Clark Kellogg is poised to become only the second lead analyst in CBS Sports' 28-year history of broadcasting the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

He'll also be the first African-American to call the Final Four and championship game.

Kellogg succeeds Billy Packer, CBS' lead analyst for 27 years.

Packer's blunt style made him a lightning rod for debate. Some viewers liked him. Others viewed him as a know-it-all who wanted to announce, coach and referee the games he called, all at the same time. Then there were the complaints Packer favored Duke, the ACC, and other bigger schools and conferences.

The three games Kellogg called this season with lead play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz were a warm-up for the passion he'll experience during March Madness. Does he expect the same fan scrutiny as Packer?

"I've always been a guy who tries to be fair and objective. I'll state my opinions and I'll state them with conviction," he said Tuesday.

"But my personality's a little different, my style's a little different. And that's fine. There's enough flavors out there. We're kind of the Baskin-Robbins of announcers. There's plenty of flavors out there and you can find who you like and what you like."

Kellogg will be critical. But he said he'll do it with "velvet gloves." The father of two collegiate student-athletes and another high school athlete noted: "When I'm calling a college game, I see my kids. So my approach is instructive."

Kellogg and Nantz will be the only new announcer pairing for 2009. The others: Dick Enberg-Carter Blackburn-Jay Bilas; Verne Lundquist-Bill Raftery; Gus Johnson-Len Elmore; Kevin Harlan-Dan Bonner; Ian Eagle-Jim Spanarkel ; Craig Bolerjack-Bob Wenzel; Tim Brando-Mike Gminski.