But it got lucky with getting lots of name-brand teams. And the network seems poised to do something that it's only done twice in the past decade: end up with TV ratings for the NCAA tournament that are higher than the previous year's numbers.

Through Saturday, CBS' ratings are up 9% over last year, when CBS' NCAA games averaged 5.6% of U.S. TV households. That was the lowest NCAA average ever, except for 2003 coverage, which was interrupted by Iraq war reporting.

Villanova's last-second win against Pittsburgh helped boost the overnight rating for its late-game Saturday night time slot by 6%. But TV stars North Carolina and Duke, in less compelling games, brought the real pop. Duke (losing to Villanova) got a 25% increase in its Thursday night time slot and UNC (beating Gonzaga) Friday night brought a 42% uptick.

That's why it was a no-brainer for CBS to schedule UNC (vs. Villanova) in its marquee Final Four late game, which will begin about 40 minutes after the finish of Michigan State-Connecticut, which will tip at 6:07 p.m. ET Saturday. Says CBS programmer Mike Aresco: "Duke and Carolina bring big built-in audiences to TV sets."

But Sunday, Kellogg showed signs that he has plenty of potential for offbeat takes himself. In Oklahoma's leaping Blake Griffin, Kellogg saw "yeast that rises and helium that floats." In North Carolina's Danny Green, Kellogg was reminded of a handy household item. Green, he said, is "as versatile as baking soda."