If you are tuning in to watch some hoops this evening you are in for a big surprise. ESPN has swapped its announcer teams tonight with Mike Tirico, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy covering the Davidson/Duke tilt in Durham and Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale announcing the Heat/Nuggets game afterwards.

This is an interesting switch as Vitale will bring his trademark enthusiasm to a staid midseason NBA contest made all the more dull by the lack of Carmelo Anthony who is out with injury. Tirico and Co. will be challenged to demonstrate their NCAA chops covering a Davidson squad gaining in popularity due to Stephen Curry and a Duke squad devoid of high wattage stars like in years past.

There is no word yet on whether similar switches will be made throughout the ongoing NBA and NCAA seasons. My guess is that Dan and Dick will add some juice to the NBA while the NBA guys will be merely adequate covering college hoops. We will definitely want to follow up on the ratings for this one.

Dickie V and Marc Jackson commented on ESPN.com about tonight’s games. As Vitale said, “It should be loads of fun to see Dwyane Wade, a guy I labeled as a diaper dandy when he was a collegian. As I've told many media members, he is no longer a diaper dandy, but a Rolls-Royce superstar at the next level and in life.”

  OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK

• Piling On Clemens - The Biz of Baseball
• Final Bidder For Chicago Cubs Could Be Selected in 7 to 10 Days - The Biz of Baseball
• J.C. Romero Should Have "Let the Body Beware" - The Biz of Baseball
• Sling Media to Introduce SlingMobile for iPhone Today - The Biz of Baseball
• Twins Owner, Carl Pohlad, Dead at 93 - The Biz of Baseball
• A's, KTRB Announce Radio Partnership - The Biz of Baseball
• Look for the Stakes to be Higher for MLB Salary Arbitration This Year - The Biz of Baseball
• Editorial: MLB Network Launch Nearly a Grand Slam - The Biz of Baseball
• Jeff Moorad Resigns as CEO of D-Backs to Pursue Purchase of Padres - The Biz of Baseball
• Subscriber Confusion Surrounds MLB Network Launch - The Biz of Baseball
• 2009 NHL Winter Classic On NBC Delivers Best Regular-Season Overnight In Nearly 13 Years - The Biz of Hockey
• Video: Tour of Wrigley Field Just Before NHL Winter Classic - The Biz of Hockey
• NHL to Offer Free Trial of NHL GameCenterLive on Jan. 3 - The Biz of Hockey
• McDonalds USA Becomes Official Quick-Serve Restaurant of NHL - The Biz of Hockey
• ESPN to Air First College Football Game from New Cowboys Stadium - The Biz of Football
• 225 Million Fans Watched NFL on Television Games This Season - The Biz of Football
• A Detailed Look at the BCS System - The Biz of Football
• Super Bowl to Broadcast "Monsters v. Aliens" Commercial in 3D - The Biz of Football
• Chargers - Colts Wild Card Game Highest Rated WC Since 1999 - The Biz of Football
• NFLPA Pars List of Finalists for Exec. Director to Under 10 - The Biz of Football
• Monday Night Football: Most-Watched Series on Cable for 2008 - The Biz of Football