ESPN released College Basketball analyst Tom Brennan after 4 years at the network  and a year remaining on his contract. His ability to provide analysis to viewers with a little more of a slant to towards the mid and low majors, was really overlooked, especially come tourney time. This move paired with the release of Chris Low from ESPN.com, now leaves very little mid-major voice on the network.

Like it or not, ESPN is a network that most the selection committee watches throughout the regular season to help gauge teams.

From the AP Report:

Brennan says he had a great four years at ESPN and that it’s a very professional organization.
He told the Burlington Free Press he knew it was a possibility that his contract wouldn’t be renewed.

Brennan was without a doubt one of the more likable analysts for not only college basketball, but at the network altogether. I enjoyed the objectivity he provided on air paired with his lighthearted approach to the subject matter. For a network that is quick to grab every recently retired NFL player to come work as an out of place analyst, ESPN sure has let some talent drop over the years. I’m sure this had to do with budget cuts more than anything.

My guess this means an expanded role for Bobby Knight in studio, which isn’t a bad thing, especially for ratings. That being said, I preferred Knight as a color commentator, where he was unbelievably candid and very easy to follow.

Hopefully Brennan lands on his feet somewhere like Versus or FSN.

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