Two games Saturday set half of the field for the Final Four, and they provided a glimpse of a play-by-play man who deserves more high-profile assignments as well as an interesting look at how TV analysts/experts often fail to shoulder responsibility when they're wrong.
Unfortunately, it's not likely the announcer will get better assignments during the NCAA Tournament or that those analysts and experts will change their approach.
First, the announcer. Play-by-play man Gus Johnson, whose work draws regular raves at this time of year (as it should all year round), put together another stellar effort working with Len Elmore as Butler defeated Kansas State. Johnson brought accuracy, emotion and energy to the assignment, setting up Elmore, who capably found spots for interesting comments and insights. They're a solid announcing team that works well with each other and entertains and informs viewers -- a perfect TV match.
After the Butler game, when Johnson led the telecast through all the correct high points (OK, a some a little earlier than necessary with several minutes remaining in the game), CBS Sports moved to West Virginia-Kentucky, called by Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas.
It was a stark contrast, with Enberg fumbling a bit during the intro to the second game. Still, Enberg-Bilas also represent another solid TV match. They're understated compared to Johnson-Elmore, but Enberg eventually found his rhythm during the game and the underappreciated Bilas provided quality analysis to match the regional final assignment.
With Enberg leaving college basketball assignments after this season's tournament (meaning Saturday was his final game), a spot higher on the pecking order of announce teams for the events would seem open for Johnson.
A logical move would be to keep Johnson-Elmore together and find another partner for Bilas -- he's a worthy member of a top team but it would be insanity to break up Johnson-Elmore.
But, and it's a big but, CBS Sports might not have the tournament next year and Johnson could be left out of the action on an ESPN-controlled event. Many expect the NCAA to opt out of its current TV deal before an August deadline to do so, look for more money and potentially expand the event in the future.
If that were to happen, Johnson could just get shut out of a bigger role -- despite regularly proving he deserves one.
Now, those analysts and experts. They continually prove they cannot admit they were wrong.
Again, the Butler game was a perfect example. Nobody on CBS pre-game studio show picked Butler and most people at ESPN also expected a Kansas State victory.
After Butler controlled the game and advanced to the Final Four, nobody, nobody at all, said they were surprised or wrong. Instead, it was revisionist history -- pointing to when they (the basketball media) were collectively correct earlier -- or citing things that sounded like excuses.
Both Greg Anthony on CBS and Dick Vitale on ESPN pointed to the fact that Butler should not be a surprise, and that the team was a top-10 pick during the preseason. Never mind that they both said Butler would lose when previewing the game.
Guest CBS analyst Bill Self, the Kansas coach, said Butler did a great job reacting and rebounding when it was trailing in the game. (Vitale also made the same point.) OK, that's a nice example of giving credit when deserved, but Self could've offered more insight there. It was an example begging for more details from a coach. What do you say? What do you not say? How do you keep a team calm or motivate them at a time like that?
Finally, Seth Davis said K-State looked tired after playing a double overtime game in the regional semifinal. Really? A game two-days earlier was an appropriate excuse? Especially for college players at the top level who often played multiple games during the same day during their summer basketball leagues.
Maybe our experts sometimes just need to say they were surprised or wrong. That would be an important improvement for TV sports.
No comments:
Post a Comment