Ratings and viewership have been up throughout the NCAA Tournament for CBS Sports and its broadcast partners this year -- and the storylines and teams set for the Final Four should help the TV numbers to finish strong.
Action begins at 6:09 p.m. Saturday with Louisville-Wichita State. Forty minutes after the conclusion of that game, it's Michigan-Syracuse.
As the tournament's top seed with a rich tradition, college basketball fans have a reason to watch Louisville as it faces the tournament Cinderella, Wichita State. In addition, the broken leg sustained in a gruesome manner by Louisville's Kevin Ware during the regional final last weekend might add casual viewers to the mix on Saturday evening.
There's no doubt Ware's injury has drawn attention beyond the typical college basketball audience. The unusual nature of the injury and the emotional response have been chronicled everywhere from CNN and ESPN to "Good Morning America" and "The Late Show with David Letterman."
In the second game, Michigan and Syracuse meet for the first time in the tournament. The game features AP Player of the Year Trey Burke for Michigan, along with teammates Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glenn Robinson III -- the latest in family lines of college basketball standouts. Of course, Syracuse counters with always measured but at the same time opinionated coach Jim Boeheim and the team's effective 2-3 zone defense.
Both Michigan and Syracuse have big fan bases and rich traditions as well.
Again, it's a recipe for bottom-line success for CBS Sports, and if the on-air talent and behind-the-scenes production teams bring the same focused and measured approach they displayed last week, the broadcasts will be an artistic success as well.
Finally, a PTPer
College basketball TV icon Dick Vitale gets his first NCAA Tournament assignment at the Final Four, working Louisville-Wichita State on the international feed produced by ESPN with play-by-play man Brad Nessler.
He'll be heard (it's always that first for Vitale) in 150 countries -- everywhere but the United States -- and he's excited about the opportunity. He does not plan to change his approach, either. So the catchphrases will abound.
"It's carried me for 34 years," Vitale told USA Today of his style. "I say this humorously, but think about it. Some people think I'm loud, that I talk a lot. But I must be doing something right. I can't go anywhere without people yelling, 'dDo I need a T.O., baby?'"
ESPN's Jay Bilas will work the Michigan-Syracuse game on the international feed.
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