gw67
03-23-2007, 08:18 AM
I looked forward to the Kansas-SIU game last night. I liked the matchup. SIU was small, didn't have a host of run-jump athletes, and they played tough at both ends of the floor while Kansas has the type of team many on this board desire - depth, size, more highly touted, run-jump athletes than perhaps any team in the country, they play uptempo and they seem to have a lot of "me" in their game. I didn't have a dog in the fight but I wanted the underdog to win. Besides, I did have SIU going to the Final Four in one of my brackets.
I also looked forward to having the game covered by Engberg and Bilas. Engberg has been one of the best play-by-play men since his days with Packer and McGuire and he has a gentle manner toward the youngsters who play college basketball, while Bilas has been one of the most astute and articulate observers of college basketball for many years.
While the game was everything I thiught it was going to be, the announcing fell far short of my expectations. From the beginning of the game through most of the second half, Jay was unrelenting (and over the top, IMO) in his praise of SIU while occasionally giving the back of his hand to Kansas (You were led to believe that they were shaking in their shoes at the prospect of playing a mid-major even though they lead at the half). Even my wife noticed that Bilas was very enthusiastic for SIU and suggested (jokingly) that perhaps he was given an honorary degree from there. Not a professional performance, IMO.
During the parts of the UCLA game I watched, Bilas was much more even-handed in his descriptions.
gw67
I also looked forward to having the game covered by Engberg and Bilas. Engberg has been one of the best play-by-play men since his days with Packer and McGuire and he has a gentle manner toward the youngsters who play college basketball, while Bilas has been one of the most astute and articulate observers of college basketball for many years.
While the game was everything I thiught it was going to be, the announcing fell far short of my expectations. From the beginning of the game through most of the second half, Jay was unrelenting (and over the top, IMO) in his praise of SIU while occasionally giving the back of his hand to Kansas (You were led to believe that they were shaking in their shoes at the prospect of playing a mid-major even though they lead at the half). Even my wife noticed that Bilas was very enthusiastic for SIU and suggested (jokingly) that perhaps he was given an honorary degree from there. Not a professional performance, IMO.
During the parts of the UCLA game I watched, Bilas was much more even-handed in his descriptions.
gw67