How did TBS do in its Villanova-Michigan game coverage?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - We look at TBS' coverage of the NCAA National Basketball championship between the Villanova Wildcats and Michigan Wolverines Monday night from San Antonio.

The announcers

Jim Nantz (play by play), Grant Hill (analyst), Bill Raftery (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter). Pregame-halftime-postgame analysts: Greg Gumbel, Ernie Johnson, Seth Davis, Clark Kellogg, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley.

Nantz is the dean of the college hoops announcing corps, having covered more than 30 Final Fours. And while announcers and beat writers have stats sheets handed to them during games, Nantz has a memory that is pretty much unparalleled among play-by-play guys.

Pregame predictions

Davis: Villanova, 75-65.

Kellogg: Michigan.

Smith: Michigan.

Barkley: Villanova by two points.

Final: Villanova, 79-62.

Team casts

Team casts were aired concurrently on TNT (Michigan) and Tru TV (Villanova). So if you wanted that profile interview with Michigan coach John Beilein, you wouldn't see it on Tru TV. Most of the team-cast announcers are alumni of the respective schools.

Tipoff time

The game tipped off at 9:20 p.m. EST, drawing ire via Twitter from both fans and columnists.

GAME START TIMES
MLS Cup: 4pm ET
Super Bowl: 6:30pm ET
Stanley Cup Final: 8pm ET
World Series: 8:09 & 8:20pm ET
NBA Finals: 8 & 9pm ET
NCAA men's basketball: 9:20pm ET
-- Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 3, 2018

Observations

* Nantz noted the first three-pointer from either team was Michigan's with just more than 16 minutes to go in the first half.

* In big games, it should be obligatory for a network to explain why a team wears grief patches and for whom. When Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo was at the free-throw line in the first half, Nantz pointed out the RVM on the Wildcats' jerseys honors the late Rollie Massimino, who coached Villanova to a national title in 1985 (and later coached Cleveland State). He died in August at age 82.

Rollie Massimino, coaching Villanova in 1985.Bill Kostroun, Associated Press

* On replay, Hill quickly caught a great head fake from DiVincenzo, who froze the defense momentarily to catch a teammate underneath for a bucket late in the first half.

* During halftime, Nantz pointed out the last two national champions trailed at the half (North Carolina beat Gonzaga in 2017, and Villanova beat North Carolina in 2016.)

* During postgame breakdown we learn Villanova is the first team since UCLA in 1968 to win both of its Final Four games by 16 or more points.

Fair is fair

Nice to see TBS with remote-coverage cutaways to fans in both the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Connelly Center in Philadelphia.

Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo, left, drives to the basket past Michigan forward Isaiah Livers during the first half of the championship game Monday, April 2.Eric Gay, Associated Press

Quotes and quips

* "Every night it's a different horse race, we know that." - Raftery.

* "Michigan is the best defensive team we have played." Villanova coach Jay Wright to Wolfson as the first half ended. The Wildcats led, 37-28.

* "Michigan's in trouble, serious trouble." - Barkley at halftime. Love him or hate him, Barkley remains a candid voice no matter what sport he is talking about.

* "This game could get ugly." - Davis, at the half.

* "That's what I did when I got my paycheck at Seton Hall." - Raftery as cameras caught 'Nova coach Wright with his hands over his eyes, staying in control and in disbelief at a call against his defense. (Raftery coached the New Jersey school for 11 years, the 1980-81 season being his last.)

* "What do you do with your spare time?" Raftery, after Nantz noted there has never been a Super Bowl champion and an NCAA champion in the same city in the same year, until now. (In February, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, 41-33.)

* "The 76ers are going to win a championship." - Barkley. Philadelphia is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 46-30 record.

Misses

* The flaming tracer of "True View" is not necessary on three-point shot replays, like the one showed with just less than 4 minutes remaining in the first half on DiVincenzo's shot.

* Raftery has been around a long time, and he knows the game, but as his voice rises with excitement - a bit of a trademark - he can be briefly unintelligible.

* After a hard foul at the 15:24 mark, Nantz said "Oh, something's happening here. (Villanova's Omari) Spellman and (Michigan's Moritz) Wagner had to be separated." But the network was going to commercial, so we had to wait until after the break to see what caused the double technical.

Weigh in with your thoughts on the broadcast. What would you like to see that you didn't?

Let's block ads! (Why?)