Instant karma right here. Mock another team for getting pounded on the road, proceed to watch your team play its worst game of the season.
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Interesting officiating point in the Baylor-TT game. Late in the first half, a flop warning was given to a jump shooter (McClung) after he fell to the floor after a perimeter attempt (a la Jordan Poole). No argument from McClung. I love it. Guys have to stop doing that.
I think they called one in the Illinois/OSU game too
Dickie V still whining about the transfer rule in the second half.
Rick Pitino told him it was bad so that’s all he needed
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I always complain about Dakich calling all our games on ESPN, but then sometimes I think of Dickie V and I’m quietly thankful.
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Dickie V’s purported love of players is easily trumped by his devotion to and defense of his coaching brethren.
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There’s a slavering quality to just about all of it with Vitale that leaves me very cold.
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Last game I saw Dickie V doing color was like a week ago (can’t remember, too much multi-tasking) and he seriously compared one of the players on the court to John Long, one of his old Detroit Mercy guys. Then proceeded to compare another kid to Spencer Haywood. I mean, cmon man
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Dakich was quite funny when he threw some shade about how Duke always has to have a POY nominee regardless even if they went 1-1000000. Benetti said something about that would be a lot of games. Dakich responds it would mean Coach K would have to play a game away from home for their non conference schedule. Dakich can be grating but he has some good insight at times and he won’t hesitate to criticize.
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He definitely won’t hesitate to criticize, even when it’s completely undeserved.
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Dakich has been extra dialed in with his radio-type takes during games while broadcasting from home and far less dialed in with any insight about the game.
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It still gets the fans involved though and creates the environment players like to play in.
I don’t care for announcers who blather on off topic while the game is in progress. Walton is the biggest offender, but Dakich does this, too.
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Yes – to be clear, I wasn’t saying I like it… just trying to point out it seems to be even worse when he’s at home in his basement instead of at a game.
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I have a bit of an armchair theory that basketball is just an impossible sport to commentate because of how fast-paced it is. The only other sport I really watch is soccer, and it seems like all of those commentators regardless of network are pretty good. I think it’s because basketball has no “downtime” or lulls that it gets really annoying when the color commentator is always talking over the game play. Also for some reason the majority of basketball commentators seem to be loudmouths with an inflated opinion of their knowledge and insight of the game; I don’t really have a theory to explain that.
I don’t think it is the sport. There are plenty of good color commentators in basketball (who do NBA or NCAA hoops), it is just a decision about what sells and how people want to structure their broadcasts. A guy like Alexi Lalas would go in the Dakich category, for example. Ray Hudson is a Dickie V-like figure in many ways.
Bigger part of soccer versus basketball may be expectations of the role in Europe versus the USA.
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He doesn’t get to do his on court segments…
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It’s a bit harder to walk onto the field and back from a press box than it is from the court side announcer table to the court though lol.
Speaking of, I actually don’t remember seeing Dakich court side stuff in recent years. Obviously this year he can’t no matter what.
Beilein is already a better color guy than Bardo or Dakich.
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