Your NCAA Announcing Schedule: Round One

Monday, March 17, 2008

CBS wasted no time getting this information to me, so I figured I would pass it on to you just as fast. I'm sure you're all wondering who won the Gus lottery and the luck Region is the (drum roll) South! Those of you who are watching teams in Denver (Temple, MSU, Oral Roberts, PITT, Winthrop, Washington State, George Mason, and Notre Dame) congratulations!!!

Thursday Games:

(12) Temple (21-12) vs (5) Michigan State (25-8) 12:20 PM South (Denver): Gus Johnson and Len Elmore
(14) Georgia (17-16) vs (3) Xavier (27-6) 12:20 PM West (Washington, DC): Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel
(16) Portland State (23-9) vs (1) Kansas (31-3) 12:25 PM Midwest (Omaha): Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
(11) Kentucky (18-12) vs (6) Marquette (24-9) 2:30 PM South (Anaheim): Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas
(11) Baylor (21-10) vs (6) Purdue (24-8) 2:50 PM West (Washington, DC): Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel
(9) Kent State (28-6) vs (8) UNLV (26-7) 2:55 PM Midwest (Omaha): Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
(13) Oral Roberts (24-8) vs (4) Pittsburgh (26-9) 3:00 PM South (Denver): Gus Johnson and Len Elmore
(14) Cornell (22-5) vs (3) Stanford (26-7) 4:55 PM South (Anaheim): Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas
(11) Kansas State (20-11) vs (6) USC (21-11) 7:10 PM Midwest (Omaha): Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
(15) Belmont (25-8) vs (2) Duke (27-5) 7:10 PM West (Washington, DC): Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel
(13) Winthrop (22-11) vs (4) Washington State (24-8) 7:20 PM East (Denver): Gus Johnson and Len Elmore
(9) Texas A&M (24-10) vs (8) BYU (27-7) 7:25 PM West (Anaheim): Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas
(14) Cal State Fullerton (24-8) vs (3) Wisconsin (29-4) 9:40 PM Midwest (Omaha): Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner
(12) George Mason (23-10) vs (5) Notre Dame (24-7) 9:50 PM East (Denver): Gus Johnson and Len Elmore
(16) Mississippi Valley State (17-15) vs (1) UCLA (31-3) 9:50 PM West (Anaheim): Dick Enberg/Carter Blackburn and Jay Bilas
(10) Arizona (19-14) vs (7) West Virginia (24-10) 9:50 PM West (Washington, DC): Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel

Friday Games:

(15) American (21-11) vs (2) Tennessee (29-4) 12:15 PM East (Birmingham): Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
(10) Davidson (26-6) vs (7) Gonzaga (25-7) 12:25 PM Midwest (Raleigh): Jim Nantz and Billy Packer
(10) St. Mary's (CA) (25-6) vs (7) Miami (FL) (22-10) 12:30 PM South (Little Rock): Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
(12) Western Kentucky (27-6) vs (5) Drake (28-4) 12:30 PM West (Tampa): Tim Brando and Mike Gminski
(10) South Alabama (26-6) vs (7) Butler (29-3) 2:45 PM East (Birmingham): Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
(15) UMBC (24-8) vs (2) Georgetown (27-5) 2:55 PM Midwest (Raleigh): Jim Nantz and Billy Packer
(13) San Diego (21-13) vs (4) UConn (24-8) 3:00 PM West (Tampa): Tim Brando and Mike Gminski
(15) Austin Peay (24-10) vs (2) Texas (28-6) 5:00 PM South (Little Rock): Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
(16) Play-In Winner (TBD) vs (1) North Carolina (32-2) 7:10 PM East (Raleigh): Jim Nantz and Billy Packer
(11) St. Joseph's (21-12) vs (6) Oklahoma (22-11) 7:10 PM East (Birmingham): Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
(13) Siena (22-10) vs (4) Vanderbilt (26-7) 7:20 PM Midwest (Tampa): Tim Brando and Mike Gminski
(9) Oregon (18-13) vs (8) Mississippi State (22-10) 7:25 PM South (Little Rock): Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel
(9) Arkansas (22-11) vs (8) Indiana (25-7) 9:50 PM East (Raleigh): Jim Nantz and Billy Packer
(14) Boise State (25-8) vs (3) Louisville (24-8) 9:50 PM East (Birmingham): Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery
(12) Villanova (20-12) vs (5) Clemson (24-9) 9:50 PM Midwest (Tampa): Tim Brando and Mike Gminski
(16) UT Arlington (21-11) vs (1) Memphis (33-1) 9:55 PM South (Little Rock): Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel

Teams stay at the same locations for Round Two, but I will put up another post once the games are decided.

Posted by Awful Announcing- at 3:00 PM

29 Comments:

Any idea yet on the official breakdown for Enberg and Blackburn. I assume Blackburn will do the early games and Enberg the night games, but what about Saturday? Just Enberg since it's only two games?

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 3:56:00 PM  

Not yet....for some reason they list them all together in the press release. I'll try to find out.

Mar 17, 2008, 3:58:00 PM  

Gus probably got the most competitive games of the first two rounds, PERFECT!

Brett said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:05:00 PM  

I had a feeling that USC/K-State would be the featured game on Thursday...Gus should be there.

GMoney said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:06:00 PM  

I still can't believe that CBS is making West Coast teams play at 9:00 their time. It's bad enough that they made the entire WCC play on the other side of the country, now they're making them play at breakfast?

You can guarantee one second round matchup. I guarn-damn-tee you that Duke will be chosen for the first game Saturday (the only Saturday game that goes out to the entire country). They always get that game and the Thursday primetime game when they're in the Thursday/Saturday bracket. So their opponent will be playing until midnight Thursday and then come back to play Duke before lunch on Saturday.

J.J. said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:11:00 PM  

They pushed back the start time of the Saturday second round games two hours this year. That national game starts at 2:15 now, and yes it is Duke. The quadrupleheader games start at 9:00.

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:21:00 PM  

Clearly Kevin Harlan will be able to be objective calling a Kansas game.... Clearly...

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:38:00 PM  

Enbergs gotta give up a region. This guy is impossible to listen to now in my opinion. Ian Eagle should have a redgion. He is the best announcer along with Gus IMO. Raftery should be with one of Gus or Ian that would be magic.

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:41:00 PM  

just read this pretty solid lampooning of March Madness articles:

http://freglomerica.blogspot.com/2008/03/dr-ss-generic-bracket-breakdown.html

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:50:00 PM  

OOPS! sorry about that

freglomerica.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:51:00 PM  

Harlan has called many Kansas games over the years. He is the ultimate professional. I'd rather seem him do their game and the KSU game since he is probably most familiar with the Big XII.

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 4:52:00 PM  

Someone really does love Gus. George Mason and Winthrop? They'll have to keep an entire box of glass slippers on hand just in case.

Big picture, he gets two of the infamous 5-12 match-ups and the weakest 4 seed. Hopefully we'll be in for a classic weekend.

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 5:02:00 PM  

As a KU fan I love the fact that fellow Jayhawk (and Sigma Chi) Kevin Harlan will be calling the KU game. KU fans were stuck with Nance and Packer last year in Chicago so this must be CBS' way of saying they are sorry.

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 5:04:00 PM  

Thank you, CBS for doing Michigan State fans a great service by counterbalancing the excitable Gus Johnson with the crotchety, old, almost lost MSU radio broadcast team of Will Teamen & Gus Ganakas. I might be on an island up here about this, but they're insufferable.

Mar 17, 2008, 5:57:00 PM  

Looks like I'll be getting some pretty big helpings of Lundquist/Raftery and GuJo. Awesome.

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 7:36:00 PM  

Rick James is right on. Sparty has an unlistenable radio crew. Words cannot describe their awfulness, but "Insufferable" works.

Thank Gus that Gus Johnson is working those games. It's going to make for a great Thursday!

Big Al said...
Mar 17, 2008, 8:30:00 PM  

I am attending the games in Raleigh, which means I do not have to ever listen to Nantz-Packer for the first and second rounds. This means the world to me.

Steve B. said...
Mar 17, 2008, 8:51:00 PM  

im a temple fan and i get gus. oh glory day.

todd said...
Mar 17, 2008, 10:11:00 PM  

Pretty glad Denver gets ol' screamin' Gus rather than Anaheim where my boys are at. Maybe I can actually figure out what's going on instead of having to reach and turn the volume down every five minutes.

Anonymous said...
Mar 17, 2008, 11:56:00 PM  

What do you get for winning the Eye-An Eagle lottery? Bored to tears?

Anonymous said...
Mar 18, 2008, 12:30:00 AM  

Well, unfortunately I personally won the Nessler-Dykes lottery. Damn.

As far as the other locals go though, it would appear I'm going to at least get a little Lundquist-Raftery, GUS!, and......oh no......a double dose of Nantz and Packer.

*cries*

Willmott said...
Mar 18, 2008, 3:16:00 AM  

Possible explanation for split at the Anaheim venue: Enberg will call the first, third and fourth games for CBS and Blackburn will call the second for CBS College Sports (the former CSTV), as Blackburn is a regular on that network.

Anonymous said...
Mar 18, 2008, 1:23:00 PM  

At least Gus has Len Elmore alongside of him. Or should I say, at thank god for my ears Gus has Len Elmore beside him. They won't bleed nearly as much at this point.

Every time Gus' voice cracks, you've got to take a shot. Every time Gus says the words slipper or cinderella, you've got to take shot.

Thankfully I'll be unconscious by half-time and can sleep through the rest of Denver's Thursday.

Anonymous said...
Mar 18, 2008, 3:00:00 PM  

Six of these analysts played in the ACC (three of them at Duke), whlle Bob Wenzel was an assistant at Duke. So much for diversity.

Anonymous said...
Mar 18, 2008, 9:44:00 PM  

Any coverage maps yet?

Anonymous said...
Mar 18, 2008, 11:17:00 PM  

Is James Brown still locked in for the regionals over Gus?

Anonymous said...
Mar 19, 2008, 3:20:00 PM  

Favorite Gus-isms

DICK-OW for threeee got it!

Drives the laaane, ohhhhhh!

Remember Gus on an NFL call getting the Governor of MA confused with Antwoin Smith and then yelling, " Will you get the camera off of her so I can concentrate on the game."

Anonymous said...
Mar 20, 2008, 10:18:00 AM  

You guys that complain about Gus can't be true college basketball fans. He is the PERFECT announcer for this tournament. No other announcer can come close to calling not just the games, but the EXCITEMENT of them. I pray that CBS will someday come to their senses and allow Gus to do the Final Four.

Anonymous said...
Mar 20, 2008, 6:47:00 PM  

If it's any consolation GMoney, Portland St. and St. Mary's are playing in central time, so they don't start until 10:30.

Anonymous said...
Mar 22, 2008, 3:04:00 PM  

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