Jay Bilas In, Dick Vitale Out for Saturday Primetime Games

[Eric15]

Shulman is in my opinion, right up with Tirico for best PxP in any sport. He and Bilas will make an awesome team.

Shulman has the most soothing voice of any announcer I can think of. (Yes, I acknowledge that's very weird for me to say about a dude, but it's the truth).

 

[STEVEHOLT]

The main problem with Jay Williams is that he simply cannot speak. He cannot properly annunciate the words he is trying to release from his mouth. Don't get me wrong, that is not necessarily a bad thing given that what he is trying to say is usually of limited utility to the world. However, I literally am pained when I listen to the guy. If your content is going to be crap, at least let there be some pleasing aspect to your delivery, tenor, tone..etc.

 

[Col. Bleep]

I would argue that Vitale is the single most important person in the history of college basketball.

I find his schtick a bit over the top at times, but by literally all accounts he's an incredibly down-to-earth person.

No one is saying Dick Vitale is a bad guy.
Quite the opposite.
But his schtick is very tired.

He's actually a really good guy who relentlessly promotes the game
I had dinner at the table next to him and his family at the Final Four in New Orleans.
He couldn't get a forkful into his mouth without a fan coming over and asking for a photo or an autograph or starting a conversation.
And he obliged every single person...and did it with a smile.

The only negative I can think of about him is how he rode his high school star Les Cason from East Rutherford, NJ to Rutgers.
And things did not end well for Les Cason.
But that was years ago.

 

[bballbeadle]

I do believe our friend Dick Vitale is struggling with some illness. Wasn't he really sick before our Duke/SU game at the Dome? Ihave read other talk about him being seen sick. And he has made comments about, "God willing, I'll still be doing this..."

He is a man who can be annoying for sure, but I agree with others who say he has been HUUU-JEH for college bball. I hope that rather than being ill, he is stepping slowly back from announcing the game he loves and taking more time to be with family, go on vacations, you know, to LIVE. He deserves it.

 

[CU44SE]

I love Bilas, one of his biggest fans. But it seemed like he was a little different this past year; almost too full of himself. Personally, I think they really missed Raftery this past year and Bilas maybe tried a little to hard to make up for it. Maybe I'm crazy, but I just didn't find them as enjoyable as in the past.

 

[orange79]

I love Bilas, one of his biggest fans. But it seemed like he was a little different this past year; almost too full of himself. Personally, I think they really missed Raftery this past year and Bilas maybe tried a little to hard to make up for it. Maybe I'm crazy, but I just didn't find them as enjoyable as in the past.

I can see what you're saying. Bilas, Raf, and McDonough were the gold standard, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[CuseCactus]

Jason Williams? Seth Greenberg? Really? Guess ESPN isn't interested in entertainment anymore. I thought that was what the "E" stood for? Guess I was wrong.

 

[SoBeCuse]

I'm willing to give Vitale a pass for some subpar five years or so of recent more schtick and caricature-like commentary. No question he has slipped. Still, the good, energy, and passion outweighs the negative in regards to his whole legacy.

 

[Cheriehoop]

Wonder if Jalen Rose's public bashing of Duke came into play when choosing Bilas' new College gameday partners? Jay Williams with Jay Bilas doesn't really seem like an interesting addition to me and is really a bit too Duke heavy. Jalen Rose in place of Jay Williams would have made the group more interesting.

 

[Alsacs]

If ESPN wanted to replace Jalen Rose I would have atleast replaced with somebody who would give an opinion instead of talking and saying nothing of substance like Williams does.

People I would have replaced Jalen Rose with if they had to take off him that spot. I would have kept Jalen Rose, but who knows if Rose is taking a hit because of his close relationship with Bill Simmons and Simmons recent run in with ESPN management.
1. Dan Dakich- he says whatever is on his mind and is entertaining.
2.Clark Kellogg- he was pretty upset at CBS switching him up with Greg Anthony and going back to ESPN wouldn't have been a bad thing for him.
3. Shane Battier. Battier hasn't even debuted yet and he is way better than Jay Williams right now.
4. Bill Walton- this dude would have been pure entertainment.

 

[Cusefan0307]

Wonder if Jalen Rose's public bashing of Duke came into play when choosing Bilas' new College gameday partners? Jay Williams with Jay Bilas doesn't really seem like an interesting addition to me and is really a bit too Duke heavy. Jalen Rose in place of Jay Williams would have made the group more interesting.

Seriously!! love Bilas, but the Duke apologists across the analyst landscape is getting to be too much. Already have to deal with Seth on CBS, now both Williams and Battier on Gameday. Theres a ton of well spoken former players to choose from, and you choose Jay Will. Can't wait to hear him tell me Trevor Cooney needs to make shots for Syracuse to be successful. DUH!

 

[O-pulse]

yessssssssssssssssssss (using my best Marv Albert tone)

Jay is far better than Vitals lame biased reporting. when he first hit the scene, he was new and different; in time his bombast and worn out catch phrases are just old.
Plus his obvious bias toward Duke and NC gets really old for Cuse fans.

 

[orangefan13]

They are missing out on dickiy simpkins, it would be christmas all year.

 

[LennX6]

I tend to agree with this. And let's not forget all the fundraising he has done for various charities, most notably the Jimmy V Foundation. Dude loves the game, and is genuinely one of the most giving people involved in the sport (and beyond).

Agreed. Hey this could be his call. Even guys like Dickie V start feeling their age. Actually being at the game is still great but the travel, the promos, et al., still a lot of his time is still not his own.

 

[OttoMets]

Also, I'm going to sound like a homer, but Mcdonough is better than Shulman and deserves to be the number one announcer. Never understood the ESPN love affair with Shulman. He was an NBA and MLB guy they moved to college basketball. Mcdonough has been doing college basketball for years on ESPN, and just strikes me as someone who has a better overall knowledge of the sport.

Agree. Shulman is like Jim Nantz; vanilla, almost goes out of his way to say cliched things. They think he pairs well with some of the more overbearing color guys (Vitale, Elmore), but to me that makes him more irritating.

 

[dlegend44]

If ESPN wanted to replace Jalen Rose I would have atleast replaced with somebody who would give an opinion instead of talking and saying nothing of substance like Williams does.

People I would have replaced Jalen Rose with if they had to take off him that spot. I would have kept Jalen Rose, but who knows if Rose is taking a hit because of his close relationship with Bill Simmons and Simmons recent run in with ESPN management.
1. Dan Dakich- he says whatever is on his mind and is entertaining.
2.Clark Kellogg- he was pretty upset at CBS switching him up with Greg Anthony and going back to ESPN wouldn't have been a bad thing for him.
3. Shane Battier. Battier hasn't even debuted yet and he is way better than Jay Williams right now.
4. Bill Walton- this dude would have been pure entertainment.

I have to respectfully disagree with your suggestions:

1. Dan Dakich is a less enertaining version of Vitale. Lots of unrelated memories about who he knows and funny little stories that are not actually funny. I hope that DD disapears soon.
2. Clark Kellogg is the 50 year old version of Jay Williams. Not very enertaining and mostsly captain obvious. He would predict all four #1 seeds in the Final Four every year on the CBS selection show.
3. I cannot comment on Shane Battier, no frame of reference.
4. Bill Walton is a clown! "Remember when I played the game and I was way better than these punks?"

Bilas, Raff and McD were as I could a team as I have ever heard. Funny and insightful...very difficult to pull off.

 

[dlegend44]

Also, I'm going to sound like a homer, but Mcdonough is better than Shulman and deserves to be the number one announcer. Never understood the ESPN love affair with Shulman. He was an NBA and MLB guy they moved to college basketball. Mcdonough has been doing college basketball for years on ESPN, and just strikes me as someone who has a better overall knowledge of the sport.

I thought they were both Syracuse graduates. How does that make you a homer?

 

[Cusefan0307]

I thought they were both Syracuse graduates. How does that make you a homer?

No, Shulman is Canadian.

 

[Alsacs]

Shulman is Canadian but he is a huge pro Syracuse announcer. I believe he had a family member attend Syracuse. I love Shulman.