Another full weekend of college basketball; Lots of games, enough to fill all those empty seats

• Have you noticed a major change in the way college telecasts are cutting down on the opens. In the past, there was a standup, a well rehearsed scene-setter, the presentation of the lineups and a tease to tip-off. Now, networks like ESPN and Fox hold the broadcasts at the studio until the teams are almost around the jump circle. They often won’t throw it to the play-by-play crew until seconds before the game begins. It makes you wonder they’re thinking. Perhaps it’s the fact that the announcers are generally broadcasting remotely and have less inherently to share.

• Have you noticed the migration of games from ESPN3 to ESPN+. It’s a move from a free stream to a paid one. In its recent earnings report, Disney overdelivered on the consensus expectations for Disney+. It’s where the business is headed. Less cable and more paid streams. God bless America and the almighty dollar. Remember the currency is the creature of the government.

• Rick Pitino’s Iona teams hasn’t played in forever. His Gales have a couple games this weekend.

• Tim Brando and Nick Bahe have a Big East dandy, Saturday, Creighton and Villanova in Omaha. The two worked last week’s Marquette game, a loss to Creighton. They work well together. Brahe is solid. Brando will be part of Fox’ team covering the Big East Tournament. He was assigned last year’s Georgetown-St. John’s Big East Tournament game last year. Yes, it was the game that was stopped at halftime due to Covid. 

• Roger Twibell, 71 and longtime ABCer, is keeping busy doing Arkansas State’s basketball streamcasts.

• Now that beleaguered Westwood One ended up in a forced marriage to carry one more year of the NCAA Tournament, Kevin Kugler will likely be back to do the Final Four. Kugler has Illinois at Nebraska on the Big Ten Network Friday night and he has Villanova at Creighton Saturday for Westwood One. Kugler lives in Omaha so if he’s doing both live, he won’t have a stressful travel weekend

• Mark Neely has Oklahoma at West Virginia Saturday. I heard him him call pitiful Iowa State’s loss to Kansas by 33. He and the game were the best cures for insomnia.

• CBS’ Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas are a good team. They have Butler and Georgetown on CBS Sports Network.

• Dan Dakich definitely is very knowledgeable and adds quite a bit of depth and passion to the broadcas, but he doesn’t shut up. On and on and on.

• Meanwhile, Dan Bonner has been stealing money for years. He adds so little. How in the world CBS has him on the March Madness crew, I’ll never know. Much of his comments are numbers. His ACC Network partner on Friday was Mike Monaco who’s worked for Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network. He also did baseball for the AAA Pawtucket red Sox.

• Neil Harwell covers sports in the Kansas City area and does Omaha at UM, Kansas City game. I’ve never heard him but his last name begs the question, are you related to Ernie Harwell?

• Andy Katz does commentary on BIG 10 Network Saturday on Northwestern-Rutgers game. For years, Katz was a college basketball analyst for ESPN.

• Kevin Burkhardt, another three sport man, works with Steve Lavin on Marquette-Seton Hall game Sunday. It runs at 3pm on FS1. Burkhardt is a New Jersey guy who sold cars before he cracked the sports broadcasting business. Lavin is a Californian who coached St. John’s.

Eye on Sky and Air Sports is your source for the latest college basketball television schedule and announcers