In case the current bracketology forecasts weren’t enough to convince you of the ACC’s men’s basketball downfall, perhaps ESPN’s commentator assignments will.
According to a press release issued by the network on Tuesday, ESPN’s lead college basketball announcing team of Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will be on the call for the SEC Tournament this year after years of broadcasting the ACC Tournament. The duo will call the early session on each day of the SEC tournament, as well as the entirety of the semifinal round and championship game. They’ll be joined by sideline reporter Jess Sims.
As wrong as hearing Shulman and Bilas calling SEC Tournament games will feel for traditionalists, it’s objectively the right call for ESPN. In Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket projections, the SEC is slated to get a whopping 12 teams into the NCAA Tournament field. The ACC on the other hand? Just three.
For a conference once hailed for its basketball prowess, the ACC’s fall from grace has been staggering.
Not all is lost for ACC Tournament viewers, however. The opening left by Shulman and Bilas has given the seasoned ACC basketball duo of play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien (a.k.a. the Notorious D.O.B), and analyst Cory Alexander the opportunity to elevate into the tournament’s lead slots. O’Brien and Alexander will call one session each day beginning in the second round all the way through the championship game.
Per an ESPN spokesperson, “This switch is not permanent and [broadcast assignments] will be determined on a year-to-year basis,” presumably based on the quality of each conference.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.