Billy Packer, lead analyst for CBS Sports, is broadcasting his 34th NCAA Tournament. He and partner Jim Nantz will be calling today?s action for both the UMBC-Georgetown game and the Mount St. Mary?s-North Carolina contest from Raleigh, N.C.
UMBC plays at 2:30 p.m. on WJZ-TV, Baltimore?s home for all the tournament action. Mount St. Mary?s plays at 7:10 p.m. I had a chance to ask Packer a couple questions about the tournament, and before you ask, yes, he knows what UMBC stands for and where it is located. He really does his homework.
QIt?s an uphill battle, but can UMBC upset Georgetown?
AYes. UMBC must be able to rebound, because Georgetown is very good on the boards. Secondly, they must get some outstanding guard play so that they can dictate the tempo of the game. If UMBC allows Georgetown to dictate tempo, then they will lose. There is a reason why the Hoyas are a No. 2 seed. You simply can?t let them play their game and expect to win. I don?t expect UMBC to fear Georgetown or to be awestruck by their surroundings, because to their credit, they played on the road at Wichita State, West Virginia, Ohio State and American. So they won?t be intimidated. This should be a good first-round game.”
Q You said on the NCAA Selection Show that this is the most open the tournament has been in more than 10 years. Why?
A Look at the power conferences this year ? the ACC, the PAC 1O, Big East, Big 12, and SEC. In each case, the top two teams in each conference were very evenly matched. Then look at the teams that were three through six: they also were also evenly matched. Just look at the ACC. You had UNC and Duke at the top of the league with Clemson, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Miami all very much in the race to the end. That is what we see when we look at the NCAA Tournament. The teams that are seeded No. 1 and No. 2 are almost interchangeable, and the No. 3 through No. 6 teams are all solid.
» The women?s tournament will tip off Sunday at Comcast Center. Top-seed Maryland hosts Coppin State on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. Maryland grad and Bowie native Pam Ward will be calling all the action for ESPN. When I asked Ward if the Terps had a shot at winning their second national title in three years, she said: “Without a doubt.”
Ward has signed a new deal with ESPN and is now doing play-by-play almost exclusively. She will continue to do college football, college basketball, WNBA, college softball and college baseball, making her the top woman?s play-by-play voice in the history of sports.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, directorand writer. Check out his blog, Watch this! on www.examiner.com.
