If you were looking forward to spotting Dick Vitale and Dan Shulman in Cameron Indoor Stadium for Duke's Jan. 7 matchup with Davidson, you're out of luck.
A new trio of voices will call Duke's anticipated game against the Wildcats, but the analysis might sound familiar. ESPN's NBA announcers Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Mike Tirico will have play-by-play and color duties in Cameron, while Vitale and Shulman will call the subsequent NBA game between the Nuggets and Heat.
Vitale and Shulman have both worked NBA games before, but only Tirico has called college games from the booth. ESPN executive Norby Williamson told USA Today that the shift is an effort to "make connections between college and the NBA."
That type of cross-promotion is great and all, but in our opinion, this isn't the best time to do it. There are plenty of high-profile college games that the NBA crew can call, but this year's edition of Duke-Davidson has a decidedly college feel to it: Traditional program vs. upstart small school in a tiny but packed gymnasium featuring some of the best college players that may never make it big on the pro stage. Vitale's voice has defined those games over the past few years. Stephen Curry coming to Cameron deserves the attention of a screaming Vitale, not the more technical analysis of NBA analysts.
For all of his flaws, Vitale knows college basketball or is at least accustomed to it--something that can't be said of the NBA team.
"I’ve never been to Cameron Indoor Stadium, and I can’t wait to see the atmosphere in person," Van Gundy said in an ESPN release.
Some words of advice to Tirico and Co.: Follow Curry, Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson at all times, and you might impress Vitale and Shulman, who we can only imagine will be watching intently on a small screen in Denver.
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