ESPN "experiments" with no Play By Play for USF @ Zags

[GoZags]

Jimmy Dykes mentioned a few moments ago (he's currently doing the LSU/Auburn game) that he'll be in K2 on 2/20 with Fran Fraschilla. There will be no "play by play" guy assigned to the game ... just Jimmy and Fran talking hoops while the game is being played. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...meId=401175281

Could be interesting ....

Then of course there's always Huddy and Mo as the go to guys ....

[Radbooks]

I honestly don't listen much to the announcers as I watch the game anyway so this would be fine with me!

[sittingon50]

I like it.

[willandi]

I would prefer a good play by play person and do away with the color announcers.

[Markburn1]

I honestly don't listen much to the announcers as I watch the game anyway so this would be fine with me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdXeWvucvH8

Just sayin'

[Markburn1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2TtyeXgYM8

Another favorite

[GoZags]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2TtyeXgYM8

Another favorite

Yes. That is a UW Husky favorite.

[gonzagafan62]

I’ll have to go to iheart radio then and listen to Huddy and Adam!

[sullyzag66]

I’ll have to go to iheart radio then and listen to Huddy and Adam!

In one blowout game recently they spent ten minutes talking about stealing signs in MLB.

[ProVeeZag]

No play by play announcer, but they talk about hoops? So it's just like a Bill Walton telecast ... except they'll talk about basketball too.

[zagbeliever]

No play by play announcer, but they talk about hoops? So it's just like a Bill Walton telecast ... except they'll talk about basketball too.

Nightmare. Thankfully I will be at that game and not have to listen.

[jpn17]

Sounds horrible. My biggest complaint about commentators is that they go on tangents way too frequently and don't call the game. If they're not gonna call the game, I'd rather not have any announcers at all.

[CDC84]

I like it as an "experiment" because both men are pro-Gonzaga guys. Fran is not a guy like Vitale. He sticks to the game at hand. He doesn't chatter about the "state of college basketball throughout the country" when doing Big 12 games. I could see him assuming some of the "play by play duties," although I would rather he do analysis because I think he's the best ESPN has got in that area. However, Dykes is a good color guy as well.

Fran was the very first TV color analyst to declare Gonzaga a major/power program who plays in a mid major conference. Print journalists had done it before him as early as 2003, but Fran was the first guy on TV. I encourage Gonzaga fans to give this experiment a chance. If it were Dykes and Vitale......now that's a nightmare. An even bigger nightmare....how about Adrian Branch and Walton?

[RenoZag]

I like it as an "experiment" because both men are pro-Gonzaga guys. Fran is not a guy like Vitale. He sticks to the game at hand. He doesn't chatter about the "state of college basketball throughout the country" when doing Big 12 games. I could see him assuming some of the "play by play duties," although I would rather he do analysis because I think he's the best ESPN has got in that area. However, Dykes is a good color guy as well.

Fran was the very first TV color analyst to declare Gonzaga a major/power program who plays in a mid major conference. Print journalists had done it before him as early as 2003, but Fran was the first guy on TV. I encourage Gonzaga fans to give this experiment a chance. If it were Dykes and Vitale......now that's a nightmare. An even bigger nightmare....how about Adrian Branch and Walton?

I think having a screen open to the stats feed would be a suitable substitute for the play-by-play call. Dykes and Fraschilla are among my favorite analysts in the ESPN stable. I follow them on twitter too and they are great ambassadors for college basketball.

[ZagsGoZags]

I like knowing who committed the foul when it was not obvious, what the foul was, which players have 3 or 4 fouls, etc.
I hope that doesn't go by the wayside

[Birddog]

IMO Fraschilla is very solid, one of the best out there. Dykes is more prone to ramble but still better than most. It will be interesting to watch.

[TexasZagFan]

IMO Fraschilla is very solid, one of the best out there. Dykes is more prone to ramble but still better than most. It will be interesting to watch.

For me it's ABD...Anyone But Dakich.

[CdAZagFan]

Would prefer to have a play-by-play announcer there also. At least they will be at K2 (remember the "experiment" they did a few years back on one GU game where they had the announcers calling the game back at the ESPN game studios and had the crowd noise "piped" in behind them - was painful to listen to).

[Zagger]

If they really want to ‘experiment’ .... it’d be fun to put mics on the camera guys/gals.

The Mrs & I will be at the game. Watching our taped replay will be interesting. I do like Fran.

[gueastcoast]

A little OT, but I am completely fine with the traditional approach provided we could have Flemming and Farnham every game.

[Hooray4Daye&Gray]

This should be fun tonight. I'm going to enjoy it.

I predict that if it's a blowout, the majority of posters will like it. If it's a close game late, I predict that the majority of posters won't like it.

[scrooner]

Is there a good online radio alternative that I could listen to while watching the game?

[scrooner]

As I mentioned regarding the Penn St - Illinois game, they had the head coaches on camera and mic'd up the whole game, which was pretty neat. It kind of made the drama play out like a reality TV show.

[Sarenyon]

Is there a good online radio alternative that I could listen to while watching the game?

Ammo and Huddy are available online. You may have to download the TuneIn app.

[krozman]

I see nothing wrong with experimentation, but i think all of us can think of examples of personalities that definitely turned us off to the idea. Vitale is definitely the national personality i'd love to never hear again, but others seem to like him. I remember when Ehlo helped out, and that was less than stellar.