The scorebug in Saturday night's NCAA Tournament game between BYU and Wisconsin had some issues after the Badgers made a three. Photo Credit: CBS Photo Credit: CBS Sports
By Arthur Weinstein on

Something very, very weird kept happening to the CBS scorebug during the Wisconsin-BYU game Saturday night.

Fans loved it.

Wisconsin’s John Blackwell hit a 3-pointer with just under five minutes remaining in the first half and the Badgers trailing 38-24. That shot made the score 38-27, and the scorebug recorded that.

Then it kept going, quickly chalking up 30 for the Badgers, then 33, 36, 39, 45, 48 and 51, rolling up numbers like a Vegas slot machine paying off. Wisconsin’s score then went really crazy, hitting 111, 147, 186 and several other triple-digit scores.

Finally, after the scorebug gave the Badgers 225 points, it disappeared for more than a minute before finally returning with the correct score.

The problem seemed to be under control, but early in the second half, it struck again, and once again, it happened after a Wisconsin three-pointer, this time by John Tonje. This time, the Wisconsin score ticked all the way up to 346 before the bug disappeared.

Maybe someone kept spilling a drink on the scorebug input. Or maybe CBS is experimenting with an AI scorebug that isn’t sure how much a three-point shot is worth.

Either way, fans found the incidents hilarious.

Fans love to talk about scorebugs, guessing and speculating about redesigns as if they were state secrets, then criticizing those new designs. And sometimes, they just get silly, as in all the buzz recently about the infamous NBCS Philadelphia “POOP” scorebug when the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates play.

But if scorebugs could talk, the CBS scorebug would have a funny story to share with its fellow bugs.

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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