How did the various men’s college basketball booths stack up this regular season? We asked Awful Announcing readers to weigh in on 20 top booths across five networks and received more than 13,000 individual votes from more than 800 respondents.
As with our NFL announcer rankings, scorebug rankings, college football announcer rankings, rules analyst rankings, and more, each booth was graded from A to F, with readers providing comments on individual teams as well. We then converted the letter grades from those responses to numerical grades, with A as 4 and Fs as 0, and ranked the booths accordingly.
The average grade across the 20 booths was a 2.69, or a C+. We haven’t done these specific rankings before, but this is below the average score of 2.97 for March Madness booths last year (however, with only eight booths there, there’s less to grade). We plan to run another poll for this year’s NCAA Tournament booths around the Final Four.
The average grade here is well above what we’ve seen in the other rankings we’ve done recently, including 2.43 for NFL announcers, 2.45 for CFB announcers, and 2.58 for NFL/CFB rules analysts. And the top grade here, a 3.71, is significantly above what we’ve seen in any other recent announcer rankings. Thus, AA readers seem pretty high on the state of regular season men’s college basketball announcing, at least for the teams we asked about.
Let’s get to the grades and selected reader comments (sometimes lightly edited for spelling and grammar) without further ado. We’ve broken it into two pages: booths 11-20 are below, and booths 1-10 are here.
20. JB Long, Candace Parker (TNT Sports): 1.93
Most common grade: C (37.8% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 69.6%
TNT Sports has long been known for their March Madness coverage with CBS Sports, but they’re getting more into regular-season college basketball these days as well. Particularly, they aired three tournaments (two men’s and one women’s) during Thanksgiving Week. Next year will see them with more season-long coverage thanks to a deal with the Big East, but for now, it’s the tournament focus.
This year, that saw three particular teams calling numerous men’s basketball games across the Players’ Era Festival and Acrisure Classic, and we included two of those in these rankings. But our readers were not high on the booth of Long and Parker, who called a lot of the Players’ Era Festival games. The 1.93 they received is higher than the lowest grade in every other recent announcer ranking, but it’s the lowest here, and their percentage of ABC grades was also the lowest in this poll (and one of just four below 80% there). The 84 Fs they received were also the highest in this poll. However, they were barely below the No. 19 booth in both overall grade and percentage of ABC votes.
It is worth mentioning that this booth received just 595 votes of any kind, the second-lowest total in our poll, likely thanks to them only working that one tournament. However, given the heavy rotation of announcing pairings in men’s college basketball, the six games they called together is a larger number than many teams in this poll.
Still, while there weren’t a ton of comments on this team, the most common sentiment was about not hearing them a lot, with some hoping to hear them more. There was also individual praise and criticism for both Long and Parker. One reader noted they don’t like Parker (who does more work as an NBA on TNT Tuesdays studio analyst) as a game analyst, but another praised her and not Long, while another reader was pleased to see Long getting this kind of network-level shot.
19. Wes Durham, Jim Boeheim (ACC Network): 1.95
Most common grade: C (40.5% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 69.6%
Boeheim’s wrapping up his second season of announcing following 46 seasons as the head coach at Syracuse, and he’s certainly made plenty of waves for his booth comments. This week alone included everything from officiating to Ramadan and Iceland. But his work isn’t going over well with many of our readers, who gave this pairing (they also often worked with Cory Alexander, who features elsewhere above) 58 Fs (the third-highest in the poll) and the second-lowest percentage of A/B/C grades (only beating out Long/Parker 69.61% to 69.57%), and cited Boeheim in many of the comments.
Those comments included a lot of praise for Durham despite the overall low grade. That included “Durham is great,” “Durham rocks, most underrated PBP out there,” “Durham is very good, Boeheim is not,” “Durham A+/Boeheim meh,” and “Love Wes Durham as much as I HATE Jim Boeheim. Very sorry for Durham getting stuck with this guy.”
There were also many specific criticisms of Boeheim. Those included “Seems a step behind and talks too low,” ” too stoic and lacks liveliness,” “seems bored,” “a tough listen,” and “awkward and too self-indulgent about his time at Syracuse.” But one reader did find him “surprisingly good.” There was also one comment on a perceived lack of chemistry: “Matching a southern guy with the man who had been in upstate New York his whole life is an odd choice.”
18. Kevin Brown, Jay Williams (ESPN): 2.06
Most common grade: C (45.0% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 76.6%
Continuing with booths where the reader feedback is largely criticism of the analyst, we present Brown and Williams. Now, this one speaks to a larger challenge with grading ESPN’s college basketball booths in general; all of these networks rotate pairings a fair bit, but ESPN seems to do so even more than anyone else, so while both Brown and Williams called quite a few games, those weren’t all with each other. But we chose to include this pairing because it was one of the most common for Williams when he did call games in addition to his regular College GameDay and other studio work, and we wanted to see what readers thought of his work in the booth. Spoiler: the reaction generally wasn’t favorable, with the 27 As this booth received the lowest in our poll.
Some of the criticism for Williams included “a phony and painful to listen to,” “obnoxious,” “brings nothing to the games,” and “such a drag to listen to.” Several people also complained about his regular references to his playing career at Duke. However, there were quite a few people who noted that they like him in studio and on GameDay, just not on games. And there was one contrasting opinion there of “Jay Williams calling games is where he’s best at. Keep him out of the studio trying to do a Stephen A. impression and keep him calling games where his knowledge comes through.”
Per the overall booth, there was some praise for this pairing, including “one of ESPN’s better crews” and “chemistry isn’t always perfect, but it’s gotten better.” And there was a lot of praise for Brown, including “rising star” and “a pro.” One reader called Brown “fine, nothing special,” though, and said “I like Williams, he’s pretty good,” so it wasn’t absolutely everyone who gave the booth a lower grade because of Williams.
17. Tom Hart, Dane Bradshaw (ESPN/SECN): 2.24
Most common grade: C (47.1% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 83.4%
This is another booth where a lot of people liked the play-by-play voice and not the analyst. Hart received lines such as “one of the best basketball voices at ESPN,” “fantastic no matter who he’s paired with,” “way underrated, one of the best,” and “the gold standard in entertaining, but still hoops-first broadcasts; it’s criminal that he’s not higher on ESPN’s board across sports.”
For those who saw a difference between the two announcers, that was generally in Hart’s favor. We saw lines such as “Hart is excellent as always, Dane is good but not great,” “Hart is great, Bradshaw is not,” and “Hart gets an A, Bradshaw gets a C” (on a B grade). Speaking to those aforementioned rotating pairings, too, one respondent noted they prefer Hart’s work with Jon Sundvold. There was some individual criticism for Hart, such as “has one point to make and repeats it over and over.”
On the booth overall, there was a note of preferring them on SEC games (which were the majority of their assignments, but not all of them) given their experience with those teams. And there was another note of “SEC homers” (presumably in relation to them calling a game that didn’t feature two SEC teams). Overall, this team wound up where they did despite a higher percentage of A/B/C grades than several above them thanks to a limited number of people who really liked them; they only received 56 A votes.
16. Paul Burmeister, Stephen Bardo (NBC/Peacock): 2.26
Most common grade: C (45.5% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 83.6%
Finally, we have an announcer ranking where Burmeister is included but isn’t at the bottom. That happened with both the latest NFL and CFB announcer rankings. But the comments in those cases showed that wasn’t all about him, with a lot of that NFL criticism about the general concept of Peacock’s Maddencast and about Chad Ochocinco’s work on it, and with a lot of that CFB criticism about analyst Colt McCoy. And a lot of the individual feedback here was praise for him.
Some of that praise for Burmeister included “always a pleasure listening to him call games with enthusiasm and passion. Top of the line,” ” a pro—smart, engaging, class act,” “energy is unmatched,” and “a class act and can clearly pull an audience of all ages in. My 7 year old daughter watches his games. Love that guy!” There was also praise for his preparation and his ability to bring excitement without apparent favoritism for either team.
Bardo saw some individual praise as well, including “my No. 1 analyst” and “a true national treasure, the Big Ten’s Bill Walton.” But those who differentiated between the two tended to like Burmeister more. And there was significant individual criticism for Bardo, including “a drag on any combo” and “Burmeister might be good. But we don’t really know. Having the Colt McCoy disaster on football and the annoyance that is Bardo on basketball is rough.”
The team overall, drew a fair bit of praise, though. That included “Such a great duo.” And the tenor of the comments on this booth was generally more positive than their eventual place in these rankings, with a lot of the lower grades coming without comment.
15. Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes (ESPN): 2.41
Most common grade: B (37.3% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 77.5%
We have our first team with a B as the most common grade. This team also drew almost as many A votes (122) as Cs (157). But they’re not higher thanks to 62 Fs, the second-highest total there (behind only Long and Parker), and that dragged their percentage of A/B/C grades down below many lower-ranked teams. So those who didn’t like them didn’t like them a lot.
What was that criticism about? Well, this is the first case in these rankings where more of it was directed at the play-by-play voice. A lot of people particularly went after Ravech for his February comment on conference play records with “the SEC teams are 82-82…there’s no dominant group of teams.” He tried later to say that was “tongue-in-cheek,” but still seemed to misunderstand that conference play records are zero-sum. And that got him highly roasted here, from “doesn’t understand conference play” to “the type of stuff that makes you wonder how he’s still employed, not to mention in a big role at ESPN.”
The criticism for Ravech wasn’t just about that one moment, though. There was plenty of discussion of this being a sport he’s not known for, including “horrible on college basketball games,” “broadcasts basketball like he’s being held prisoner until baseball season,” “stick to baseball,” and “Does Karl ever sound like he wants to be calling a game if it isn’t baseball?” There were also lines like “horrible at PBP,” “Ravech brings this score way down” (on a D grade), “just not a play-by-play guy,” “the worst play-by-play man in the biz,” and “Dykes is great, Ravech is sub-mediocre.” But Dykes took heat of his own in these comments, including, “Nobody cares what Jimmy Dykes would rather see a team do.”
There was a fair bit of individual praise for Dykes, including “knows the SEC inside and out” and “top of the line.” And there was some overall praise for the booth, including “solid” and “pretty good energy.” But this was the reverse of the Burmeister/Bardo team, with the comments far more negative than the overall grades, and with many of the highest grades coming without comment.
14. Tim Brando/Donny Marshall (Fox/FS1): 2.46
Donny Marshall and Tim Brando on a February 2024 broadcast. (Tim Brando on X.)Most common grade: B (37.6% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 83.0%
Brando is one of the longest-tenured college basketball figures in this poll; he started calling LSU games locally in the early 1980s, then got involved with the sport nationally by going to ESPN in 1986. He moved to CBS in 1996 and Fox in 2014, and college basketball has been a key part of his role at all of those networks. Our readers have strong opinions on him, with some highly in favor and some fully against, which saw this booth get the fifth-highest number of F grades (47) but still place above two less strongly disliked booths (Brown/Williams and Burmeister/Bardo).
As noted, many of the comments here were about Brando. Some disliked him overall, with lines like “my least favorite play-by-play broadcaster,” “schtick wears thin,” “tends to wear on you the longer the game goes,” and “comes into a game with a narrative he’s going to share regardless of what transpires in the game.” Others noted that they used to like him, but think he’s “lost his fastball” or is “far past his prime.” But there are definitely Brando fans as well, including people who find him “really underrated,” “a consummate professional,” and “so versatile,” and one who thinks he “should be No. 1 at CBS instead of Jim Nantz.” (We hate to break it to that reader, but that’s actually been Ian Eagle for the past two years on college basketball.)
The opinions on Marshall that were expressed were a mixed bag, too. Some suggested he “talks way too much” and found him “insufferable” and “too whiny and pedantic.” Others said he’s “impressive,” and one respondent noted they like him more with other play-by-play voices. One reader found this pairing “the best!” and “full of energy, experienced and electric” though.
13. Dave O’Brien/Dick Vitale/Cory Alexander (ESPN): 2.52
Most common grade: B (35.9% of votes)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 81.9%
This is another team with a long-tenured figure, and even more so with Vitale, who’s been at ESPN since their first college basketball game in 1979. This is also another booth particularly impacted by ESPN scheduling: Vitale only returned to broadcasting last month after almost two years away due to health concerns, and his games back have come with a mix of partners, including O’Brien/Alexander and Ravech/Dykes. But we put him here because of his initial (and hotly-anticipated) return coming with this pairing and because of the amount of high-profile games Ravech and Dykes worked as a duo.
As per the comments here, a lot of them were on Vitale, and they were mixed. Some loved him, with lines like “I’d give this group an A if Cory and Dave were replaced” (on a B grade), “obviously great,” “sensational,” and “great to have Vitale back.” But others argued he “needs to go,” “should retire immediately,” and “takes this team down to a C.”
There also was a lot of criticism for Alexander as well. That included “mediocre at best,” “F for Cory,” “just awful,” and “quite possibly the worst color commentator in sports,” with particular complaints about his self-referencing and name-dropping. But others saw him as “a rising star” and “underrated.” As for O’Brien, he drew more praise than criticism, including “fantastic,” “excellent,” “great at capturing the big moments,” and “a solid veteran,” but others found him “a tough listen.” There also were complaints about the three-man booth concept here, with several calling it too crowded.
12. John Fanta/Nick Bahe (NBC/Peacock): 2.53
Most common grade: C (32.4%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 83.6%
We’re back to a most common grade of C here, but this team places above the three below it with the most common responses of B due to fewer people strongly disliking them. They only received 74 D and 34 F votes. And their 152 As were actually above several higher-placed teams. But they wound up here (and in 12th thanks to edging O’Brien/Vitale/Alexander 2.526 to 2.521) thanks to so many people giving them a C. (It should be noted that this is another team where both broadcasters regularly work with other people; this pairing was picked because it was the best option to showcase these two, with much of their other work coming with people included elsewhere here.)
In the comments, there was a lot of praise for Fanta. Some of that included “like a true fan who became an announcer” (which fits with what he’s said himself), “my favorite,” “a rising star,” “a star in the making,” “a national treasure,” “brings March Madness energy to midweek,” and “a fresh new voice.” But one respondent said “I must be the only one that just doesn’t ‘get’ John Fanta,” with another saying “I don’t get the Fanta love” (so there are at least two, if not dozens). There was some moderation, too, with a note he “can get a little too poetic,” and another voter preferred Bahe’s work with Kevin Kugler (who was on our list of considered figures in several pairings but didn’t quite make the 20-team cut).
As per Bahe, he drew praise of his own, from “basketball junkie” to “a brilliant basketball mind,” “elite color knowledge,” and “always has solid insights.” There wasn’t a lot of individual criticism for him, and there wasn’t a lot of joint criticism for the booth, so this is another case where the comments were more positive than the overall grades.
11. Dave Flemming/Sean Farnham (ESPN): 2.53
Most common grade: B (44.9%)
Percentage of A/B/C grades: 92.0%
This is one of the least-disliked pairings out there, getting just 34 Ds and 18 Fs. But they’re not higher thanks to a limited (102) number of A votes. Still, their percentage of A/B/C grades was the sixth-highest in this poll.
The comments on this team had a running theme noting their chemistry from years of working together, which perhaps stands out even more considering how highly-rotational ESPN has been with many other announcers. That drew lines such as “Another team that benefits from working together so frequently,” “they’ve worked out a good chemistry,” and “They work together perfectly!”
Another theme here was how this pairing often works late-night West Coast games (including from the West Coast Conference). That drew lines from “makes it worthwhile to stay up late” to “very good to turn on at 11 right before bed,” “one of the best crews ESPN has despite their West Coast games probably not getting big viewership,” and “both underrated and underutilized.” (And that perhaps speaks to something positive that can come from these polls; this crew isn’t necessarily high on the national radar all the time, but AA’s readers who do watch them generally appreciate them, so that may get some more people to check them out in the coming years if they’re kept together.)
There was some individual praise for both Farnham (“best analyst ESPN has”) and Flemming (“underrated game caller in all sports”). But one respondent complained that Flemming “overhypes everything and doesn’t know when to just shut up!” So while this may be one of the least-bashed groups out there, it still has its critics.
Read on for booths 10 to 1!
