Kevin Harlan's call during the A-10 Championship between George Mason and VCU was just another Kevin Harlan masterclass. Credit: CBS
CBSCollege BasketballBy Sam Neumann on

We can’t stop praising Kevin Harlan here at Awful Announcing.

The legendary broadcaster earned a well-deserved “Awfulie” for best play-by-play voice in North American professional sports in 2024. It’s a title that’s fitting for a true national treasure who continues to break new ground every season. Harlan is the undisputed king of ad reads, though — sadly — his reign doesn’t extend to college basketball (at least according to AA’s readers).

But don’t be fooled. Harlan’s moment in the spotlight doesn’t arrive until March— and trust us, he’s making the most of it. On Sunday, during the A-10 Championship game between George Mason and VCU, Harlan was in peak form (as always), delivering an unforgettable performance.

If you weren’t tuned in, you missed not only a thrilling college basketball showdown but also a masterclass from Harlan himself.

But hey, don’t just take our word for it.

And that was before Harlan really started to heat up.

And trust us, that’s just the beginning.

VCU held off a furious charge from George Mason, winning the A-10 Championship 68-63, after a review added a few more tenths of a second to the clock — to add even more drama to an already electric finish.

Harlan’s calls are a force of nature, and Sunday’s A-10 Championship proved exactly why he’s the best of the best. He is untouchable in that he makes every game feel like an event you can’t miss. At the same time, he’s the kind of announcer who makes even the most ordinary moments feel extraordinary.

It’s no wonder fans can’t get enough of his calls.

And if you weren’t already on the Harlan bandwagon, it’s about time you hopped on.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann