Suppose someone is going to screw up and accidentally release all of the confetti in the middle of a college basketball conference championship game. In that case, you want Kevin Harlan there to call it.
Sunday, the VCU Rams and Duquesne Dukes battled for the Atlantic-10 crown and the coveted automatic bid in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Duquesne had a sizable 38-23 on VCU two minutes into the second half. While that would bode well for their chances, they still had a long way to go before celebrating.
Whoever was in charge of releasing the confetti to reign down at the end of the game thought otherwise, and, presumably, accidentally released it as play continued down below.
CBS Sports’ Kevin Harlan was on the call and he did what Kevin Harlan does best and made a killer call out of the wackiness that ensued.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1769433141348024780
“Oh my gosh, they’ve got confetti falling right now,” said Harlan. “Confetti is falling on the floor, they’re gonna have to stop playing. We can’t see our notes! The players can’t work on this court! CONFETTI IS EVERYWHERE! Somebody hit the wrong button.”
“Kevin, to be honest with you, there’s not a lot of this confetti that made it on the court,” added analyst Dan Bonner. “Most of it fell on us.”
While college basketball fans had a field day with the mishap, plenty of people watching at home took it as the latest reason to love Harlan, who can make a moment out of just about anything.
https://twitter.com/Kazeem/status/1769449711847510248
Kevin Harlan is a national treasure and should be protected at all costs. That man can call ANYTHING https://t.co/ATcObfBEQe
— Matt W (@MattWal17) March 17, 2024
The fact that this happened at a game that Kevin Harlan was calling is chef’s kiss. https://t.co/2u8coM1jgJ
— Brett Myhres (@BrettMyhres) March 17, 2024
Harlan and Bonner initially wondered if the winner would have to go confetti-less, but when Duquesne clinched the victory later on, there was plenty of confetti left over for them.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1769447981789692140
“First time in 47 years! Duquesne is going to the NCAA Championship Tournament! The A-10 champion Dukes of Duquesne! Now the confetti falls at the right time,” said Harlan.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.