Before we get our brackets busted during the NCAA Championship, few voices can offer greater insight and perspective into the current storylines and minutia of men’s college basketball than ESPN college basketball analyst and longtime Charlottean, Jay Bilas.
“I’m the lucky one in all this,” shared Bilas who spoke to CLTtoday before calling the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville.
Bilas’ voice will fill living rooms and sports bars across the country this week as he marks 30 years as an integral and widely-acclaimed commentator for the cable sports giant.
During our conversation, Bilas provided insight into the teams competing in this week’s ACC Tournament happening at Spectrum Center in Uptown, featuring North Carolina’s most prestigious men’s college basketball programs — including Bilas’ alma mater, the top-ranked Duke University.
Without further ado, here’s our Q+A:
Duke is the favorite to win the ACC Tournament. Which team has the best chance to upset them?
Probably Clemson, because they’ve already done it and they’ve got experienced guards and experienced big guys. They play a physical style that can help control tempo, they rebound at a high level, and they’ve got experience winning.
How critical is a strong UNC performance if they plan on dancing in the NCAA Tournament this year?
It’s everything. They’re down to perform at a high level in the tournament and win multiple games, including Quad One games, which there just aren’t very many. The only way I would feel completely safe is to just win the automatic bid.
Does it evoke any strong reaction from you to see how dramatically the Queen City has grown?
I’ve lived here for years and Charlotte had the Final Four in 1994, but the city’s completely different now. I’m not surprised because this has been going on for a long time and a lot of people have done a lot of work to put it in this position. But, [it’s] certainly a nice thing to see these quality events continuing to come to Charlotte.
After 30 years at ESPN, has your broadcasting career played out the way you hoped it would?
I never really thought about it. I just kind of did what was in front of me and I continue to do that. I’ve enjoyed every step of it. It’s been fantastic. And the best part is I work with the best people. I always struggle when people say, “oh, what’s your favorite game? What’s the best game you’ve ever seen?” I can never catalog things that way. I just enjoy what I’m doing right now and then move on to the next thing. It’s been been a pleasure to work with the caliber of people I get to be around.
I’m sure it’s not lost on you that people see you not only providing context and clarity for the game, but also like a friend...
All I really try to do is call the game as best I can and, as you mentioned, make sure you’re documenting what’s happening, put it in the proper context, and honor the competition of basketball... whether they be players, coaches, administrators, or the people who come to the games, whatever. It’s been nothing but positive.
