Tomorrow night’s tilt between Michigan and Arizona is arguably the biggest game of the decade. Two one-seeds facing off against each other in the Final Four with some of the most loaded rosters you’ll see in college basketball sets the stage for an incredible matchup. With that, the TV networks are pulling out all the stops. Yesterday, it was announced that the Fab Five will be hosting an alternate broadcast on TruTV and HBO Max.
Today’s discussion question is simple: Will you be watching the Fab Five’s broadcast or the primary broadcast with Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, and Tracy Wolfson?
The primary broadcast group is about as good as it gets in college basketball, in my opinion. The chance to hear the ever-energetic Raftery give your team instructions to “get those puppies organized” or to give an “Onions!” call after a big shot is certainly enticing. The combination of Raftery and Hill is generally hailed as excellent, as Hill complements his counterpart with insightful basketball analysis routinely. Throw in the fact that Wolfson is a University of Michigan alum herself, and there’s a lot going for the primary broadcast.
As for the altcast, the Fab Five is obviously well known in NCAA Tournament lore. Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, and Jimmy King changed the game of basketball during their college days. Since then, Chris Webber had a successful NBA career and turned into a sports broadcaster himself. Jalen Rose routinely makes the media rounds and has been on several of CBS’s NCAA Tournament panels this season. I’m also partial to Ray Jackson as he was my high school basketball coach as a young, impressionable teenager in Austin, Texas at the time.
Juwan Howard is the most notable name on the altcast. It’s not often you see a former coach of a program broadcast a current game by said program. To me, that shows the love and respect Howard still has for the university despite his firing. Love him or hate him, Juwan’s love for his alma mater is undeniable. His commentary could be even more fascinating as he has coached a handful of the current Wolverines just two years ago.
From a pure broadcasting perspective, there’s no doubt that the primary broadcast with Eagle, Raftery, Hill, and Wolfson will be superior in quality and rhythm. However, I’m absolutely fascinated to hear what the Fab Five has to say about the game as it’s played today. I’ll likely record whichever one I’m not watching.
What are your thoughts on the Fab Five altcast? Are you out on it because of Juwan’s tenure? Are you interested in what he has to say? Do you think the production quality will be good enough to entice you to watch the altcast over the primary broadcast?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
