Recently, you may have noticed this whole discussion of “Who’s the best sportscaster?” bouncing around the Blogosphere. (Here’s a link and list from Awful Announcing.)
Well, here’s my Top 5 (play-by-play and color) in the field of college basketball. Mugshots provided to jog ya brain, son.
Sure, there are plenty of good (and bad) broadcasters out there who have yet to hit the big time, but we’re going put the hot lights on the boys that do a lot on the big networks (ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ABC, FSN).
Note: Without fail, I will forget someone in this list that I will later wish I’d included.
Top 5 Play-by-Play
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Gus Johnson. This is one mainstream trend that you should have no shame abiding by. The new thing is “I could listen to Gus Johnson ______.” I’ll make mine: I could listen to Gus Johnson read the daily announcements over the intercom at a local high school. “Don’t forget, today’s cafeteria special is the broccoli and cheese soup. Ha-HAA!” -
Sean McDonough. Boston native and Syracuse grad that manages to be a completely loveable. Yeah, no easy feat. Sean, you could probably call just about any sport, anywhere. 
Verne Lundquist. Do you really understand how hard it is to do Verne’s job at his age and still be really good at it? He’s amazing. And, more than anyone on this list, he understands how “it” works. He is merely the vessle that guides you through the game.-
Dave Sims. Another do-it-all guy that has a great voice and tempo for every game he calls. -
Kevin Harlan. He was the Gus Johnson of 10 years ago. He works even better on the radio, by the way. If you can’t stand Packer (like me), then listen to Final Four radio broadcast (like I do) with Harlan/Raftery/John Thompson.
Top 5 Color Commentators
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Bill Raftery. No explanation needed. He deserves his own post. He’ll get it before June. -
Jimmy Dykes. One word: Unheralded. Might do more homework than anyone in the business. -
Clark Kellogg. Kellogg is fantastic because he dances between being a true fan with a genuine enthusiasm calling the game, and bringing the ultimate professional approach. “Squeeze the orange.” Love it. -
Bob Wenzel. Doesn’t make it about him and he knows he should play it that way. He also really respects the role and rhythm of a true color guy. -
Jay Bilas. For some odd reason (probably his receding hairling and his affiliation with Duke) Bilas has a growing number of detractors. I don’t see it. He can be funny without sounding like he’s trying too hard and molds so well with whomever he’s doing a broadcast with. On top of that? He probably breaks down in-game strategy better than any color man out there.
I’ll have the worst of the worst sometime next week for ya. For now, give me your objections/alternate choices.
I do not understand the love affair with Gus Johnson for the same reason I can’t stand Kevin Harlan, either. I really don’t need an announcer to scream at me to know that a play was spectacular, exciting or important. When a guy is yelling at you from tip to buzzer, it gets old so very fast. Dave Sims can fall into that same trap occasionally, although he grew on me last year as part of the Mariners’ broadcasts. (I’ll be you all didn’t know he called baseball all summer, did ya?)
I do have another dispute. How Brad Nessler is not on your list is beyond me. I’d rank him and McDonough neck and neck, with Lundquist a distant third. Nessler can work with anyone, and anyone who can put up with Dickie V for entire seasons should be No. 1 just for not punching him in the face. Notice how well Nessler and Dykes have worked together while Vitale has been out? Spectacular.
The best analyst out there for my money is Marques Johnson. You only get to hear him if you watch the Pac-10 on FSN or FCS, but he is AWESOME. Smart, funny, and breaks down the game as well as anyone. Imagine Bilas with a personality. He’d be at the top of my list. Considering most of the clowns FSN puts on the air for Pac-10 games, it’s always good news when you hear Johnson is going to be calling one of your games.
Raftery is pretty good, but I prefer Dykes, who would be No. 2 on my list. That guy does not get the love he deserves — he’s the thinking man’s analyst, and has really shined in Vitale’s absence more than anyone else. But maybe that’s why he doesn’t get the love. Most fans don’t want to think. That’s why they love Vitale, who learns one little tidbit about a player and repeats it multiple times on every broadcast all season long.
stunning graphic
the magazine’s top 10 is such a joke and the blogosphere list is more up my alley. I’ve been paying more attention to the to the TV guys more this year since I started doing my own podcasts for a sports talk radio show for my site.
Now I know its obvious the better games will get the better guys in the booth but try watching/listening to an espn+ or full court game and you’ll hear some serious homers.
Agreed. Some of the stuff you get on ESPN Plus is flippin’ hilarious. They all have about the same tonal delivery too. Ever notice that? It’s a little high and a little flat. I know they’ve gotta be sending more than just one guy around the country to bring in the homerism quota.
Interesting list! I agree with most but I think the following two do not belong in a top 5.
Verne, for example, should take on a role similar to Dick Enberg and read poems and essays or focus on golf and other slow-moving sports
He gets so many things wrong, he looks up jersey numbers which shows he doesn’t even know the players or follow the teams or does his homework. It may be remarkable for his age, but millions of people should not be subjected to that 
Bob Wenzel, I would rate in the top 500, not top 5
I think Doris Burke is a very underrated basketball analyst, and Vitale’s absence has allowed her to do more men’s games as the color analyst instead of the sideline reporter. ESPN would be better off if they put Vitale and Mike Patrick in the Duke cheering section, and let Doris analyze the games
Tim Brando is probably the most annoying of all the play by play guys, and Bob Carpenter’s voice is extremely annoying!
I agree, Marques Johnson needs more love, and CBS should seriously consider adding him to their NCAA tourney rotation instead of some of the flat-liners that probably Billy Packer is lobbying for.
Dykes is solid on the basketball front, but he sometimes says things that sociopolitically belong to the dark ages
This is a topic that deserves more coverage! For example, an overall top 5, would be different from a “top 5 solid basketball-analysis analyst”. I love Raft but I don’t think he is a top 5 in the latter.
And speaking of which, I wrote a pre-season funniest analysts list. If I remeber what I wrote, I rated the trio of Raftery/McDonut/Bilas as #1, Marques as #2, Raftery solo as #3, Pete Gillen as #4, and Tom Brennan at #5. What do you all think are the funniest analysts?
Tom Brennan seems a little smug, but okay, I guess.
ncaahoops – I don’t see how you could keep Raf out of the top 5. He breaks down action very well in my opinion.
Love Marques Johnson, so I echo what Nusser said before. Definitely see the appeal to Gus, but I’m not crazy over him.
There’s also a new analyst for ESPN, has dark hair and a real MILF appeal. I don’t know her name, but she’s done a FANTASTISC job in truly beinge a sideline reporter and getting useful information out of the people she interviews.
[...] a week and a half ago, in case you missed the first installment, I ran down my list of the best on-air personalities in the college basketball [...]
Like the list, but how you don’t have Dan Shullman on there is beyond me. He’s by far one of the best announcers out there. I can’t wait to hear him call the Big East tourney.
Gus is one of the best in the buisness.
Jimmy Dykes is great. He’s finally getting the prime time air he deserves. They had him tucked away on those late Monday night games doing the Mountain West.
I’m a Vitale fan. If you’re a college hoops fan and don’t love his passion for the game there is something wrong with you. Vitale and college hoops go hand in hand. I know he may be annoying to some, but he’s what college hoops is all about in my opinon.