Franklin, Davis Lead Excellent Baylor-Kansas Broadcast

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Good television met up with good basketball on ESPN late in the exciting Baylor-Kansas game Wednesday night.

With about nine minutes left, Hubert Davis did something analysts don't do all that often. He spoke critically of another team, also in the Big 12, saying it had been a disappointment so far this season.

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"I really thought Iowa State was going to be good enough to get into the NCAA Tournament this year," is a pretty close paraphrase to what Davis said.

He continued by naming a couple players in particular who haven't developed the way they should have, and overall, as a team, Iowa State just hasn't gotten it done they way it should be getting it done considering the talent level the Cyclones enjoy.

Then, with about six minutes left, on a possession after Lacederius Dunn drained a contested three to pull Baylor to within seven, a KU player missed the front end of a one-and-one. The rebound quickly got poked back out to Sherron Collins, who didn't waste a moment before launching -- and swishing -- a three. Baylor coach Scott Drew promptly called a timeout.

And during the short break, ESPN play-by-play star Ron Franklin started talking to his stat guy, not knowing his mic was still hot. Franklin thought the broadcast had gone into commercial.

It was hardly the end of the world; I actually thought it might have been interesting for folks curious about the behind-the-scenes of broadcasting.

Then when a producer or someone presumably told him his mic was hot, he offered up an amused chuckle and apologized to his audience while explaining to it what stat he was inquiring about in the first place: turnovers.

As I finished typing the above paragraphs, Baylor ended consecutive possessions with authoritative dunks to tie the game on each occasion.

And a moment later, Franklin asked Davis to evaluate Baylor's Dunn.

"He's a complete guard, and he's also a great defender as well," Davis said. "He's one of the best two guards in the country."

Davis continued by heaping more praise on Dunn's backcourtmate, point guard Tweety Carter, but Kansas got some separation, hit a few late free throws and held off a game group of Bears. KU won at home for the 53rd straight time, 81-75.