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Jim Nantz previews the Final Four, including ‘the greatest rebuild in the history of college basketball’
By Keith Farner
Published:
Despite the NCAA Tournament being played in one state, and the players and coaches being in a bubble around Indiana, CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz said the trademarks of the NCAA Tournament have remained true this season.
“In the end, we’ve had great basketball,” he said on CBS This Morning Saturday. “We’ve had upset stories, Cinderella stories and now we’re down to four.”
Nantz will be on the call for Saturday night’s matchups that feature Houston against Baylor, and UCLA against Gonzaga. He shared thoughts with Dana Jacobson, who has been a reporter on site at the tournament, and is a co-host on CBS This Morning Saturday.
“It’s been a rebuild, Dana, that was pulled off by Scott Drew that I think you could argue is the greatest rebuild in the history of college basketball,” Nantz said. “He took over a program that was completely scandalized by his predecessors and for him to build up this program. They’ve been good for a long time, but they’ve never been able to get in the door to the Final Four.”
The Bears will face off against Nantz’ alma mater in Houston, where he also got his career start as a public address announcer. The Cougars are in the Final Four for the first time in 37 years. Coach Kelvin Sampson also promised to Nantz that he would get the program, “back to where it belongs.”
Undefeated Gonzaga will face an upstart Cinderella in No. 11-seed UCLA.
“Gonzaga plays a team brand of basketball,” Nantz said. “They’re undefeated and they’re trying to do something that hasn’t happened since the mid-70s with Indiana, to crown a champion without a loss. And they’re clearly the favorite coming in here.”
Nantz meanwhile noted that young people aren’t as aware of the greatness of the John Wooden UCLA teams in the 1960s and 70s.
“It gives you goosebumps to think that they’re back in the Final Four again,” Nantz said. “It just taps into so much the history of this event.”
Nantz also referred to a subplot of the season in that Gonzaga and Baylor were supposed to play on Dec. 5 in Indianapolis, but the game was called off.
“It would be fitting that that was the story on Monday,” he said.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
