Billy Packer Explains His “This Game is Over” Call
College Basketball, Media Gossip/Musings, Video April 7th. 2008, 11:00amBy now, you’ve obviously seen the replay: Brandon Rush buried a triple in transition to give Kansas a startling 38-12 lead over North Carolina Saturday night, and Billy Packer exclaimed, “This game is over,” even though there was 7:32 left in the first half. USA Today’s Michael Hiestand blew up Packer’s cell phone Sunday night, and here’s the Most Hated Announcer in College Basketball’s explanation:
“My job is to say what I see, not have some kind of subconscious feelings about offending anybody,” he says, adding that on-air partner Jim Nantz “grabbed my arm” after his game-over line. “It probably annoyed some people, but I don’t concern myself with having some agenda that’s contrary to what I’m seeing.” Besides, he says, “the integrity of the sport is more important than any promotion for television.”
We must confess - we’ve always liked Packer’s analysis prior to this stunt, and when he erupted with Saturday, we nearly fell off the sofa laughing. It definitely will be one of the five most memorable announcing moments of the tournament (two others that come to mind - Jay Bilas working the telestrator after Stanford Trent Johnson was ejected, and Gus Johnson and Len Elmore going bananas on Stephen Curry’s Spiderman move against Wisconsin).
CBS’ Packer says honesty is still his policy (USA Today)
25 Responses to “Billy Packer Explains His “This Game is Over” Call”
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April 7th, 2008 at 11:01 am
He was right though - UNC just didn’t have enough to come back from that. Kansas kicked their asses.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I dislike Billy Pakcer about as much as I dislike Redlasso.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Reminded me of an SNL skit from back in the day where NBC sports was treating their highlight show like election night coverage and saying stuff like “The Bulls now lead 50-38 and we’re going to project them as the Eastern Conference champions”…good stuff
April 7th, 2008 at 11:06 am
it’s amazing when you’re brackets are done and you don’t really care about any of the schools left how interest fades. i didn’t see this call until right now, thanks TBL.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Billy Packer is rather annoying and repetitive (”Here comes North Carolina’s half-court trap!”), but really, who didn’t come to the same conclusion when it was 38-12? What’d you expect him to say? “Brandon Rush has just given Kansas a 26-point lead, and if North Carolina can come back from this, I’ll be so happy I didn’t say it was over”?
April 7th, 2008 at 11:07 am
not for nothing, but i was in a bar watching this game with no sound and said the exact same thing after that shot. i don’t see the problem here.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Sure, the tarheels came back, but I don’t see why this is that big of a deal. I don’t like Packer — I think that he is unnecessarily surly — but Carolina laid a massive egg in the first half, and his conclusion was not unreasonable.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:08 am
red lasso sounds like a deviant sexual position.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:09 am
he shouldn’t have to explain anything, he was dead on, it was exactly what i was thinking too.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:12 am
For the most part he’s right, but the line about the integrity of the game is a little over the top.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Who gives a shit. What is wrong with that call? People are crybabies and just looking for stuff to whine about.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Hate Packer… but gotta admit I was thinking the same thing…
And the hoopes-related deviant position is the “Messy Krzyzewski”.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Yeah well, let me think of some of the things I was thinking and muttering out loud while watching the game -
- oh, damn, that chick is f’ing smoke.
- oh, damn, that chick is f’ing disgusting. Get her off the TV.
- I’d hit it.
- Roy Williams tie is gay.
Point being Billy Packer may agree with me, more or less, but that doesn’t mean he should say these things. Plus the last thing I want are cynical announcers. There’s enough of that on the INternet already.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:17 am
did anyone else hear when packer said “lawson just took a shot in the eye” after he got fouled goin to the hoop? my friends and i immediately busted out laughing.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:19 am
Agree. Some people will always find something to complain about …
April 7th, 2008 at 11:39 am
I agree with walfredo. Packer is a major ass but absolutely right.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Chalk me up for being in the Billy Packer column too on this one.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I disagree folks. Even though Kansas held on and even pulled back away at the end, the game was NOT over at that point. UNC did, in fact, come back and make it quite close. I’m sure it made a lot of Kansas fans very nervous in the second half. It looked like the Kansas players were scared and didn’t know what the hell to do for a while. Yes, they pulled it together and won, but come on…did anybody think when the game was within 10 points midway through the 2nd half that UNC wasn’t capable of winning? Really? Was the game still over with the lead 6 points?
I’m sure lots of people thought the same thing at the same time as Professor Dickweed, but he is supposed to be a professional and supposed to be unbiased and a historian of the game, not a normal shmuck like you and me sitting in a bar yelling shit at the TV. He proved that to be an incorrect assumption.
He is and always will be an asshole.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I give Packer some credit for having the balls to call it game over that early. Who wasn’t thinking that same thing outside of a couple of Carolina fans and their players? Yes, UNC made it close late, but you could tell they were running on fumes. Packer knew it would take an incredible amount of energy to mount a comeback, and so he made the call. I have no issue with it.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
who gives a shit about packer calling that? im surprised nobody is busting nantz’s balls for “grabbing packer’s arm”. nantz comes up with good information, and calls an average game but god forbid someone say what they think and throw a little extra sauce on the broadcast because he doesnt really get me too giddy about things. i like packer, and dont have an issue with it
April 7th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Well, wasn’t Packer right???
This would be a story if UNC came back and won.
But they didnt. So he was 100% correct. The game was over 7 min into it.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
You guys are missing the point: Whether the game was over at that point or not, a broadcaster shouldn’t say that. Basic rule of sports television, even if a team is up 50, you don’t say it’s over and encourage viewers to change the channel.
The only people who should be complaining are CBS. Not KU or UNC players or their fans or anyone else. Who cares?
April 7th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
No, he wasn’t right!!!! That is my whole point. UNC did come back and make a game of it and COULD have won. The game was not over in the 1st half. By your logic, Jake, he would still have been correct even if UNC had come back, taken a lead (even a big lead) and then Kansas won in triple OT.
I am saying that the game was up for grabs with a full 10 minutes left to play. The fact that Kansas won does not change that.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Packer sux. it’s time for some new blood as the #1 NCAA announcing team. he’s unbearable.
April 7th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Packer wasn”t right. He said it was over. When the lead was cut to 4, it wasn’t over.