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2013-14 men’s college basketball regular-season ratings
Top Plays, Moments, Players & More from the 2013-14 Regular Season
ESPN’s roster of analysts worked over 1,500 exclusive games – involving 276 teams from 31 Division I conferences across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPNEWS and Longhorn Network – and were part of exciting and memorable endings, whacky weather and outstanding player performances. ESPN’s Jay Bilas, Dan Dakich, Jimmy Dykes, Sean Farnham, Fran Fraschilla and Kara Lawson reflect on the season.
Most memorable game
Bilas: Duke at Syracuse was not just a close game, it was a great game. Well played from tip-to-buzzer, and one of the best games of the year.
Dakich: Wisconsin at Indiana – I always love a good court storming!
Dykes: Florida winning at Arkansas without leading scorer Casey Prather due to an injury, thus ending Arkansas 23-game home court winning streak. I left that game thinking that I had just watched the best team in college ball. No excuses, next man up mentality was impressive.
Farnham: Without question it was the Duke at Syracuse game at the Carrier Dome – the environment was only outmatched by the play on the court.
Fraschilla: The four-overtime Kentucky-Baylor women’s game in December that started on ESPN3 and finished on ESPN, while both men’s teams were in the locker room waiting for their game. The Wildcats and Lady Bears made history that night!
Biggest surprise team
Bilas: SMU behind head coach Larry Brown, who has done a tremendous job with this team.
Dakich: Wichita State – I knew they were really good but always surprised when a team goes undefeated.
Dykes: Virginia, only because I called the game where Tennessee ran them out of the building by 35 points back in late December. From that moment on, Virginia and head coach Tony Bennett went on to win the ACC regular-season title, a complete turnaround of a season
Farnham: Nebraska and what head coach Tim Miles has done shouldn’t be a surprise given his ability to build a program. But the “Vault” (Pinnacle Bank Arena) has quickly become a difficult place for opponents to find a win. I see no way that an 11-win team in the Big 10 gets left out of the NCAA Championship.
Fraschilla: Villanova
Breakout player
Bilas: Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet for a returner and Kansas’ Joel Embiid for a freshman. Van Vleet has matured into a top-five point guard, he controls the game and makes the right play. When I saw Embiid at Kansas’ practice in October, my jaw was on the floor. He gets better by the day.
Dakich: A tie with Michigan’s Nik Stauskas – was good last year but now player of the year in the Big Ten – and Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky – a role player turned All-Big Ten.
Dykes: Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet has gone from a backup point guard on last year’s Final Four team to arguably the best point guard in the country.
Farnham: Virginia’s London Perrantes is an underrated freshman in the ACC.
Fraschilla: Iowa State’s DeAndre Kane
Freshman that impressed the most
Bilas: Duke’s Jabari Parker is the best player and the most versatile. He’s the real deal.
Dakich: Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis has great poise.
Dykes: When he’s healthy, Joel Embiid from Kansas impacts the game like none other. He does things others cannot.
Farnham: Without question Duke’s Jabari Parker. All the focus, all the lights, he never blinked finishing strong with six straight double-doubles.
Fraschilla: Kansas State’s Marcus Foster
Most memorable play/moment
Bilas: UConn’s Shabazz Napier’s buzzer shot to beat Florida.
Dykes: Arkansas’ Michael Qualls with a put-back slam at the buzzer to beat Kentucky in Fayetteville.
Farnham: The Tyler Ennis shot vs. Pittsburgh. I was with my Thursday night partner Joe Tessitore and producer Jeff Dufine eating dinner in a quiet hotel dining room, and the three of us yelled when the shot went in.
Fraschilla: Holly Rowe being guarded carefully by the Kansas State players as she interviewed Thomas Gipson on the press row table. It was a civilized court storming but she was brave in her effort to get the post-game interview.
Lawson: Watching the Matthew Dellavedova jersey retirement at Saint Mary’s – seeing the mutual passion and admiration between the fans and Dellavedova was truly special.
Most unique storyline
Bilas: The play of Wichita State. This year’s team is better than last year’s Final Four team. That is one, tough group that expects to win.
Dakich: UNC’s PJ Hairston kept in limbo during the start of the season.
Dykes: Hands down, Wichita State and their run to perfection.
Farnham: How can it not be the undefeated season of Wichita State? Rarely do we see this type of success on the court and the Shockers players and coaches handled it great down the stretch.
Fraschilla: Wichita State and their doubters. How could a team that went to the Final Four a year ago garner so little respect?
Game with the best crowd
Bilas: Duke vs. Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, followed by Duke at North Carolina in the Dean Dome. The Champions Classic with Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke and Kansas was a Final Four atmosphere.
Dakich: Purdue vs. Indiana. The Boilermaker Paint Crew was intense and loud all game.
Dykes: Tennessee at Wichita State in their downtown arena – the place was rockin’ for two straight hours.
Farnham: Koch Arena in Wichita for the final game of the regular season to finish 31-0. My favorite moment was very late in regulation when the crowd started with the undefeated chant. It began to my left but very quickly it built up to a powerful chorus in perfect harmony.
Fraschilla: Kansas State crowd at Bramlage Coliseum for their Sunflower State rivalry game with Kansas.
Lawson: BYU’s Marriott Center – the crowd is knowledgeable and the student section is tops in the nation.
Favorite halftime show
Bilas: The hula dancers at the Maui Invitational are hard to beat.
Dakich: The Frisbee catching dogs at Iowa vs. Iowa State. The crowd was louder for them than during the game!
Farnham: The dogs that jump over obstacles and ride skateboards… I can’t get my dog to sit!
Fraschilla: The plate spinning and juggling woman on a unicycle is always a fan favorite. I have never seen her break one.
Lawson: Quick Change is still the best halftime act.
Best venue to call a game at
Bilas: Allen Fieldhouse is the best venue I called a game at this season.
Farnham: The tour of Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Nebraska practice site was most impressive. They have flat screens in the bathroom stalls, and that is just crazy!
Fraschilla: It always starts and ends with me at Allen Fieldhouse. It’s part basketball cathedral, part museum and part great entertainment.
Lawson: Gonzaga’s The Kennel is the perfect size arena filled with tradition and backed by a great university and student section.
Top college town or stop along the way
Bilas: I always enjoy eating at The Wheel in Lawrence, Kan. The Mongolian barbeque was pretty good in South Korea, too.
Dakich: Bloomington, Ind., I love visiting Nick’s English Hut for sausage pizza.
Dykes: Back in November before the Maui Invitational begin. The food served at the traditional Luau of smoked pork and fresh pineapple on the island is hard to beat.
Fraschilla: Ames, Iowa. The Hickory Park restaurant has great barbeque and ice cream parlor.
Best warm-up music
Farnham: “Turn Down for What” by DJ Snake and Lil Jon – the student sections go crazy when it comes on.
Fraschilla: The Baylor band plays the best rendition of the National Anthem in the country and everyone in the building sings along.
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