March 29, 2016
Much has changed since 2009, the last time that the Villanova Wildcats appeared in the Final Four. Nowadays, one of the perks of making it to college basketball’s biggest stage is that if the dulcet tones of Jim Nantz aren’t your thing, there are other options.
In addition to the regular broadcast on TBS, TNT and truTV will air Team Stream by Bleacher Report, which are “team-specific presentations tailored to the schools participating in the Final Four National Semifinals.” More or less, it’s a local broadcast made for that specific school’s fan base.
For the ‘Nova Team Stream (6:00 p.m., truTV), the announcing team will be:
• Scott Graham (play-by-play): If you’ll recall, Graham is the former radio voice of the Phillies who now teams up with Mike Mayock on Eagles preseason games. He also does a lot of radio work for Westwood One.
• Brian Finneran (analyst): A star wide receiver for Andy Talley’s football team, Finneran won the 1997 Walter Payton award, presented to Division 1-AA’s most outstanding offensive player. After a short stint with the Eagles, he spent ten years catching passes from Michael Vick and other less exciting quarterbacks with the Atlanta Falcons. Now, he hosts a morning sports talk radio show in Atlanta.
• Kacie McDonnell (reporter): A recent Villanova grad, McDonnell worked at Fox 29 here in Philly as a traffic reporter for a couple of years out of college. Now, she’s at 41 Action News in Kansas City.
So if you want more of a local broadcast, truTV provides a nice alternative (and possibly more "Impractical Jokers" commercials, an added bonus). Oklahoma will simultaneously be putting on their own production on TNT, a possible option for all of you St. Joe’s fans.
In the second game on truTV, Donovan McNabb will be taking McDonnell’s place as Syracuse’s reporter. That should be interesting.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
