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May have just been me but Jay Bilas ...

Like others have posted: when he's honest about UNC*, I'll take him more serious
 
Rubbed me the wrong way tonight, I typically like him and he is normally pretty unbiased, but tonight he just seemed to take little shots at us. One point I remember clearly was the ridiculous last foul call on Skal where he literally got pushed by Allen and they called a foul to foul him out, Bilas said something along the lines of "That was just not a smart decision" ...
Its Not just you he was a little more digging than I have heard. Talking about Murray's move toward the basket at one point sarcastically saying that's just good coaching. then said coaching has nothing to do with some of these moves from our guards.
 
It was you. Bilas is usually opinionated. Most of the time, it's in favor of UK.

At one point, he flat out called the NCAA out about Diallo. Basically saying, make a damn decision.
 
I like Bilas a lot. Bright, funny, self deprecating. Even better writer than announcer. But his position that UNC athletics didn't know what was going on with fake classes is disappointing and laughable.
 
The worst I heard from him was:

1.) The foul when Lee fouled out. Plumlee pins Lee's arm against his side and then flails around, Lee gets called for bogus foul, Bilas talks at great length how it was a silly decision by Lee.

2.) The foul when Skal fouled out. Total phantom foul, Skal didn't touch the guy. Bilas says "Yep, got him with the arm." then during the replay says "just a little contact, but thats enough" as the replay clearly shows NO CONTACT WHATSOEVER.

I typically like Jay Bilas but these two in particular had me aggravated.
 
It's obvious some of you have never played high level sports. I mean, it's really obvious.

High level sports don't ever leave your blood. I do t give a rats ass how hard you try. When you sweat, bleed, and put everything into a jersey and team, it's with you forever. You don't leave it at home to announce a game.

Of course Duke bias in with the ESPN media. Bilas is reasonable but he's still biased. Williams is almost a total homer. You've got to be an apologist or in denial not to see it, and that's what some of you are. You don't want to see it.

I expect it to a degree, and respect bilas and his attempts to conceal it. But ESPN needs to start having some diversity on their roster. Only an idiot, an absolute idiot, would think these guys gave their all for Duke but it won't ever show in their announcing. It's just ridiculous to think it.
 
I like Bilas a lot. Bright, funny, self deprecating. Even better writer than announcer. But his position that UNC athletics didn't know what was going on with fake classes is disappointing and laughable.

As I said, he's a hatchet man for the coaches fraternity. hes not this truth teller people think he is.
 
The worst I heard from him was:

1.) The foul when Lee fouled out. Plumlee pins Lee's arm against his side and then flails around, Lee gets called for bogus foul, Bilas talks at great length how it was a silly decision by Lee.

2.) The foul when Skal fouled out. Total phantom foul, Skal didn't touch the guy. Bilas says "Yep, got him with the arm." then during the replay says "just a little contact, but thats enough" as the replay clearly shows NO CONTACT WHATSOEVER.

I typically like Jay Bilas but these two in particular had me aggravated.
Agreed with both of these. I also noticed that when he did criticize the refs (which they deserved in both cases above), it was to note that the refs missed a foul on Kentucky. Happened twice that I remember for sure. Then again, I am a huge homer for UK (obviously), so I very likely could've missed him complain the other way.
 
Best commentator on TV period. He presents his feelings very unbiased, it's just a few hardheads that take offense to anything he said Duke flavored.
 
He started-in early about UK not being "tough". That was fair, as Plumlee was manhandling them on the glass.

It was certainly a fair theme for the first half, as it was basically the difference between a 6 point half-time lead and a blow-out.

Spakes opened her questioning with Cal on that same vein, and he agreed with her.

But, when KY corrected its problems and completely dominated the second half, he never really came around to the "toughness" aspect.

In fact, when Lee picked up his fifth foul with 5:55 left (against Plumlee, on a rebound attempt off a Brisco free throw miss), Jay went into a rant about how Marcus should not have even gone for the ball, and it sends Plumlee to the line, 90 feet away.

So, the shift was this: In the first half, KY wasn't tough. But, in the second half, they shouldn't even be going for rebounds anymore.

I highlight this because that rebound foul under the basket is one of the worst plays in basketball, and refs have used it for ages to help bring teams back when they are trailing.
Lee did nothing he wasn't supposed to do there. He went for the ball. If anything, Plumlee sort of grabbed his arm and pulled it forward. 50/50 call - at best (but probably a no-call), but Bilas uses it as an opportunity to criticize Lee for "going for the ball." In the first half, UK wasn't "tough enough."

In short, I came away feeling like Bilas has fallen prey to the Duke-entitlement theory, where they are supposed to get calls, and announcers don't have to be objective.

Kentucky was certainly much tougher in the second half. They dominated it. But, Bilas never seemed to come off his, "UK isn't tough" mantra that he came into the game planning to talk about.
 
Best commentator on TV period. He presents his feelings very unbiased, it's just a few hardheads that take offense to anything he said Duke flavored.

Roy Williams did nothing wrong. Pitino didn't know. Strict liability doesn't matter at Duke.

Yea, that's some truth teller right there.

Some of you man. He's nice to UK so you think he's some unbiased God. No truth to it whatsoever.

I like jay, but he's a hatchet man.
 
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No he took a jab at ullis as well. OP i agree he was talking about some other guard being better then him. I dont even remember his name. Yeah Bilas rubbed me wrong as well. Some of the fouls that were mickey mouse horseshit on us he was agreeing with refs etc... I am going to get sick of his arse this year.!
There may be a better guard than. Ulis but I will take Tyler all day long! Bilas is the best in the business and calls it like he sees it! I don't have any problems with him! He gave tons of credit to our players. Did he want Duke to win? I would think so. But I don't think that showed in the way he called the game
 
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Jay is normally pretty good, but tonight it was obvious that he was itching for Duke to make a run in the second half. Given he is a Dukie, I think he did a fair job keeping his cool in the face of the schooling we put on his team.
 
OP - I understand what you are getting at. I really like Bilas but there were a number of plays, usually involving fouls or non-fouls, favoring Duke that I felt Bilas uncharacteristically and blindly supported the ref's decisions. The Skal foul you wrote about and the Lee block or near block of Allen that he said should have been a foul because "his arm came down"... huh? Multiple times Duke did not foul (was not called for one) on our offensive follow up's under the basket and he praised Plumfus for going straight up. Meanwhile we do the same thing on a couple of their shots and the call goes against us and he says nothing.

He just seemed a bit inconsistent and a tinge biased more than normal last night.
 
It was you. Bilas is usually opinionated. Most of the time, it's in favor of UK.

At one point, he flat out called the NCAA out about Diallo. Basically saying, make a damn decision.

Except he also called out the NCAA about PJ Hairston and Diallo's problem doesn't seem to have anything to do with taking classes in Mali but, rather, having a handler who is also an agent. Bilas is uninformed on UNC, KU, Hairston, etc.

On a more positive note, he did also defend Kanter, but now we know he defends every player, including the ones who flaunt the rules.
 
Roy Williams did nothing wrong. Pitino didn't know. Strict liability doesn't matter at Duke.

Yea, that's some truth teller right there.

Some of you man. He's nice to UK so you think he's some unbiased God. No truth to it whatsoever.

I like jay, but he's a hatchet man.

Hatchet man? Lol "some of you man". I respectfully disagree.

I didn't say he was always right, just IMO the best on TV.
 
Bilas is biased. If UK and Duke played more it would be so evident no one would deny it. Jay Williams otoh is a Duke tool
 
He made a few comments about a couple of plays that I thought were iffy, wrong, whatever. Perhaps he saw it just differently than I did on the replays. Try to get 3 UK fans to see the same thing on a foul, push, travel etc. I think since he obviously has two degrees, and a former player of the other school might see things a little differently and maybe there is just a little Dukie in him, but he praised the team, the play, the speed, the rebounding, the guards, and even the coach throughout the night, while still adding a couple of those questionable comments you gents have brought forward.
I like him...I think he is as honest as they come in that profession, with no agenda, as virtually everyone else in that job line seems to possess.
 
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Hatchet man? Lol "some of you man". I respectfully disagree.

I didn't say he was always right, just IMO the best on TV.

You don't understand what I mean by that? The guy completely lies about what these coaches know or should know. He backs them through absolute disgusting filth.

Yes, he's a hatchet man for the coaches fraternity, whether or not you think he's great is irrelevant to that.

He's probably the best at his job though, when there's neutral schools on the floor.
 
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He made a few comments about a couple of plays that I thought were iffy, wrong, whatever. Perhaps he saw it just differently than I did on the replays. Try to get 3 UK fans to see the same thing on a foul, push, travel etc. I think since he obviously has two degrees, and a former player of the other school might see things a little differently and maybe there is just a little Dukie in him, but he praised the team, the play, the speed, the rebounding, the guards, and even the coach throughout the night, while still adding a couple of those questionable comments you gents have brought forward.
I like him...I think he is as honest as they come in that profession, with no agenda, as virtually everyone else in that job line seems to possess.

You also believe UNC is clean, Roy has done nothing wrong, and Pitino didn't know?

Wow. Maybe bilas is right. Everyone is clean.
 
Except he also called out the NCAA about PJ Hairston and Diallo's problem doesn't seem to have anything to do with taking classes in Mali but, rather, having a handler who is also an agent. Bilas is uninformed on UNC, KU, Hairston, etc.

On a more positive note, he did also defend Kanter, but now we know he defends every player, including the ones who flaunt the rules.

He defends the college teams and the coaches. He's not objective at all. Some of our fans like him because he's charismatic, sounds good during games, and is respectful of UK most of the time. That's it.

Then they try and spin it into "he's a truth teller"

No he's lot. And if you think he is, line up and stand with him on his Pitino and UNC / Roy stance. They have done NOTHING wrong.

It is what it is. We fans are entitled to our opinion, not our own facts.
 
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Bilas is fine for the most part. However, you could tell it was eating his ass when Duke couldn't come back with a few remarks he made in the last 5-6 minutes. Most of the time, he's pretty good though. I hated to see that smug smile after Duke won the title last year. He was talking about how amazing Duke was in the comeback, but in reality the beat Wisconsin for two reasons: 1-Every time Duke drove to the basket in the second half, the called a foul on Wisconsin. That came after Krazyewski pandered to the refs when Wisky was up 9 in the second half. 2-Sam Dekker forgot how to play basketball.

The post game on ESPN was such a Duke slurpfest, they couldnt even break down the reasons for Duke's victory. Oh, and I forgot the 2-3 attrocious calls that went against Wisconsin in the second half that even replay showed was wrong.

But those guys (Bilas and Williams) are Dookies. They were enjoying the ship, but for the most part they're fine
 
The same reason you care what the posters on this board "says".:D

When Bilas is honest about the UNC scandal, I'll start respecting his opinion again.

What does Bilas have to do with the UNC scandal? He did not go to school there and I don't think he is on the NCAA investigative team so the only thing he can say honestly about UNC scandal is what his personal opinion is.
 
No just wasnt you, first half, he was okay but the last five mins or so, it was unreal..he would say things like this is where Duke gets Kentucky, or this is where Duke goes on one of their famous runs, stuff like that
 
I don't disagree that Bilas made some comments, but the context was NOT to bash UK. He's not one of those. He's just very sarcastic and opinionated...those aren't always going to be rosy for UK.

I actually laughed when he made the comments about Briscoe and Murray, how Cal should get all the credit for those great plays. He's taking digs at the people who are so over the top about whether or not coaching matters. He was basically saying that...talent is talent...just because Calipari gets most of it doesn't mean it's because he's the greatest coach and skill teacher.

On the same token, I bet you Bilas would absolutely agree that Cal is the best player's coach and roster manager in the NCAA. Very, very few personalities could manage what he does. He would probably also admit what many others don't. Cal GETS the guys he wants. He doesn't take on problem children who can't play well with others or listen to directions. How many of the recruits has he whiffed on who went on to be disasters elsewhere...not just on the court?
 
It was just you. He's the best in calling today's game. If you think otherwise then I don't know what to tell you.
 
What does Bilas have to do with the UNC scandal? He did not go to school there and I don't think he is on the NCAA investigative team so the only thing he can say honestly about UNC scandal is what his personal opinion is.

His "personal opinion" is why I don't have respect for his analysis any longer. He's an employee of ESPN whose president is an alum of UNC. So, his "opinion" of the UNC scandal is to help protect the image of UNC, when there is a mountain of evidence indicating "The Carolina Way" is the biggest fraud and hoax in all of College athletics.
 
What does Bilas have to do with the UNC scandal? He did not go to school there and I don't think he is on the NCAA investigative team so the only thing he can say honestly about UNC scandal is what his personal opinion is.

Bilas is a talking head and people do listen to him. If he wants to misrepresent the truth on the UNC scandal, he should be called out for it by people in the know. It isn't personal opinion to flat out misrepresent the truth.
 
It would be nearly impossible to call a game without showing any bias whatsoever to your alma-mater, without coming across like you are intentionally not complimenting them. I have no problem with a little bias. I mean he went to Duke. Would you be pissed if a former UK player called a game and showed a slight bias toward UK?

Jay is very professional and the best in the business. He was very complimentary of UK, especially of Ulis and Murray. You are really reaching for something to be upset about if you thought he was out of line tonight.

I agree -

Bilas is about the best in the business but his remarks (constantly reminding us that the dynamics would change if Duke could just nail a couple of threes in a row to get back in the game) last night were just a little annoying.

HOWEVER, that was completely understandable as he was doing the call on his alma mater as they were losing such a high visibility game.

I think Bilas will be fine the next time he has the call on a UK game. He might even have been better last night had the game been tighter. As it was, Duke showed nothing the last 5 minutes that would suggest that they were going to compete last night.
 
You also believe UNC is clean, Roy has done nothing wrong, and Pitino didn't know?

Wow. Maybe bilas is right. Everyone is clean.

Answers to your query. HELL NO, HELL NO, AND DOUBLE HELL NO.
And to be clear, I said he has a bit of Dukie in him.....and compared to most announcers he is listenable, but as with all of these talking heads, including our broadcasters....buyer be ware.
Peace out

PS.. Nice pix.
 
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His stance on UNCheat is purely legalistic. He's a lawyer and he tried to parse the language to say that the UNCheat basketball team was not named in the allegations. When people pointed out to him that he was wrong, I believe he had no answer. Nobody honestly believes he think they are innocent. He just won't admit it because of his boss, pure and simple.
 
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These threads man...... Every single game someone complains about announcers being biased. Soon someone is going to complain that Tom Leach is rooting for a loss.

Speaking of Tom Leach.....I got one of those radio "Synch" thingy's last year for Christmas and listening to Tom and Mike call the games never lets me down. You can mute it if you want to catch what the other announcers are saying but I rarely ever listen to anything but the radio anymore.
 
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