How K-State vs. Texas ended up on CBS and why one analyst is excited to call the game
Anyone that cheers for Kansas State or Texas may want to cherish the sound of an orchestra performing the March Madness theme song when it is played on Saturday.
The Wildcats and Longhorns will face off in a rare regular-season game that will be televised nationally on CBS at 1 p.m. inside Bramlage Coliseum, marking the first time K-State has played a home game on the network. That means the familiar tune that college basketball fans hum throughout the NCAA Tournament, as CBS broadcasts the action, will originate from the Little Apple this weekend.
But neither team is likely to hear the song next month.
CBS is allowed to purchase up to five Big 12 games from ESPN and televise them as their own each year, and K-State vs. Texas was one of the network’s selections along with the Wildcats’ next home game against Kansas on Feb. 29. That decision was made months before the season began, when the Wildcats still had the shine of a Big 12 championship and the Longhorns seemed on the rise after winning the NIT.
What once looked like a must-see game is now a dud. K-State (9-17, 2-11 Big 12) is flirting with its worst season since the turn of the century and sits in last place of the conference standings. Texas (15-11, 5-8) is dealing with injury problems and needs more victories to feel good about its NIT chances, let alone earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Not exactly what CBS had in mind.
Selling this game to fans will be a challenge. But it’s one the network and its announcing team is also prepared for.
“We are going to do the game like it is the biggest game of the year,” said CBS basketball analyst Steve Lappas, who will help call Saturday’s action. “Kids are going to be playing the game and fans from the two schools will be watching the game. No, it probably doesn’t have the national allure that everyone thought it would when the season started, but we are going to approach it like it does. That’s the only way we know how to do it.”
Lappas isn’t concerned about the energy surrounding a game that might serve as a preview for opening night at the Big 12 Tournament. Believe it or not, he is excited to call a game from Bramlage. He has never watched a game in Manhattan before, but he has heard great things.
He calls K-State a basketball school with passionate fans. He has noticed that support on TV, but he’s “looking forward to seeing it live.”
Lappas is also a fan of K-State’s three freshmen and can’t wait to find out more about Texas forward Will Baker, who scored 20 points in his last game against TCU after totaling just 16 points in his previous 17 games.
Few others are likely to have similar enthusiasm for this game. It actually highlights one of the problems with college basketball. Unlike college football, which waits until a week or two before most games are played to set kickoff times and TV information, basketball games are set months in advance.
That’s why a pair of top 20 games between Kansas and West Virginia ended up on ESPN+ and a game between two struggling Big 12 teams ended up on CBS.
But there is nothing that can be done about that right now.
Lappas says CBS remains excited about televising this game. He hopes K-State and Texas fans feel the same way about playing on CBS. It can be a special experience, regardless of the situation.
“When we do a broadcast game there is definitely a certain amount of energy that’s in the building, more so than at a game that it is on cable,” Lappas said. “Everyone looks at broadcast TV differently. There is no cord-cutting. Everyone knows when a CBS game is on, it could be on every TV in America. I’m not saying it will be, but it could.”
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 12:54 PM with the headline "How K-State vs. Texas ended up on CBS and why one analyst is excited to call the game."