Kevin Harlan took his broadcasting abilities and reflexivity to a new level during the March madness game in North Carolina and Mississippi on Friday.
During the NCAA Tournament matchup, a loose ball quickly headed towards the broadcast table, and Harlan pulled the ball away from the other commentators.
Harlan was also somehow able to narrate to fully carry out the series of events.
“It was knocked down from the boundary, deflected by me, and headed aside,” Harlan emphasized.
Without Harlan's hero, Ball would have been headed straight for the face of color commentator and longtime NBA head coach Stan Vanguardy.
Van Gundy seemed to have immediately referred to a reference to his previous play.
“It was a great defense by RJ Davis,” Van Gundy said.
Davis, a graduate student at Tar Heels, was the main scorer for the team during a loss against Ole Miss on Friday with 15 points.
North Carolina nearly erased the 18-point lead the Rebels had acquired in the first half, but ended up losing Game 71-64, knocking out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round.
The loss comes just three days after the Tar Heels blew San Diego State during the first four.
In that game, 23-year-old Davis led the team with 26 points and shot a perfect 6-6 6 from the 3-point line in a 95-68 victory.
“As a head coach, I don't know what it would look like to be there if he wasn't on the sideline and on the floor. I don't want to think about that,” North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said of Davis.
After finishing the 2024-25 season with a 23-14 record, the Tar Heels were considered a long shot to reach the NCAA tournament.
Critics said North Carolina athletic director Baba Cunningham was the chairman of the tournament selection committee and speculated how it played for the team's March Madness chances.
“It's a good debate whether North Carolina should come in. Their ads are the chair of the selection committee, but they can't be in the room when Tar Heel is discussed.” ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla posted on X.
“But when the other members of the committee spend a lot of time with him, it's human nature that doesn't hurt UNC's chances. Rather than criticize it, they just point it out.”
