Kevin Harlan calling the Furman upset over Virginia is Exhibit A of why he’s the GOAT.

For my money, Kevin Harlan is the ‘Big Game’ GOAT. And there are PLENTY of great options out there. Brian Anderson has risen the ranks, obviously Jim Nantz has been ‘the guy’ for a long time, Gus Johnson is still missed this time of year and deserves a clause in his contract with Fox to still be able to call NCAA Tournament games on CBS. But in recent years, if there’s a monster game that’s close, Kevin Harlan is the man you want on the call. Bar none.

First of all, you’ve got to LOVE the passion on this call. #1 trait you look for in a big game broadcaster. You can definitely feel it if a broadcaster is living and dying with the game just like you are at home, but being able to see him during the call just hammers that point home. He practically falls out of his chair when Furman nails that go-ahead 3. Just about ass over tea kettle! And this move right here is a VETERAN play-by-play move:

This maneuver is called the ‘EVERYBODY ELSE SHUT THE F— UP’ move. In that moment, after that shot, you don’t want a bunch of people trying to say something and trampling all over your call. You want it to be the play-by-play guy’s voice, the crowd noise, and that’s IT. Honest to God if you watch a broadcast table during a big moment like this, you’ll see this move from the play-by-play guy 9 times out of 10 just to make sure the analysts don’t have an outburst that ruins the moment*.

Side note: I’m not going to say that Stan Van Gundy is betting on games, but our man looks like he’s just seen a ghost after Virginia literally throws the game away:

That look is the exact same look I had on my face in that moment because I had Virginia in a moneyline parlay. Game recognize game, Stan.

*The ‘1’ in this ratio is probably Wayne Larrivee. He’s given up trying to silence Larry McCarren in big moments at this point in his career. I don’t think there’s been a single big call during a Packer game in the last 20 years where Larry hasn’t loudly exclaimed in some way, shape or form. Larrivee would have to put him in the cross-face chicken wing to try and get him to not have an outburst, and even that might not get it done. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Wayne and Larry, but there’s a part of my play-by-play soul that feels for Wayne every time that happens. It has to kill him on some level.

PS: Stan Van has actually been REALLY enjoyable during the NCAA Tournament. I find him much more enjoyable during college hoops games than I do when he’s paired with BA on an NBA broadcast on TNT. He seems much looser for some reason. Plus, he’s not CONSTANTLY mispronouncing Giannis’ name when he’s confined to college games. I swear to God, the ‘Giannis’ name is difficult to pronounce!’ announcer schtick stopped being funny about 8 years ago. His rookie year, I get it. Hell, even his second and third year in the league, fine. But the man has been in the NBA for over a decade now. He’s won 2 MVP awards, a Finals MVP, and a DPOY. Put some respect on his name. Like, literally.

Double PS: Can’t have a Kevin Harlan blog and not post this, not now, not ever: