North Carolina defeated Louisville in the final moments of the game and Dick Vitale made sure to pay tribute to Tar Heel alum and ESPN anchor Stuart Scott.
No. 18 North Carolina and No. 5 Louisville were battling in a nail biter at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels came away victorious with a big 72-71 win. While the win was a big victory for Roy Williams’ squad, Dick Vitale’s call at the end of the game will be what is most talked about.
Sadly, ESPN anchor Stuart Scott passed away last Sunday at the age of 49. Many of his colleagues and friends paid tribute in tremendous fashion following the sad news, and North Carolina students and fans honored the alum before their last game. On Saturday, ESPN announcer Vitale had his chance to remember Scott in an appropriate way. He simply said one of Scott’s catchphrases, “Booyah”, multiple times. It was simple, but a perfect way to remember one his own co-workers.
Vitale didn’t take away from the broadcast and the game’s final moments. He let his counterpart continue to call the game, as Louisville looked for a stunning buzzer-beater. When the horn sounded and the crowd went wild, Vitale cooly and simply said “Booyah”. There was no reason to preface what he was about to say or explain why he was going to say “Booyah!”. By now if they didn’t remember, every knew exactly why Vitale exclaimed “Booyah”.
He was honoring one of the best SportsCenter anchors and employees to work for ESPN. It was even more apropos that the saying was used in a key North Carolina win.
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