Ian Eagle's call of dramatic Wisconsin upset over Purdue has fans ready for March Madness
Conference tournaments around the country are in full swing but the Big Ten Tournament just set the standard for what fans can expect as March Madness gets underway.
Ian Eagle has taken over for Jim Nantz as the lead voice of CBS's coverage of the NCAA Tournament. He was already in his bag on Saturday as Wisconsin pulled off a thrilling overtime upset over No. 1 seed Purdue in the semifinal of the Big Ten Tournament.
Here's the epic finish from Max Klesmit and the Badgers, and the stellar call from Eagle:
Eagles call was perfect: "Klesmit makes his move. The drive, the floater, GETS THE ROLL...Wisconsin up by one. Four seconds, three seconds, Jones fires....NO GOOD. Wisconsin wins. This is what March feels like!"
Heck yeah it is.
March is all about the thrilling upsets. The big shots with the clock ticking down. The mass of bodies rushing to celebrate on the court. The band playing in the background. The voice narrating it all may change, but the right words evoking the right emotion still strike that cord just right whether its Nantz or Eagle.
College basketball Twitter gave Eagle his flowers for putting everyone in the mood for March.
Klesmit hit the game-winning shot in overtime but he only got that chance because Chucky Hepburn laid in a game-tying basket with one second remaining in the game.
Hepburn led the Badgers with 22 points while AJ Storr came away with 20 points and six rebounds. Kelsmit finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Purdue's Zach Edey became the school's all-time leading scorer but his 28 points and 11 rebounds weren't enough to lead his team to the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game.
Bracketology update: Wisconsin improves seeding, Purdue concedes No. 1 overall
Wisconsin has given themselves a real chance at locking in a No. 5 seed in the tournament with their Big Ten run. Joe Lunardi of ESPN had them as a fifth seed coming in but Jerry Palm of CBS judged them as a No. 6.
Purdue is still all but guaranteed a No. 1 seed, but their hopes of being the No. 1 overall seed were likely dashed with the loss, especially with UConn and Houston playing in their respective conference title finals.