Greg Anthony, analyst for CBS and Turner Sports, gave his impressions of the hot NCAA tournament story Florida Gulf Coast, which team has the best shot at making the Final Four in Atlanta, and what it’s like to work with the ever-outspoken Charles Barkley. Here are excerpts from the former UNLV and New York Knicks point guard:
Q: Even as an analyst, was it fun to watch Florida Gulf Coast?
A: Absolutely. It was phenomenal to watch these young men play with so much fire and fun. They really captured the imagination of all of us, myself, Charles and Kenny (Smith) and Ernie (Johnson Jr.) and Greg (Gumbel) on set, and obviously everybody watching. They're not a 15 seed. These guys are really good. They have great balance. They have athleticism. They shoot it from the perimeter well. They had a lot of confidence because of what they were able to do earlier in the season in beating a very good Miami team. They know they're a good basketball team. You can always tell when a team is really good when they're able to impose their style on the game. They did that against Georgetown, and then they were able to validate that with their performance against San Diego State.
Q: What about their matchup with Florida?
A: It makes for an intriguing matchup because they're an up-tempo team that likes to press. When you do that, it opens up the floor. And they have multiple ball-handlers, multiple scorers. They can hurt you on the interior. This team is for real.
Q: Do you think the so-called “bad loss” to Florida Gulf Coast cost Miami a No. 1 seed, and how ironic is that now?
A: I really felt there were five No. 1 seeds. You're splitting hairs when you're trying to determine who the four were. I had no problem with four 1s. I did think Miami was deserving of a 1 seed. As we've seen, Miami is very capable. They can play fast. They can play slow. They're big. They're athletic. They defend well. They're a team that has a great chance to get to the Final Four. … All the Florida schools have been really impressive, and Florida Gulf Coast doesn't have to take a backseat to anybody.
Q: The remaining mid-majors — Wichita State, La Salle, and Florida Gulf Coast — had big wins during the season, so it’s not like they are true surprises, right?
A: Those teams, in their (NCAA) wins, didn't do anything out of character. It's not as if they played out of their minds to win games. Those are all good teams. We talked about it coming into the tournament and sometimes it sounds like just rhetoric, but the reality is (parity) is the state of college basketball. Even though we like to say that these teams are Cinderella teams, they have resumes and pedigree that tells you they're good. How good has the Atlantic 10 been in this tournament? As impressive as anybody.
Q: Safe to say the Big Ten lived up to its billing?
A: I didn't think there was any question the Big Ten was really good this year, as is the Big East, and they have not disappointed. They're going to have teams that are all capable of winning the national championship, both those conferences. They've also been impressive in that they've been able to win and deal with adversity. It's always more difficult when the expectations are really high and you get challenged. I've been impressed with the response of those teams. You look at that Indiana win over Temple. Temple is a good basketball team. They almost beat Kansas on the road.
Q: Who is most poised to make a run at the national championship?
A: I think the 1 seeds remaining all are all legit and really well-coached teams and talented — Indiana, Kansas and obviously Louisville — but I don't discount teams like Michigan State and Duke, who have to match up obviously. Michigan is going to have a great chance against Kansas. … I think you're going to see some extremely competitive games at the end of the week. Even though Louisville probably is the best all-around team, the beauty of the tournament is more often than not, the best team doesn't win. When I was playing, you used to have to win at least one game where you didn't play well. Now I think you've got to have two of those potentially. Louisville hasn't had a game where they've really struggled yet. I think that's going to materialize for them as for everybody else moving forward.
Q: Of the three No. 1 seeds, who has the toughest road?
A: I don't think anybody has it easy now. The matchups are far more difficult at this stage because these teams have all gotten a certain level of confidence because they've won games. You look at a team like Marquette. They've have had two of those games already as a 3 seed. They could have lost both. … If you're in the Sweet 16, you're a good team. In a year when we don't have dominant teams — we've seen it with VCU and Butler — you could have one of these teams no one in expecting to go on a deep run find themselves in Atlanta.
Q: What about Duke-Michigan State? The Spartans’ physical play could mean more foul trouble for Duke’s Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly?
A: It's always a concern if you don't have a lot of depth that you can keep your best players on the floor, but you also want to have a scenario where other guys can step up. I thought Quin Cook has played really well for Duke at the point and allowed their team to continue to have a chance. It's going to be physical. Michigan State is a great rebounding team, but they have a lot of turnovers that are unforced. As the competition gets better, you can ill-afford to throw possessions away. … It's going to be an incredible atmosphere.
Q: So what’s it like to sit on set with Charles Barkley?
A: It's great. I have the pleasure of working a lot with Charles on the NBA side, working for Turner, so it's something I'm used to. I find it to be as entertaining as those tuning in. I probably have as much fun and more laughs on the set as anybody. I think it's been great for college basketball. I think Charles Barkley is one of the most iconic figures in America when it comes to sports. He's got a magnetic personality. He's one of the few guys that doesn't care about what people think, in terms of what he says. He's just going to speak his mind whether he's right or wrong. I applaud him for it and really appreciate the opportunity to work with him.
Q: Expect the unexpected?
A: I'm sitting there on pins and needles like everybody else, just waiting for something to come out of his mouth that makes you go "whoa."
Q: So are the guys giving you a hard time about your LG commercials?
A: Yeah, it's that time of year. This is our tax season, so we tend to be a little bit busy and probably a little bit overexposed. … The funny thing is we don't get to see any commercials because we're getting direct feeds. But I do get to hear about it because I'm on Twitter. I'm hearing the opinions both pro and con throughout the course of the day. That's all part of it. I feel so fortunate and honored to be a part of March Madness and covering this great game that I love.
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