I kicked off our basketball season in Cancun, Mexico for the Cancun Challenge (yes, I did say Mexico).  In a potential foreshadowing of March, these games were played in a ballroom that is usually used for dancing.  But on the two days before Thanksgiving, 5th-ranked Kentucky, a pesky Stanford team, along with Virginia and Cleveland State put on shows of their own.  An OT game between the Cats and Cardinal decided the championship south of the border and I did not even return with a tan (the production trucks don't have sun roofs, maybe I should look in to that).

We’ve gotten our first look at 3rd ranked Texas in a showdown with Rice, Pitt win their 14th in a row vs Duquesne in the City Game (last hoops game every played inside Mellon Arena and it took 2 OT periods to decided it) and an entertaining matchup between Cal and New Mexico from one of my favorite venues in college basketball - "The Pit". It really is as loud as Tom Hart says it is folks!

For college hoops I will go with call my new shout outs “In the Bonus.” Without further ado...

This week's In the Bonus:

-Texas at Rice: Really like the way this production team and announce team gelled together. Teasing elements to break, following through with elements teed up in the open. Nice support and flow to this one.

-Pitt vs DuQuesne: solid open. Documented the great history of the City game. Terrific effort by Dave Ryan and Pete Gillen for all of regulation and 2 OT periods keeping their energy high and keeping viewers tuned to their sets on how this one will end. Also loved the halftime guest. Anytime you can have a Harlem Globetrotter on who has played in over 6,000 games, that is just cool.

-Cal vs New Mexico - Smart halftime segment by production team on this one, really setting the big picture scene for the season. Always love to get my fix on who to watch. Well done.