Pacers Get a Lot of Love During NCAA Tournament

Since the current collection of Indiana Pacers have reassumed their Mr. Hyde pose after delivering what appeared to be a knockout blow against Charlotte, let’s talk about something positive: The Pacers have been getting a lot of love during the NCAA Tournament.

Most everyone knows that former Pacer Clark Kellogg replaced the long-in-the-tooth Billy Packer a few years back as the number one college basketball color analyst at CBS. Kellogg will be alongside Jim Nantz at next weekend’s Final Four in Houston.

What came as a special delight was the pairing of ex-Pacers Reggie Miller and Len Elmore as dual color analysts for the Southeast Regional. Spurred on by the infectious excitement of play-by-play man Gus Johnson, Miller was almost overcome by the moment in Butler’s overtime win over Florida. When Butler guard Shelvin Mack hit a three-pointer near the end of overtime, the former Knick killer yelled, “This is an old-fashioned shootout for a chance to go to the Final Four!”

It’s nice to see the ex-Pacers get their shots on a national stage. It seemed especially appropriate as Butler, the small private school from Indianapolis, moved onto the Final Four for the second year in a row.

This guy knows how to get excited.