Bilas On Video Review

Jay Bilas is an unusually effective critic. He builds his case persistently over time, makes logical arguments and when he has critics, he’ll typically say something disarming that more or less forces you to consider his position. Just look at what happened when he went into a courtroom with Barney the Dinosaur: “We have no beef with Barney,″ said Jay Bilas, “But the people behind Barney acted like bullies. They’ve bullied this poor businessman for two years. They forced him into a trial, and this is the result.”

See what we mean? Classic Bilas.

So don’t bet against the latest target of his concern: the NCAA’s use of video review, particularly late in games. And really, who can seriously disagree?

It’s ridiculous to review every play at the end of a game and absolutely kills the flow. And it’s just far worse in the post-season. TV-wise, it adds minutes to the broadcast and takes away from the following game - (and if Bilas wants something else to campaign about, there’s something. ESPN consistently doesn't get to 9:00 games until late in the first half. They do start those games on another network, but that doesn't work if you can’t watch and are taping it for later. Talk about a letdown)

Fortunately, there’s a really easy solution.

Let coaches challenge three plays a game - one in the first half, two in the second, but only one in the last 4:00. They’ll naturally conserve those opportunities until they’re most needed.

That will end this problem in a very big hurry.