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Kevin Harlan Calling His Own Basketball Deflection During UNC-Ole Miss Was a Classic

Another classic Harlan moment.

Tom Dierberger

Kevin Harlan deflects the basketball during the first half of a first-round matchup between North Carolina and Ole Miss.
Kevin Harlan deflects the basketball during the first half of a first-round matchup between North Carolina and Ole Miss. / CBS Sports
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Nobody calls a wacky moment in sports better than legendary play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan.

Harlan, who is known to not shy away from pivoting to play-by-play of a drunken fan streaking on the field or a black cat crossing into the end zone, got into the mix Friday afternoon during a NCAA tournament round of 64 matchup between No. 11 seed North Carolina and No. 6 seed Ole Miss.

Late in the first half, Ole Miss guard Jaylen Murray attempted to keep the basketball inbounds by hurling it at a teammate near media row. The pass was tipped by North Carolina junior Cade Tyson, and after one bounce, it hurdled toward Harlan, who was broadcasting the game for CBS.

Making a heads-up play, Harlan deflected the ball away. And of course, he gave himself a shoutout on the broadcast.

"Saves the ball with a leap, knocked out of bounds, deflected by me, and off to the side!" Harlan exclaimed.

"It was going right for you, did you see that?" Harlan said to CBS analyst Stan Van Gundy.

Classic Harlan.

It wasn't much of a game between North Carolina and Ole Miss in the first half, as the Rebels took a 44–26 lead into the break. But the Tar Heels, coming off a 95–68 win over San Diego State in the First Four, are hoping to stage a dramatic comeback in the second half, and trail by just four with four minutes left in the game.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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