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For a good idea about ESPN having an East coast bias look no further than "Duke-ie" Vitale.

Vitale broadcasts so many Duke games for ESPN, the Cameron Crazies are no longer crazy about his appearance at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Remember when they lifted him and carried him through the student section about two decades ago? Now, Vitale is like the unwanted uncle who visits the house too much.

That's only a skin-deep argument about ESPN's East coast bias in its coverage of college basketball. The muscle of the argument against ESPN's coverage is the comments made by its analysts.

When Syracuse was rightfully omitted from the 2007 NCAA men's basketball tournament, all the ESPN talking heads criticized the selection committee. Their main contention was Syracuse playing in a tough Big East conference and beating the likes of Georgetown only a couple of weeks prior at home.

Thank goodness the selection committee puts credence into non-conference scheduling. Syracuse's top non-conference foes in the 2006-07 season were Wichita State and Oklahoma State - hardly top 20 material - and both of those games were in the state of New York. The Orangemen lost both games.

ESPN's disgust with the committee's decision was so obvious that Syracuse's school newspaper, if you can believe it, wrote "Even Doug Gottlieb" thought the Orangemen deserved to be part of March Madness.

The excuse much of the East coast media makes is that basketball on the West coast is played too late. For instance, an 8:30 p.m. tipoff between Arizona and UCLA in Los Angeles is at 11:30 p.m. on the East coast. Who is awake that late to watch the game?

Well, is it not obvious that the media that proclaims it covers college basketball to the fullest should be awake?

Shouldn't this example of an Arizona-UCLA game be prominent in the next day's highlights to inform the viewer who had to miss the game because of the late tip?

Pay close attention to ESPN's coverage and you will notice that the network does not follow this logical practice.

Other questions to ponder:

When's the last time you remember Vitale announcing a Pac-10 or West coast game? He can because the Pac-10 has a television deal with ABC-TV, which is affiliated with ESPN. But he decides not to.

Where would Duke be today without ESPN? Is Coach K on the payroll?

Why is a former Duke player (Jay Bilas) and former North Carolina player (Hubert Davis) part of ESPN's college basketball GameDay program. Memo to ESPN: The West has also produced players who are keen on college basketball and its developments.

Why does the Big Monday's third game, which is usually a West coast game, have the third-string announcing crew all the time?

The most frustrating aspect is ESPN will not change and its attitude is that of "We don't have to change." And, unfortunately, that is the case. The network's moniker "Worldwide Leader in Sports" is accurate. Fox Sports does not compete because of its bland on-air personalities and scheduling issues.

Fox sees no problem starting a West coast game at 8:30 p.m., Pacific time. The network does not market itself like ESPN.

So ESPN is the bully on the block. Go ahead and try to change their ways. Make their day, as Clint Eastwood said. ESPN won't flinch an eye. Get ready for more "Duke-ie" Vitale at Cameron Indoor Stadium no matter how much it makes your stomach turn.

Learn more about this author, Javier Morales.
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