Gus Johnson: 6 Crazy Calls We'll Miss During March Madness

Gus Johnson, to me at least, is the voice of college hoops—especially March Madness.

The man is always 100 percent focused on the game he calls, and has the ability to make a seemingly boring contest exciting.

Next year, with no Gus Johnson during March Madness, I might not watch the games. It just won't be the same without his thunderous voice, signature laugh and tangible intensity.

For the sake of college basketball, let's all hope that he's back calling March Madness games come next spring.

Otherwise, we'll be missing out on calls like these...

Hey Coach, Play This Kid!

During a late-season Big East matchup, Marquette found itself tied at 59 with the Georgetown Hoyas.

Dominic James missed a deep three, but backup Dwight Burke slammed home the rebound with the foul.

Burke missed the ensuing free throw, and the Golden Eagles ended up losing 70-68 in overtime.

In my book, Burke, being on the receiving end of a classic Gus Johnson call, was the true winner in this game.

Batista with the Catch!

Gonzaga found itself down by two in the final moments against the UCLA Bruins in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Bulldogs standout J.P. Batista caught a down court pass, but missed his jumper wide to the right.

Adam Morrison then infamously fell to the hardwood in tears, and Greg Gumbel put his touch on the call.

"Gus will be out of the hospital in time for tomorrow's game."

Lewis Has Been Awesome!

During the Greg Oden/Mike Conley era at Ohio State, the Buckeyes found themselves trailing the Xavier Musketeers late in Round 2 of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

Ron Lewis wasn't quite ready to bow out, and hit a huge three-pointer to force overtime.

Forget about the clutch play and just listen to the noise Gus Johnson makes right after he connects. Couple this unintelligible gibberish with a classic "HA-HA," and this call is an instant hit.

Larry Bird, Baby!

I think Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery eliminate the need to say much here, so I'll leave it to them.

Major. Onions.

...Hit That One from the Parking Lot!

In a stunning upset of the Syracuse Orangemen (still had the "men" in 2005), T.J. Sorrentine nailed a jumper from, well, the parking lot.

His shot put the exclamation point on the game, and Gus Johnson's call delivered Vermont's message to everyone watching at home.

The Slipper Still Fits!

This call is so famous, it has nearly 250,000 views on YouTube.

This call is so famous, it is known by two names: "The Runner" and "The Slipper Still Fits."

This call is so famous, the Gonzaga fan base made a website appropriately titled "The Slipper Still Fits," the self-proclaimed "#1 Source for Bulldogs Discussion and Opinion."

Once again, thank you Gus.