VIDEOS: Behind the scenes, a wild night in Iowa City for Big Ten Network

Six minutes before tipoff last Tuesday, about the same time Herky strolled through Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City to the “Rocky” theme, the Big Ten Network truck north of the arena was abuzz with hope.

It wasn't hope for a victory by either Iowa or Michigan. It wasn't hope for a competitive game - although that would provide the BTN bean counters in Chicago with an added bonus. It was hope that in the whirlwind of issues, nothing would go wrong during the broadcast. After all, it was a storm of hair-stroking moments that led the expansive crew to that moment of hope.

“All we can do is laugh our way through the evening,” producer Steve Johnson said with a sarcastic, yet not-quite exasperating tone.

Then, the graphics computer rebooted successfully. There'd be a game for sure, but now fans viewing the telecast would see the score. All was then quiet on the Big Ten Network front, five minutes before tipoff.

Television trucks fill with energy before any live event, and Tuesday's Iowa-Michigan game was no different. It provided nearly as much drama to the television crew as it did for the fans watching Iowa's overtime loss.

Johnson, who lives in Minneapolis, arrived at Carver-Hawkeye Arena more than nine hours before the game. By then Johnson already had a full day. Dave Revsine, the Big Ten Network's lead play-by-play announcer, suffered a death in the family and wouldn't call the game. Network executives contacted Illinois radio host Brian Barnhart that morning in a frantic effort to find a replacement. Barnhart accepted but had to drive four hours.

Then an audio operator called in sick, forcing the technical manager, Rich White, to work as a backup audio operator. White, who lives in Cedar Rapids, is the on-site manager in charge of production and engineering. Six hours before tipoff, he went through mountains of cables and checked every cord and plug-in of the $5 million truck. Everything seemed in order just two hours before tipoff.

But in the truck, there was chaos. Audio levels were off base and a graphics computer kept locking up. The audio issue was cleared up, but the graphics caused problems all night. Just minutes into the broadcast, the network aired a graphic with Michigan Coach John Beilein's resume. The graphics computer locked up when the network camera shifted to Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter. Eventually, the resume was brought to the screen.

zDespite pre-game concerns, the transition to live television was smooth. Johnson's primary goal was to flow sponsored advertising, such as halftime shows and player of the game spots, without intruding on the game. He worked with Jackson and Barnhart as well as the replay booth - which consisted of five cameras that feature live slow motion. Director Chuck Jackson coordinated the on-air visuals, switching from one camera to another depending on ball movement and situation.

Many on-air graphics were completed in advance and decisions were made in a split second. Johnson bookmarked a 3-pointer for a replay, only to ditch it 10 seconds later for a more relevant play.

With 3 minutes, 54 seconds left in the half, Johnson told his talent and graphics, “Let's talk (Aaron) Fuller coming out of the break.” John Nichols built a Fuller graphic on his scoring line - 12 points, 6 of 7 shooting, five rebounds. The flashy graphic aired seconds later.

There were concerns throughout the game but Barnhart was not one of them. Barnhart called a handful of baseball games for the BTN last spring but never a basketball game, especially on such short notice.

“This guy is rock solid,” Johnson said. “He's going to get high, high marks in my report.”

As the game filtered toward its conclusion, the crew discussed its sponsored player of the game. Both Fuller, who finished with a career-high 30 points, and Michigan's DeShawn Sims, who scored 27 points and sent the game into overtime on a 3-pointer, were obvious candidates.

“Build Sims as player of the game,” said Johnson, who previously directed Fuller as the top prospect.

Sims earned the title with Michigan's 80-78 overtime win. By the end of the night, there were only a few glitches and none serious.

As for Jim Jackson and Barnhart, working together wasn't difficult. The chemistry wasn't as smooth as between Jackson and Revsine, but after getting thrown in together for the first time, few could notice Barnhart was a later replacement.

“It changes it a little bit but not much because (Brian) is good, he does radio,” Jackson said. “He understands TV is a little bit different, but the majority of the game we're on headset, not on TV. It's basically calling the game like you would on radio. Of course I've got a camaraderie with Dave, who's my guy, but you run with it.”

Barnhart had seen both teams recently but he took careful notes before the game.

“Being on short notice doesn't bother me; it was just getting up here on time and getting ready in a mindset to do the game,” he said. “I just help paint that story and let Jim do his job.”

Ten minutes after the telecast, Johnson congratulated Barnhart and Jackson and walked with an aura of relief. Through the audio and graphics issues, losing the lead play-by-play guy and an audio operator, the telecast was solid and featured no dreaded glitches. Johnson deemed it a success.

“It wasn't always pretty, but I was proud of what everybody did tonight,” Johnson said. “So I feel good about that.”