Billy Packer’s acerbic wit hasn’t gone anywhere

When he was calling college basketball games for CBS, Billy Packer was as opinionated, forthright and exacerbating as anyone.

Good to know retirement hasn’t changed him.

This lengthy profile piece by FanHouse catches Packer at his best (the ACC stinks right now because the coaches aren’t recruiting the top talent) and perplexing (he doesn’t apologize or regret anything he’s said).

But most entertaining? His analysis of North Carolina’s sub-par 2009-10 season in which the Heels missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003.

“They can get good recruits, but I think that the selection has to be questionable a little bit -- to get so many kids that have minimal basketball IQ’s and are not athletically rugged is not a good combination,’' Packer said. “Last year’s team, of all North Carolina teams that maybe I have ever seen, lacked basketball IQ and you know when you’ve got a coach that’s cerebral like Roy that runs a sophisticated system, and you’re putting a system in for guys with low basketball IQs, you’re facing disaster.’'

Hmm. Packer says he’s perfectly content in retirement and has no desire to call another basketball game. But can he call just one UNC game this season? It’d be worth it.

Want more? I’m also on Twitter @BeyndArcMMiller.