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CBS Scorebug Had Hilarious Malfunction During NCAA Tournament

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Mar 22, 2025 11:56 PM ET

The scorebug operator at CBS must have spilled his coffee on the table or something because there's not many ways we can explain what happened during their broadcast of the NCAA Tournament game between BYU and Wisconsin.

In the first half of the game, with Wisconsin trailing 38-24, sophomore guard John Blackwell converted a three-point shot from beyond the arc. But after draining the shot, the CBS scorebug started going crazy.

The number first rose to 27, then 33, then 39, 51, 75 and even 111. The numbers just kept changing rapidly, eventually rising all the way to 225 for Wisconsin before CBS turned the entire thing off to fix it.

It ultimately took CBS an entire minute to reboot the scorebug and get it back in working order.

The CBS scorebug did not know what to do when Wisconsin made a three-pointer vs BYU.

Get ready for a wild ride (followed by the disappearance of the scorebug for more than a minute). ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/2JWLBGknl8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 23, 2025

Users on social media had all kinds of jokes about the little hiccup that CBS had:

"I couldn't stop laughing knowing that someone out there was freaking out the the button they push to change the score was just going haywire," one user remarked.

"Somebody check the spacebar. I think it’s stuck…" another joked.

"Wisconsin has now retaken their 150+ pt lead."

"BYU’s defense needs some work."

"Saw this live. Hilarious! I can imagine the guy in the truck yelling 'ABORT!'"

EVANSVILLE, IN - MARCH 28: A CBS Sports logo is displayed in front of spectator seating before the start of the NCAA Division II Final Four basketball game between the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats and the Saint Anselm Hawks on March 28, 2019, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

With or without a proper working scorebug, things are very close between BYU and Wisconsin midway through the second half of the game. The Cougars have a slight lead over the Badgers.

Big Ten teams are 10-0 after Purdue and Michigan punched their tickets to the Sweet 16 earlier today. Wisconsin won't want to be the team to break the streak, but BYU is doing everything they can to get the job done.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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