Why I Love College Basketball
This isn't really an analysis of anything of college basketball, but even with my two favorite sports still going on (baseball, football), I am getting pumped for the college basketball season. I know people, both fans and the media, have blasted college basketball over the years of being a bit too boring (though everybody loved how last season ended), but I think it is great. Are there flaws? Yes, but what sport/league doesn't? To me, college basketball is still great and will continue to be that for a long time, until something drastic happens, so we won't go there. I normally do a "top 5" but not today. I will just put reasons of why I love the college game so much.
Denzel Valentine always left it out on the floor at Michigan State.
1. The players Go All-Out. You see in college ball the chances of making it to the NBA are incredibly slim. We're talking 351 teams with 12 players each. That's over 4,000 players total. And you are talking about a total of 60 players being drafted and even then you have international players so you are pretty much thinking even with college you have a way less than 5% chance. And these kids know it. So they are going to go all-out to win games and bust their tail. What you see is what you get. And even at schools such as Kentucky & Duke where coaches are priming them for the NBA go all out.
UNC has played a team-style basketball that has served them well for a long period of time.
2. The Team Game is Played. With the NBA you have a style that it is superstar vs. superstar and the other teammates are just role players. You don't see that on the college game, even with college stars roaming at Duke, Kentucky, or Kansas. It is REAL with the team concept of 5 on 5 in the college world. And that is what makes basketball as pure as possible in college as opposed to NBA where it is something similar to a video game where all it is sometimes can be a dunk show or a 3-point shootout.
Two great faces of the college game: Coach K and Izzo
3. Coaches are Legends. Well, at the major schools, but you do have some surprises around in the mid-majors too. Coach K, Calipari, Izzo, Pitino, Boeheim, Self, Roy Williams, etc. They are all legends because they win and also they have a style that cannot be missed. And the ones in the past, like Bob Knight and John Thompson as well as Dean Smith and Rick Majerus were great and had so much character to them. Why? They earned respect and have build amazing programs where ever they went and they are often seen cutting nets down. In the NBA you just have clean cut guys in suits where if the star player doesn't like them, they are out the door.
Allen Fieldhouse is a must-see place for any college basketball fan.
4. Homecourt Advantages: Go ANYWHERE for a college game. NO two venues are alike. You can go to Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke and how insane that place (which feels more like a cathedral than a court) is when the Crazies are out. It is going to be far different than going to Louisville where it is crazy and they have an NBA-style arena. Or it is way different in Fieldhouses such as Kansas and Butler. Or even the dome Syracuse holds. Even the mid-majors are insane. When Memphis still ruled the Conference USA, going to Bartow Arena at UAB when the Tigers were there, was as intense as any major rivalry. Heck, try a game in Hawkins Arena in Mercer where the place is as big as a high school gymnasium (albeit a beautiful one at that) and it is rocking. Every year I try to make 3-4 different college venues because it is great. And even venues that we don't consider "great" still have some unique things to it. Go to Alabama, where it feels more like an auditorium, and you still have a great vibe. Yes, Alabama, the college football capital of the world still gets crazy for college basketball. It is a vibe that possibly only college football can match up with, maybe more.
Always fun to see even if you hate Duke
5. The Fans. Goes similar to advantages. You have the college fans who just act crazy and stupid, but try to psych out the opposing teams and their players whether it is doing crazy antics or just trash talking to the opposing players. We hear the Cameron Crazies or the Izzones, but the Hanner Hooligans at Georgia Southern can be pretty into it as well. But also hearing about the Pit in New Mexico or what we see out in St. Mary's, it is unreal.
6. March Madness. Every year fans jump at the picks to see if they can nail the perfect bracket. The funny part is, you have a better chance at winning the lottery. But everybody gets in on it and watches the games to see if their picks pan out. Most of the time it is the first or second day that your bracket goes bye bye.........like mine did last year. Thank you Middle Tennessee for ruining that. But also, you have the Cinderella teams, that we don't hear about in the regular season come out of nowhere to make a Sweet 16 or at least upend a team that many had to win the whole thing. It is great and heartbreaking all at once.
7. Buzzer-Beaters. Seems like we see these all the time, especially in the tournaments. It shows these players can play on the grandest of stages and being huge stars after it. Tyus Edney? Kris Jenkins? Christian Laettner? It is just amazing.
Perry Ellis was fun to watch at Kansas
8. 4-Ever Year Players: Especially at the major schools. The one thing I DON'T like about College Basketball now is the one-and-doners you see at Kentucky and Duke. But you get some that come through that you go "man, they have been there forever." Case in point: Perry Ellis at Kansas. It felt like he was with the Jayhawks for a decade. But given that he wasn't considered an "NBA prospect," Ellis was smart and stayed in school during his time. And he turned out to be a key player in continuing Kansas's dominance of the Big 12. I am not a Kansas fan in basketball but I loved watching this guy play because he was a complete, all-around player. Other guys that fall into this was Allan Henderson of Indiana way back when. And even the likes of Mateen Cleaves and Denzel Valentine at Michigan State fell into this category. Heck, I remember seeing Buddy Hield as a freshman at Oklahoma. Those are the guys I really enjoy watching and seeing play because you can identify them with the team they have been on.
How I look at everything in February & March
9. It Passes Me Through the Cold Days of February and March. I mentioned before I loved baseball and football far more. When the Super Bowl ends, it seems like the next two months are like nuclear winter for me. Always overcast, cold, everything is dead, etc. I am thinking of the Gary Jules cover of Hall & Oates' Mad World being played in the background. Football is over and baseball does start with Spring Training, but I hate Spring Training so that is still dead to me. Basketball gets me going through that time.
Anyway, those are just a few reasons why I love college basketball. I am pumped up for this upcoming season as it should be a good one. I don't do a preview because it is too much for teams. Plus, I am not even doing a Final Four pick given two teams could be in the same bracket. So if I had to choose a team, I would pick Duke to win it all. They're stacked once more.
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
