What I Love About College Basketball
- Senior Night. Seeing the guys on the team who have been around for 4 years say goodbye to the fans is always cool. It doesn't even have to be the big stars like Brian Cook, we love Harrington as well, and even cheer for guys like Jerrance Howard and Blandon Ferguson.
- The fans. College fans are definitely more immature than pro fans. And in my opinion, the less mature, the more entertaining. If you put up a shot in an away game, better make sure you draw iron at all costs. Or else be ready to have the crowd chanting "AIIIIIIR BAAAALL" every time you touch the rock for the rest of the game. My sister went to the game today and she told me that when a Minnesota player that was kind of chubby (Hagen) was shooting free throws, they were taunting him with "Eat a salad" chants. Very typical, I said. It's all part of the game.
- Tournaments. Within reason, any team can upset a much higher ranked team on any given night. And that makes these tournaments so interesting. You start with 65 teams and I'd say at least about 15 of them have a decent chance of winning it all. And "cinderella stories" happen every single year, it's expected. Much nicer than seeing the same exact teams in the NBA playoffs every year and the same teams winning.
- Change. This is the most obvious difference between college and pro ball. I used to think it was not good, because you couldn't get attached to your team and its stars. But now, I think it's great. From year to year, you are guaranteed to have new faces on your team, and even though watching freshman play is kind of frustrating sometimes, watching them develop is half the fun. Then when they actually do well, like Dee Brown, it's always a pleasant surprise. It's also nice that there aren't so many dynasties like the NBA. Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Bulls, Lakers... nice if your team is up there, but it sucks for the rest of the league.
- Loyalty. Because I went to U of I, I'll always be an Illini fan no matter what. In the pros, you could be a Cubs fan or a Sox fan. And when the Bulls suck, you lose interest. Worse yet, there's the possibility of your team moving away, which I guess in Chicago we haven't really had to deal with, but still. Also, with the exception of the occasional transfer student, there isn't "free agency" or players demanding trades. From the time you recruit a high schooler to the time he graduates or turns pro, he's gonna be on your team and nobody else's. One thing I do wish is that the good players didn't turn pro early so much these days, but I guess you can't help that.
- More team concept. My sis noticed that in college, after every stoppage of play, the guys on the court huddle, while they don't do that in the pros. There seems to be more love between teammates, not as much selfishness and personal ego. It's more fun to watch a team play when they are having fun together, than if it's like Allen Iverson or Vince Carter just taking over and dominating.
There's a lot more I could write, little stuff like the band, the cheerleaders, the announcers, the CBS music... but I'll keep this one short as I can. My readers deserve a break.
