Alright, this is a little bit of self-promotion here, but I also have a serious question: why do so many of you love the NBA but not college ball? It's intense, the fans are passionate, and the players give their all every game. The games matter so much more too because instead of having an 82 game schedule and then a playoff, each team makes their own schedule and then has their season hinge on whether or not the NCAA Selection Committee picks them for the NCAA Tournament --- unarguably a way more exciting way to pick a league champion than the NBA playoffs. Not only is it more fun to watch and the games mean more, but you're watching the superstars of tomorrow. If you've never watched the NBA Draft knowing who the players are, then you owe it to yourself to start watching college ball. I've personally seen live in person players like Dwyane Wade with Marquette, Carlos Boozer with Duke, Tayshaun Prince with Kentucky, Chris Paul with Wake Forest, Jason Richardson and Zach Randolph with Michigan State, Joe Johnson with Arkansas, Kenyon Martin with Cincinnati, Quentin Richardson with DePaul, David West with Xavier, Adam Morrison with Gonzaga, etc... and those are just the players I've seen live. If you've never followed the NCAA but have always been an NBA fan, you simply owe it to yourself to give college ball a test run this year. The season starts a little bit later than the pro season (it officially kicks off this weekend), so you'll be able to get in on the season right at the start. Stop by the JBB College Forum. We have a lot of great posters who you may have never even seen because they post mainly in the collegiate forums. Hope to see you around...
<div class="quote_poster">Locke Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Shameless.</div> Go **** yourself.
It's because everyone has their own opinion. This is like asking people, do you like comedy movies, or horror movies?
<div class="quote_poster">hustler Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It's because everyone has their own opinion. This is like asking people, do you like comedy movies, or horror movies?</div> Not really... basketball is basketball... the game is still the same...
<div class="quote_poster">hustler Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It's because everyone has their own opinion. This is like asking people, do you like comedy movies, or horror movies?</div> Why can't people like both? If you enjoy learning the fundamentals and watching players give all effort every game, college is the better brand of basketball. They have a shorter schedule so every game has a lot more importance placed on it. There's also better rivalries in college hoops. It's also nice to get a look at who some of the up and coming players are, and which guys could help your pro team on draft day.
There is only one reason why I hate NCAA Basketball. Michigan State. In all seriousness, I have been wanting to give college basketball a chance for awhile because everyone has been telling me it's so much better than professional basketball and all the points they bring up make sense. I always find it hard at first since I go into the season not knowing who any of the guys are. I'm used to watching the NBA where I can see a guy and know his strengths and weaknesses. I guess this is one of the reasons why a lot of people love college basketball because it's more about the game and coaches than it is the superstars. Also, the players are each trying to make a name for themselves so they can play on the next level. This season, I'm going to give college basketball a chance. I know I said that last year and I've tried to get into it in the past but this year I'm seriously going to watch games and stay interested all season long.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> In all seriousness, I have been wanting to give college basketball a chance for awhile because everyone has been telling me it's so much better than professional basketball and all the points they bring up make sense. I always find it hard at first since I go into the season not knowing who any of the guys are. I'm used to watching the NBA where I can see a guy and know his strengths and weaknesses. I guess this is one of the reasons why a lot of people love college basketball because it's more about the game and coaches than it is the superstars. Also, the players are each trying to make a name for themselves so they can play on the next level. </div> Really, I think that's one of the great things about college basketball. The players change every four years, so it's not like it'll take a while to get to know all the stars, because there's a new group of All-Americans every year. You get to know them just as the rest of the nation's casual fans get to know them. BTW - Here are JBB's initial NCAA rankings: http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61791
<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Really, I think that's one of the great things about college basketball. The players change every four years, so it's not like it'll take a while to get to know all the stars, because there's a new group of All-Americans every year. You get to know them just as the rest of the nation's casual fans get to know them.</div> Yeah, that's true. I'm reading a book called 'The Last Dance' by John Feinstein right now and it talks about the NCAA Tournament's history and profiles a lot of the great coaches. It's a really good book and has gotten me interested in college basketball. It also talks about the behind the scenes things at the Final Four and it's a pretty interesting.
I love it. I don't watch it during the weekdays unless I get to catch it at a friends on ESPN or something, but I usually watch it on the weekends. It's so intense, and the fans cheer through the whole game non stop. The atmosphere is great. I've been watchin College basketball since like 97, when I was a fan of the Tar-Heels with Jamison and VC (I was actually mad that the Raps made the draft day trade at the time). Though, I'm not as hardcore as some of you guys because of the fact that I can only catch saturday games most of the time, and see ESPN game highlights on occasion on the major Canadian sport networks.
<div class="quote_poster">P.A.P. Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I love it. I don't watch it during the weekdays unless I get to catch it at a friends on ESPN or something, but I usually watch it on the weekends. It's so intense, and the fans cheer through the whole game non stop. The atmosphere is great. I've been watchin College basketball since like 97, when I was a fan of the Tar-Heels with Jamison and VC (I was actually mad that the Raps made the draft day trade at the time). Though, I'm not as hardcore as some of you guys because of the fact that I can only catch saturday games most of the time, and see ESPN game highlights on occasion on the major Canadian sport networks.</div> Yeah, it's great to associate yourself with a team like the 'Heels. I can't imagine watching the game and not associating myself with a team to be honest, and I think that's why many fans don't get into it - they just don't know who to root for. The rankings give a real importance to every game when you're a fan of a particular team, because you always want to see your team move up and always want to see other teams ahead of them move down, so you always have a motive when you're rooting for a game. Every game takes on such more meaning than NBA games because of that.
Like VC was saying, I'm in the group of people who don't have a team to follow. While Gators wants me to root for Florida, it's hard because I'm far from Gainesville and I can't watch all of the games. South Florida is the closest team to me and well, they suck ass. It's hard to get excited when your team has never been ranked and your a better point guard than the one starting for your local team.
<div class="quote_poster">Swish15 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Like VC was saying, I'm in the group of people who don't have a team to follow. While Gators wants me to root for Florida, it's hard because I'm far from Gainesville and I can't watch all of the games. South Florida is the closest team to me and well, they suck ass. It's hard to get excited when your team has never been ranked and your a better point guard than the one starting for your local team.</div> Do you have a good idea of where you'll go to college? Do you have any family members that graduated from 'name' schools (that's how I became a Michigan State fan)? Do you like any coaches or players particularly?
It's really a matter of coverage for me. In the past, I'd only get a couple of games every weekend, so it was hard to really get an interest and pick up enough knowledge to comment on it. This year I got RaptorsNBATV, which shows more college games, so hopefully I can pick up a bit more information. I also had a hard time watching, because I couldn't get attached to any team like I did with the Raptors, but that's changed now that I follow the NBA draft more. Now I just like watching the players that have a chance to be drafted. In terms of the college forum, I read it regularly, but don't have nearly enough knowledge to say something insightful.
<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Do you have a good idea of where you'll go to college? Do you have any family members that graduated from 'name' schools (that's how I became a Michigan State fan)? Do you like any coaches or players particularly?</div> I hate to clutter this thread with me deciding on a team so I'll just finish this through private messaging.
1. There are too many teams. 2. Zone is boring. 3. The athletes aren't as good. 4. Less stylish players. 5. It's hard to know where all these colleges are. nba teams identify with a city. these college teams identify with a college, which if you're not in that college, doesn't mean much. it's hard to get behind some college team for a school that you didn't attend 6. NBA players have more love for the game 7. Manu, AI and Kobe don't play in college. Are those enough reasons?
<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Go **** yourself.</div> I barely watch NCAA, I have always been a NBA fan because I know the players. In college its too many timees and too many players to know and follow up with.
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">1. There are too many teams. 2. Zone is boring. 3. The athletes aren't as good. 4. Less stylish players. 5. It's hard to know where all these colleges are. nba teams identify with a city. these college teams identify with a college, which if you're not in that college, doesn't mean much. it's hard to get behind some college team for a school that you didn't attend 6. NBA players have more love for the game 7. Manu, AI and Kobe don't play in college. Are those enough reasons?</div> 1. There are a lot of teams, but if you keep up with the top 30 or so, that's not anymore than the NBA fields. The top 25 Rankings are a fairly accurate indicator of who to follow. 2. The NBA also plays zone defense, and not every college uses zone. 3. The athletes are equally as good, just not as physically developed. 4. For me substance is > style 5. That's a fair point. 6. That's a laughable point. 7. AI played for GTown and was very popular. Kobe would have played for Duke, and Gino played for a college basketball equivalent with his team in Argentina.
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">1. There are too many teams. 2. Zone is boring. 3. The athletes aren't as good. 4. Less stylish players. 5. It's hard to know where all these colleges are. nba teams identify with a city. these college teams identify with a college, which if you're not in that college, doesn't mean much. it's hard to get behind some college team for a school that you didn't attend 6. NBA players have more love for the game 7. Manu, AI and Kobe don't play in college. Are those enough reasons?</div> 1. Not really. There are only 30 or so that matter... that is, the ones vying for a Tourny at-large bid. Besides, once you pick a team, and conference play starts, your team will, for the rest of the regular season, play one of about ten or eleven teams. 2. Fair enough, but every team doesn't play zone. 3. Not true at all. Some of the greatest athletes are actually allowed to showcase their games more on the collegiate level but can never get playing time on the NBA level because they lack some sort of other quality. Like Shannon Brown and his lack of height. He's undeniably one of the league's top athletes, yet most NBA fans will never realize that because he's a 6'1" wing who plays on a team with LeBron James, Larry Hughes, David Wesley, Damon Jones, Eric Snow, Ira Newble, and others. (LINK) By the way, ever heard of James White? (LINK) 4. Stylish, like clothing-wise? Like having flare to their game? Go watch And-1 for that... the NBA's exactly not the home for 'style' either... 5. It's pretty much common knowledge. Duke = Durham, North Carolina; UNC = Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Michigan State = East Lansing, Michigan; UConn = Storrs, Connecticut; Indiana = Bloomington, Indiana; Florida = Gainesville, Florida; Kansas = Lawrence, Kansas; Texas = Austin, Texas; etc. Most of them are pretty self-explanatory though, like Pittsburgh is in Pittsburgh, Memphis is in Memphis, UCLA is in L.A., Louisville is in Louisville, etc. 6. If anything, it's the other way around. College players are playing just for the love. They don't get paid, they don't get shoe deals, and they don't get half the fanfair. Their sole motivation is winning. 7. Who's this? Almost all the pro's go through college, especially now with the NBA age limit. You'll always have stars too. This year the whole Redick/Morrison Player of the Year race was huge.
