Why College Basketball Is Better Than The NBA

You don’t have to tell me because I already know: The players in the NBA are a lot better than the players in college.

Alright, glad we got that out of the way, because that is always the first thing an NBA fan tells me to counter my argument. As if I wasn’t aware of this fact. So to all those who believe the NBA is better than college basketball, listen up: I realize the talent level is far greater, I just don’t really care.

Don’t get me wrong, I watch the NBA from time to time. I tune in to the playoffs. You know, those exciting NBA playoff games that start in April and end sometime in…August? September? Are last season’s conference finals still going on?

And boy, do I love going to an NBA game. There’s nothing quite like the build-up for the opening tip. In fact, the tension is so great, that many fans don’t even bother showing up for the start of the game—it’s simply too much stimulation for them to handle.

Those that do arrive on time are so amped up that they remain seated in near-silence until there are only a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Sarcasm aside, “Why College Basketball is Better than the NBA” is more than just the title of my column. It represents a state of mind. I have a passion for college basketball and I’d like to share it with you. So while I’ll be listing a different reason each day why college is superior to the pros, there will be other college hoops content here as well.

So without further ado…

Reason No. 1 Why College Basketball is better than the NBA: The Crowd.

As I mentioned earlier, too many NBA fans arrive late to games. The pre-game atmosphere is dull. Even for most of the game the crowd seems uninterested. Of course this isn’t always the case, especially for playoff games, but we are talking about the average NBA contest.

I know fans aren’t jumping and yelling before the tip of a Celtics-Cavs game in January. But you can bet they are as the ball is tossed up for an Ohio State-Wisconsin game. This is largely due to the college arena’s student section, a group of fans so important that I think it deserves its own “reason” in a later column.

The college basketball crowd is loud from start to finish, not just at key moments in the final quarter. The fans aren’t leaving their seats every ten minutes to get another beer, checking their e-mail on handheld devices, or dressed in suits.

Now for other college basketball news and notes…

Sampson, not Indiana to be punished

The NCAA is working to prohibit former Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson from coaching a college team for at least five years.

Indiana, meanwhile will not be punished further, as the school already administered self-imposed penalties. Makes sense to me. IU fired Sampson and penalized itself, action that included forfeiting scholarships.

So the program has paid its dues, and will continue to do so. Now it's Sampson's turn to pay some more. ESPN.com's Andy Katz has an article about it here.

Meanwhile, Former IU Coach...

Mike Davis is trying to get some national respect for his current school, UAB. The Blazers play Oklahoma in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com writes about Conference USA's attempt to become a multi-bid league come March.

MASSive Issues

As if a 1-3 start that includes a 22-point loss on national television and a home loss to Jacksonville State, UMass has some off-court issues as well.