Why College Basketball Is Better Than the NBA (Nov. 26)

First off, let me say I'm not trying to jinx North Carolina with the above photo. It's a picture from 2004 Maui Invitational. Whether the Tar Heels can add another Maui championship trophy to their case will depend on whether they can get past Notre Dame tonight. 

And that brings us to...

Reason No. 2 Why College Basketball is better than the NBA: Early-season Tournaments

The NBA season is sort of just one long stretch of games, with a semi-interesting weekend in the middle. There are a bunch of games. Then the All-Star break. Then a bunch more games.

The college season, on the other hand, has several distinct markers, like the beginning of conference play, the start of conference tournaments, March Madness, etc. Early-season tournaments make up one of those markers.

This year's tournaments have already provided many signature moments, such as:

• Michigan's 55-52 upset over then-No. 4 UCLA in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden.
• Dante Jackson's halfcourt buzzer-beater to give Xavier a 63-62 overtime victory over Virginia Tech, propelling the X-Men to the finals of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, a game in which they'd upset then-No. 12 Memphis.
• A matchup of two top-10 teams, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Notre Dame, in the Maui semis. Oh yeah, the game was pretty good, too. ND won 81-80 after Texas' A.J. Abrams' halfcourt heave hit the front rim as time expired.
• Blake Griffin vs. Stephen Curry. Also known as No. 14 Oklahoma vs. No. 21 Davidson. These two preseason All-Americas met in a showdown in Norman for a chance to go to New York. Curry scored 44 to Griffin's 25 (he also grabbed 21 boards), but the Sooners won the game, 82-78.

Every year these tournaments provide excitement and give fans the opportunity to see their teams play competitive non-conference games. Look at all the great moments we've already witnessed, and some tournaments, like the Anaheim Classic and the Legends Classic—which features Michigan State, Georgetown, and Gonzaga, among others—haven't even begun yet.

In other college basketball news...

Curry Impresses Again, Scoring...Zero?

Loyola (Md.) used a double team on Stephen Curry, no matter where he went, and it was wildly effective, as the sharpshooter was held scoreless. The downside? Loyola lost the game 78-48.

Reading the game stories was comical. Loyola apparently shadowed Curry with two men even when the Davidson star would drift into the corner, allowing the Wildcats to play four-on-three. Davidson coach Bob McKillop didn't seem too happy with Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos' gimmick, so he kept Curry in the game through the final buzzer.

I'm sure Curry would rather take three shots and go scoreless than score 44 and lose, as was the case against Oklahoma earlier this month.

Beasts of the East

The Big East, widely believed to be the best conference in college basketball this season, is already flexing its muscle. Syracuse and Connecticut have already won early-season tournaments, Notre Dame is in the finals in Maui, and Pittsburgh has reached the semis in the Legends Classic.

Of the 16 teams, five have one loss each. The other 11 are unbeaten.

Also, in case you missed it, here's Reason No. 1 why college basketball is better than the NBA.