I hate college basketball. There, I said it. I know this is a weird thing to bring up during March Madness, even weirder considering that I love March Madness, but there it is. And here is a list of reasons I hate college basketball.
1.) The players suck. The constant drain of the top talent to the NBA has really taken its toll on College Basketball. Three out of the last four Players of the Year are white dudes who are, or will be in the case of Psycho T, buried on the benches in the NBA. A lot of this has to do with the straight to the pros crowd, but it also has a lot to do with players coming in for one year (Thanks David Stern) and then bolting immediately. Teams can't build chemistry or good veteran leadership because the best players bolt, which leads to my next complaint.
2.) Teams become the College Equivalent of the 1997 Florida Marlins. The example that's fresh in my mind is Ohio State from last year. They make the NCAA finals and then this year they end up in the NIT. That's what happens when you have three freshmen jump to the NBA. And don't give me crap like "Well, the 1998 Bulls won a championship and then sucked the next year." There's a HUGE difference between a team dominating for a decade and then growing old and retiring versus flash in the pan wonders.
3.) The Junior High 3Pt line. You're all big boys now yet you're shooting from a 3pt line that a 7th grade girl would think was an easy shot. Move it back.
4.) The Possession Arrow. It makes sense to have that in CYO when half the kids haven't hit puberty. Now that everyone's had their testicles drop, it's time to let the players win the games.
5.) The Absolutely Asinine Travel Calls. I realize that the NBA doesn't call traveling anymore except on post players, but college goes to the other extreme. In the Duke/WV game, there were four straight possessions of traveling calls. Two of the travels were actually the offensive players getting bumped by the defensive guys and having their feet slide. I'm not saying that it should have been a foul on the defense, but it sure as hell shouldn't have been a travel. Again, let the guys play a bit. No one gained an advantage, let it go.
6.) Greg Paulus
7.) Two Shot Technicals. I had forgotten about this rule until I saw someone get called for a T. My reaction: ¿Che?. There's no reason for this rule.
8.) Georgetown. Fuck you. Fuck you and your choking on a big one against Davidson. I trusted you! I put you in the championship game. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. You had to go and lose in the second round.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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11 comments:
Seriously, stop blogging. You're making a fool of yourself.
Wow. I feel dumb for reading that.
you are awarded no points and may god have mercy on your soul
I totally agree. I too hate college basketball but still enjoy March Madness.
Are you paying TBL to link to this trash?
I didn't submit it to TBL (Though WTP did).
That being said, everyone that has posted with negative statements has yet to actually comment on any of my points. Now, 2 of them aren't real, and one is completely inarguable because it's a matter of taste (the T's).
However, the other five points are legitimate beefs. The people who came on here and complained probably didn't even read the post. They just have such hard ons for college basketball that any criticism of it ruins their day.
If you don't like what I wrote, point out where I'm wrong. Or you can just not read.
There was really nothing said there that wasn't true. While I disagree that the players suck...they are second-tier players for sure, but they are still excellent players.
But everything else was true...three point line is way to close, they are shooting from the same line that junior high kids shoot from. They call waaaaaaay too many travels in college basketball, it completely disrupts the flow of the game. Those were his main points that I agreed with.
The players suck thing was really hyperbole. They don't suck, but there's a HUGE drop off in the quality of play from NBA even to the top tier programs in college.
There isn't a similar drop off between the NFL and college football. Yeah, it's still there, but the top tier programs at least play something similar to the NFL in terms of skill.
You're absolutely right on all points! Bracket madness is the only reason people are interested in this garbage product. A sport that's only entertaining 3 weeks a year has big problems. Sports is entertainment, and I sure as hell don't have time to be wasting on the Western Kentucky's of the world.
Brave Sir Robin,
Good article, but I have a few problems.
1-The players sucking is completely opinion and there is no way to prove you are "wrong." Even if they do suck, I would rather watch the sucky players than constant one on one b-ball in the NBA.
2-Teams becoming the '97 Marlins isn't a valid argument because you have that problem when players only have 4 years of elgibility. Teams falling off the season after a great one happens in every sport. Cardinals won the World Series, no playoffs next year. What about the Super Bowl runner-up curse? The NBA isn't a good example, but the Heat have fallen quite a bit since their Championship 2 years ago.
3-3 point line. I give you that one, but it is moving back next year.
4-The traveling calls are also something that can't be proven wrong. You said that no one gained an advantage on the calls you saw the other night, so let them play, but when an NBA player travels and gains an advantage, you are okay with that? If a player moves his feet whether by his fault or someone elses, a call needs to be made: foul or travel. Just the rules.
5-Greg Paulus is the antichrist.
6-No opinion on the 2 shot technical. There are just not enough in college to matter. I don't agree with a technical shot for illegal defense, but it's not a big deal.
7-Georgetown-you are right on with that if you replace them with Tennessee. I hate myself for that.
As for college basketball, I love it, and if you don't like what you see, take your own advice from the comments and don't watch.
don't forget one of the most important things. there is no parity in this league like the nba lottery that gives rebuilding teams a shot to get better. teams like UNC continue to get the #1, 4, and 7 picks every year. shouldnt they win it every year at that rate?
the refs are all around terrible and year after year call every game for the higher ranked team.
you mentioned the traveling calls but what about the offensive fouls that they constantly call when the defender is no where close to being in "set" position?
could someone hit a free throw for petes sake?
people think the nba doesnt play defense, but they are so much more athletic that their 60% effort on defense is much more than the 110% that most uncoordinated college players give.
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