xubrew
03-30-2013, 10:36 PM
I realize that the Final Four is the best part of the sport for most people. I like it, but it's like being at a really good concert and hearing that one signature hit after two hours. You know it's almost over.
I like the NIT, but more often than not the finals are mid to low level major conference teams, and that usually isn't any fun. With Maryland, Baylor and Iowa being there, it's hard for me to care about it at all.
I do like the CIT, but it's the CIT.
Wichita State is a new fresh face to root for, so at least there is a reason to watch. As someone who grew up as a Louisville fan, it was fun to see them play Kentucky last year too.
I wish college basketball was less like the Olympics than what it is. People love it for two weeks or so, and that's it. Everyone loves the tournament. People that don't watch all year long love the tournament. What I can't figure out is why they don't watch all year long??
There are 344 (or something like that) teams, and to safely make the NCAA Tournament you have to play your way into the consensus top forty, or win the automatic bid. 40/344. The regular season is anything but meaningless. That's a very small percentage of teams that get in, and you have to have a great year to do it.
The tournament is climactic, and I do love it. Championship Week prior to that is every bit as climactic. If you're not in the top forty, you have to win or your done, so it's the same level of intensity in many cases.
However, I think my favorite part of the season is probably the exempt tournaments in November. It's your first look at a lot of teams. It's a chance to see a lot of non-major conference teams play good teams on equal terms as they try to establish themselves. Sometimes I wish they could have that portion of the season a little bit later because many teams are still very rusty and haven't gelled yet, but you get to see so much basketball. There are probably more games that I make it a point to watch during those two weeks than during the NCAA Tournament. If you think about it, there are never more than 16 games a day during the NCAA Tournament, and some of those games in the round of 64 are sleepers.
And, another part about the November exempt tournaments is that you have the long expanse of the rest of the season ahead of you. After the Final Four, you have nothing.
So, yeah. I already miss college basketball. I know the major conference teams are the best teams, but those really aren't the teams that I enjoy watching the most. Most of the teams I like are long gone by now. So, thanks to Wichita for giving me someone to root for, I guess.
I like the NIT, but more often than not the finals are mid to low level major conference teams, and that usually isn't any fun. With Maryland, Baylor and Iowa being there, it's hard for me to care about it at all.
I do like the CIT, but it's the CIT.
Wichita State is a new fresh face to root for, so at least there is a reason to watch. As someone who grew up as a Louisville fan, it was fun to see them play Kentucky last year too.
I wish college basketball was less like the Olympics than what it is. People love it for two weeks or so, and that's it. Everyone loves the tournament. People that don't watch all year long love the tournament. What I can't figure out is why they don't watch all year long??
There are 344 (or something like that) teams, and to safely make the NCAA Tournament you have to play your way into the consensus top forty, or win the automatic bid. 40/344. The regular season is anything but meaningless. That's a very small percentage of teams that get in, and you have to have a great year to do it.
The tournament is climactic, and I do love it. Championship Week prior to that is every bit as climactic. If you're not in the top forty, you have to win or your done, so it's the same level of intensity in many cases.
However, I think my favorite part of the season is probably the exempt tournaments in November. It's your first look at a lot of teams. It's a chance to see a lot of non-major conference teams play good teams on equal terms as they try to establish themselves. Sometimes I wish they could have that portion of the season a little bit later because many teams are still very rusty and haven't gelled yet, but you get to see so much basketball. There are probably more games that I make it a point to watch during those two weeks than during the NCAA Tournament. If you think about it, there are never more than 16 games a day during the NCAA Tournament, and some of those games in the round of 64 are sleepers.
And, another part about the November exempt tournaments is that you have the long expanse of the rest of the season ahead of you. After the Final Four, you have nothing.
So, yeah. I already miss college basketball. I know the major conference teams are the best teams, but those really aren't the teams that I enjoy watching the most. Most of the teams I like are long gone by now. So, thanks to Wichita for giving me someone to root for, I guess.