Where Defense Exists
December 19, 2019
Absolutely nothing compares to the competitive nature of College Basketball. Players give it their all every single game, because every game is important. They all have a common goal of cutting down the nets at the end of March Madness. The NCAA Basketball Tournament is the most anticipated event of the year for all basketball fans because of how competitive and unpredictable it is. Everyone loves filling out their bracket and seeing a blue blood program get taken down in the first round, but upsets are only part of the excitement.
Only in College Basketball will you see a defensive battle with a final score of 49-44. That is because College Basketball has the same competitiveness in every single game, every game is extremely important for the players. In the NBA you will see players taking plays off on defense, or just standing in the corner on offense.
Teams like Virginia consistently hold opposing teams under 50 points. Some fans will claim this is boring basketball, but true basketball fans will understand how incredible that is. Watching a defensive battle is what basketball is all about.
The NBA certainly boasts the best players on the planet, but does it really matter if it isn’t the highest quality game? Is watching James Harden flop every game what basketball is about? Of course not. Basketball is about grit, it’s not about watching James Harden shoot twenty free throws.
Watching the NBA at times is like watching a good soap opera. It’s a game of who can complain to the referees more. Some games are less about who can score more points, and more about who can throw their hands up more while complaining to the referees.
Offense in the NBA is similar to a streetball game. It is very simple, there is not very much movement, and a pick and roll is seen on almost every possession. College Basketball has constant screening and motion off the ball, which makes the game much more entertaining. You will never see players standing around, there is always some kind of motion.
NBA stadiums are enormous, so obviously it’s much easier to get bigger crowds to the games. But college games have a different type of energy to them. Cameron Indoor Stadium (where Duke plays) can’t even hold 10,000 people, but every game gets rowdy and surpasses decibel limits. Fans just are generally more excited about college games.
Lastly, The NBA Playoffs do not even compare to March Madness. Every boss in America dreads the month of March, because they know their workers will be distracted by the highly anticipated buzzer beaters that come with March Madness. You do not have to be a huge basketball fan to love watching college basketball in March. Filling out a bracket is an activity that everybody enjoys.
Now don’t get me wrong, the NBA certainly has its moments. Kawhi Leonard taking down the Philadelphia 76ers in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals was amazing to watch. But why don’t we see that same intensity throughout the NBA’s lengthy 82 game season? When you’re watching college basketball you know exactly what you will get with each and every game. And of course, nothing says basketball like March Madness.
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