The best seat in the house is the view from the couch

Ah yes. This is that glorious week in January when I have nothing to write about. I'm still engulfed in football, so I haven't paid much attention to the NBA or NHL (although the fights between the Bruins and Rangers over the past week have been most entertaining). Yet the NFL is on hiatus until "The Big Game" (I can't say the real name, because the NFL claims trademark infringement).

Alas, that leaves naught but college basketball to fill the void. Sure there's plenty of media coverage in the NFL right now, but nothing is going to happen until next week, so who cares until then? Besides, I'm on a college basketball binge right now.

You see, I'm running my first annual NCAA Tournament Fantasy Pick'em Contest. I'm running it with friends, and if you want the info on it, contact me. But enough self-promotion. NCAA basketball, to me, really is the purest form of basketball. The kids who play in college actually care about the game. They're not playing for contracts (yet), they're not playing for stats, they're playing for school pride.

I still enjoy watching NBA highlights, but I really can't stand an entire game. Especially not games like the one ABC decided to nationally televise last weekend. C'mon, who wasn't riveted by that Minnesota/Houston game, a game that was 45-26... AT THE HALF. 26 POINTS AT THE HALF?!?!? With one of the top five players in the league on your team? They only had two players score in the entire first quarter, Garnett and Spreewell.

I realize I'm rambling a bit here. But it's 1AM and I just realized how much I love NCAA basketball. And I love it for two reasons. First, like I said, it's the purest form of the game, a point where untapped talent can still be molded by some of the best coaching minds in history. Second, it fills the gaping hole between The Big Game and Opening Day of baseball. But that's secondary. For two months, I truly follow and love college basketball, and I believe that most of America does as well.

We all have our favorite teams. Before I went to college, I loved Duke, Michigan, and UMASS (The Camby years). Now, before you call me a fair-weather fan or a sellout, realize that I live in an area that had little college basketball success during my youth. Michigan is a team that I've always loved; I've followed them in basketball, football, and hockey for many years now. Duke, well I think Coach K is absolutely brilliant, and certainly one of the best basketball minds ever. As for UMASS, well I only started following college sports in 7th grade, when I started thinking about college. Those were the years that UMASS and Kentucky took rivalry to new levels, both running off unbeaten streaks that stretched almost to the tourney itself.

That's why we all love NCAA basketball. it doesn't matter who the players are, it's only team pride. Off the top of your head, tell me which colleges Shaq, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and Vince Carter all went to.... I can, because I remember watching them in school. Without looking it up, I can tell you it was LSU, Wake Forest, Georgetown, UCONN and UNC. And I remember watching every one of those teams play their hearts out and win. And every one of them played for a high quality program with a hell of a coach (John Thompson, Dean Smith, etc.)

I don't know, maybe I'm not convincing you. I know I've got plenty of friends that say they won't even try to follow college sports because they can't deal with player turnover. Duly noted point. But if you're trying to follow players, you're missing the point. College basketball is about College. It's about 18-22 year old kids going nuts, making noise, and drinking their asses off to cheer on their team. It's not about some first-round point guard saying that he's not getting the playing time he deserves.

Come February 2nd, I'll be in NCAA mode. I'll be scouting teams, I'll be figuring out who looks good, and I'll be cheering on my boys at Michigan and Duke. And you should be too.

Eh, what the hell... SUPER BOWL.

posted by Big D @ 1:00 AM