10 Reasons We Love College Basketball

It’s not hard to figure out that I love sports, but there simply is no greater sport than college basketball. College football is fun, but until they actually decide the title on the field, it will never be as great as college basketball. With the first games scheduled to tip off at 6PM Central today, I thought I’d share a fun post of 10 reasons to love this sport! Enjoy. This will take a while, but it’s worth your time for a little fun!

10. Comebacks. Purists can say what they want, but the 3-point line did a great thing for basketball, including allowing huge comebacks in games. Teams down 10 or even 20 still hold out hope that a couple of three-pointers will get them right back in the game.

It even happens for teams who are down 31 as this video (of a game I watched) shows.

Or how about when a team comes from 10 back in one minute?

9. Coaching meltdowns. Of course, we don’t encourage cursing or other insane activity, but watching a coach lose it near the end of an intense game is fascinating. To me, it shows how much these guys want to win and how deeply they fight for their teams. I couldn’t find a video of my favorite (when Larry Eustachy went crazy in the NCAA tournament for Iowa State. If anyone has that video, please let me know where it is.)

But Mike Davis gave a pretty good meltdown, too! (this is a pretty funny video)

8. The “b” word: “Bubble!”  From about mid-January on, all we hear about are teams trying to get off the dreaded “bubble” and into the NCAA tournament. For my part, I’m always hoping the tournament will put more of the smaller schools in, and several get those spots, but bubble talk is purely a college basketball tradition.

And it all leads to moments like this (it takes a couple of minutes to get there, but it’s worth the wait):

7. The “WOW” Moments. Those moments when one play seems to turn an entire game and get the crowd to go berzerk. No other sport seems to have more of them. Here are just a couple of examples that I remember.

How about Darvin Ham?

Or maybe UAB’s pass against Kentucky.

6. Excited Announcers. Let’s be honest. Some people don’t like certain college basketball announcers because they yell too much, but they also share the emotion that we love about the sport. Their calls help put “the moment” in our heads forever. Here are just a couple that I love.

“Send it in, Jerome!”

“Hamilton, NO. Hamilton…YES!”

5. Rivalries. This is true in every sport, but in basketball there is something very special about just 2 hours making or breaking the hearts of teams and fans. Only 40 minutes of game time and so much can change. No videos on this one, but here are what I think are the five greatest college basketball rivalries.

#5  Indiana-Purdue

#4 Illinois-Missouri

#3 Kentucky-Louisville

#2 New Mexico-New Mexico State (maybe shouldn’t rank this high, but it is a nasty rivalry!)

#1 Duke-North Carolina (and notice which is first in that listing!)

4. Overtimes. Five minutes and no idiotic sudden death. Multiple overtimes are better, but overtime in college basketball is classic because one possession can win or lose the game. Here are a couple of those games where teams gave their all for well over the 40-minutes allotted.

Baylor-Texas A&M (the best part of this video is that it starts in the first overtime!)

But nothing could have us ready for the laaaaate night we went through watching Syracuse and Connecticut last season.

3. Upsets. Let’s be honest: unless your team is playing, you want the little guy to win. College football wants to shut the “little guys” out, while college basketball gives them a shot. Sometimes, they take that shot and run with it.

How about Santa Clara over Kansas or maybe Hampton over Iowa State. (I couldn’t find videos of these).

Maybe you like dream shots for the upset. See Cleveland State over Syracuse:

Or Gardner-Webb over Kentucky.

2. Buzzer Beaters. Let’s say it: everyone likes the buzzer-beating shot to win a game. They are what make March the greatest sports month of them all. Here are just a few from the past few years:

1. One Shining Moment. How many sports have a highlight of the season after the final game? CBS’s “One Shining Moment” has become a tradition that helps remind every fan of how great March really is. Well-produced, the song has become a part of the tournament. Here are a couple of examples.

2008

1991 (my favorite!)

Enjoy the season!