The last month has seen some of the most intense, pure basketball America can offer.
For me, the NCAA tournament has shown why college hoops can be worth watching.
Tuesday saw the end of the 2007-2008 college basketball season. In the women’s title game, Tennessee became just the third back-to-back champion as they beat Stanford.
Meanwhile on Monday, the men’s title game saw Kansas defy the odds and take down the heavily favoured Tigers of Memphis.
Before those games, the viewing public at large was privy to moments that will be forever etched in basketball history. Who could forget Western Kentucky’s buzzer beater upset against Drake? How about Tennessee avoiding defeat at the hands of LSU?
Then there are the teams and players who became unlikely heroes. Stephen Curry single-handedly put Davidson in basketball lore as one of the game’s classic Cinderellas with a run to the Elite Eight.
On the other hand for the women, Tanae Davis-Cain orchestrated one of the biggest upsets in the tournament for her No.11 seed Florida State squad.
Seeing the Lady Volunteers put on such an energetic performance against the Lady Cardinals Tuesday was fantastic. To be honest, I don’t normally watch women’s hoops. But the level of intensity I see when March Madness rolls around always gets me to watch a game or two.
In fact, I would recommend serious basketball fans to follow suit. The pros and the amateurs play at very different paces using varying tactics. It’s not uncommon to see the pros give up on plays.
In the times I’ve watched the amateurs, it has been a rare happening. With the amateurs I find myself rooting more for the school while with the pros it’s about the numbers and names on the jersey.
For me, watching college basketball takes one back to the roots of basketball. Inevitably, the pros are where all the greats should go to put their talent to best use. However, though the NBA and WNBA may be where the money and fame is, college is where all the passion and pure essence of the game are on display all the time.
I am aware I’m focusing almost exclusively on America. However, I do know that in reality that college hoops is small compared to the other amateur leagues elsewhere.
For the record, I am aware of basketball played elsewhere in the world. The Euro league is a solid league that is all about the fundamentals. Sides like CSKA Moscow and Olympiacos Piraeus are squads that show there can be no ‘I’ in ‘team’. Also I know there is selfless, entertaining basketball played in parts of Europe like Spain and Italy and in Asian territories like China and Thailand.
But none of those leagues offer such an untainted spectacle as American college basketball. I can’t think of a more satisfying activity than seeing a bunch of kids going at each other’s throats for nothing more than the glory of their schools.
In the end, that’s the legacy of American college basketball. Everyone gladly plays for free just for the right to claim victory for their programmes.
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