Kudos to NCAA Women's Tourney for tonight's matchups

[sco]

I am only a casual (highlights) watcher of woman's NCAA hoops. But man, tonight has Bueckers vs Watkins and Clark vs. Reese.

I'll watch those games.

[Guru]

I am only a casual (highlights) watcher of woman's NCAA hoops. But man, tonight has Bueckers vs Watkins and Clark vs. Reese.

I'll watch those games.

I always love to watch sports gain in popularity. I hope it holds.

I am not familiar with Bueckers or Watkins but Clark v Reese is great.

[DuckIII]

I am only a casual (highlights) watcher of woman's NCAA hoops. But man, tonight has Bueckers vs Watkins and Clark vs. Reese.

I'll watch those games.

I always love to watch sports gain in popularity. I hope it holds.

I am not familiar with Bueckers or Watkins but Clark v Reese is great.

Bueckers is as exciting to watch as Clark in my opinion.

I’ve largely ignored women’s basketball my whole life until those two came along.

[Chi town]

Clark Bueckers is the matchup we all want!

[Wingy]

First post on the board since the trade deadline. It has been a welcome vaca from expending any significant energy on this Bulls team. Not that the bad situation has anything to do w/the players who are still an awesome group. Haven't watched any games either, though I still lurk and catch up on the misery from you sick masochists. I see no reason to cease my "Bulls strike"...I said til AK's gone, or they sell...so, it's gonna be a real, long while.

Shout out to my favorite online community here though. Figure I'll chime in on some non-Bulls topics here and there, and this one appealed. I can not ever remember a time in decades of basketball fandom where the star power in the women's college game clearly outshined the men's. Cord-cutter w/antenna here, and if the Final Four isn't on CBS, I can't foresee myself watching. The fact that I'm considering the thought of dragging my ass out to a bar to watch tonight's ESPN matchups is pretty cool to see how far the women's game has come. Never seen JuJu play, but her highlights sure look nice. The fact that the NFL player of the same name is a complete suggested google search after thought also illustrates the popularity.

Perhaps it's just a golden era, or moment, but here to enjoy it. I don't need to compare to the men's game, and get caught up in any of those kinds of debates. I'm the kind who celebrates sports in general...the more we can get with a growing quality of play, the better to me.

[Guru]

Perhaps it's just a golden era, or moment, but here to enjoy it. I don't need to compare to the men's game, and get caught up in any of those kinds of debates. I'm the kind who celebrates sports in general...the more we can get with a growing quality of play, the better to me.

Oddly enough comparatively the NBA and Mens NCAA is shrinking in quality of play. NCAA because of transfer portal, NBA because of the limitless scoring.

[TheSuzerain]

Perhaps it's just a golden era, or moment, but here to enjoy it. I don't need to compare to the men's game, and get caught up in any of those kinds of debates. I'm the kind who celebrates sports in general...the more we can get with a growing quality of play, the better to me.

Oddly enough comparatively the NBA and Mens NCAA is shrinking in quality of play. NCAA because of transfer portal, NBA because of the limitless scoring.

I actually think NCAA Men is very high quality right now (at least compared to recent times).

NIL (and the COVID Year) is keeping people in school and leading to some very old teams. Also the portal is leading to a consolidation of talent in the high major conferences.

[sco]

Perhaps it's just a golden era, or moment, but here to enjoy it. I don't need to compare to the men's game, and get caught up in any of those kinds of debates. I'm the kind who celebrates sports in general...the more we can get with a growing quality of play, the better to me.

Oddly enough comparatively the NBA and Mens NCAA is shrinking in quality of play. NCAA because of transfer portal, NBA because of the limitless scoring.

I actually think NCAA Men is very high quality right now (at least compared to recent times).

NIL (and the COVID Year) is keeping people in school and leading to some very old teams. Also the portal is leading to a consolidation of talent in the high major conferences.

I agree that the NIL is having a positive effect on the ovall quality of NCAA mens play and increasing parity between the historical elite programs and the others. Having a group of guys who are 23-24 years old against the stud 19 year olds is much more fair, and IMO, good for the game. Those older players can also help the NBA drafts too.

[Wingy]

Oddly enough comparatively the NBA and Mens NCAA is shrinking in quality of play. NCAA because of transfer portal, NBA because of the limitless scoring.

I actually think NCAA Men is very high quality right now (at least compared to recent times).

NIL (and the COVID Year) is keeping people in school and leading to some very old teams. Also the portal is leading to a consolidation of talent in the high major conferences.

I agree that the NIL is having a positive effect on the ovall quality of NCAA mens play and increasing parity between the historical elite programs and the others. Having a group of guys who are 23-24 years old against the stud 19 year olds is much more fair, and IMO, good for the game. Those older players can also help the NBA drafts too.

We’re not seeing full NIL impact on the men’s game just yet either. Think of the GLeague Ignite guys who would be on NCAA teams like Matas, Holland, Tyler Smith and could have impacted this tournament. Moving fwd the tourney will get those types of guys back. In the past, that prob means guys like the Thompson twins (I know, not Ignite, but same idea), Scoot, Kuminga, Green and more go to school.

This is also the last year of the extra Covid year group as far as I can count. So we’re not going to see that 23-24 year olds vs freshmen scenario moving fwd.

I think what you will see is more Drew Timme, Zach Edey’s of the world stick around longer.

[Guru]

Oddly enough comparatively the NBA and Mens NCAA is shrinking in quality of play. NCAA because of transfer portal, NBA because of the limitless scoring.

I actually think NCAA Men is very high quality right now (at least compared to recent times).

NIL (and the COVID Year) is keeping people in school and leading to some very old teams. Also the portal is leading to a consolidation of talent in the high major conferences.

I agree that the NIL is having a positive effect on the ovall quality of NCAA mens play and increasing parity between the historical elite programs and the others. Having a group of guys who are 23-24 years old against the stud 19 year olds is much more fair, and IMO, good for the game. Those older players can also help the NBA drafts too.

You agreed and then said the opposite of what he said....he said that it's consolidating talent and then you said it's increasing parity....it can't be doing both.

[Guru]

College basketball being basically a series of 1 year contracts is awful for the sport.

[TheSuzerain]

I actually think NCAA Men is very high quality right now (at least compared to recent times).

NIL (and the COVID Year) is keeping people in school and leading to some very old teams. Also the portal is leading to a consolidation of talent in the high major conferences.

I agree that the NIL is having a positive effect on the ovall quality of NCAA mens play and increasing parity between the historical elite programs and the others. Having a group of guys who are 23-24 years old against the stud 19 year olds is much more fair, and IMO, good for the game. Those older players can also help the NBA drafts too.

You agreed and then said the opposite of what he said....he said that it's consolidating talent and then you said it's increasing parity....it can't be doing both.

It may be increasing parity within the high major conferences.

The mid and low major teams basically stink now.

[TheSuzerain]

Clark is comically good.

I feel like she's going to torch the WNBA. Going to be preposterous if she's not on the Olympic team.

[Ice Man]

Clark is comically good.

I feel like she's going to torch the WNBA. Going to be preposterous if she's not on the Olympic team.

You gave me flashbacks to Christian Laettner getting picked over Shaq in '92.

[Guru]

I agree that the NIL is having a positive effect on the ovall quality of NCAA mens play and increasing parity between the historical elite programs and the others. Having a group of guys who are 23-24 years old against the stud 19 year olds is much more fair, and IMO, good for the game. Those older players can also help the NBA drafts too.

You agreed and then said the opposite of what he said....he said that it's consolidating talent and then you said it's increasing parity....it can't be doing both.

It may be increasing parity within the high major conferences.

The mid and low major teams basically stink now.

There are 2 players left on the All MAC 1st, 2nd and 3rd teams. Everyone else transferred

[Ice Man]

College basketball being basically a series of 1 year contracts is awful for the sport.

Yep. The same could be said for the direction that college football is going, but football is different. The players are somewhat anonymous under those helmets. Fans follow an organization more than the players themselves. Plus, even if they bounce around, the best players do stay at the college level for a few years and that helps too.

[sco]

Wow, last night did not disappoint! Most Women's NCAA I have ever watched.

Bueckers vs Clark on Fri.

[Ice Man]

Rivalries between superstars is what turns a sport from good to great. The women's college basketball game now has them, while the men's does not. It's that simple.

[DuckIII]

Perhaps it's just a golden era, or moment, but here to enjoy it. I don't need to compare to the men's game, and get caught up in any of those kinds of debates. I'm the kind who celebrates sports in general...the more we can get with a growing quality of play, the better to me.

Oddly enough comparatively the NBA and Mens NCAA is shrinking in quality of play. NCAA because of transfer portal, NBA because of the limitless scoring.

I could not disagree more about NCAA men’s. I think the transfer portal and NIL have made the on court product better than ever (unless you are a blue blood used to getting all the recruits and then forcing them to either stay on your roster or go pro). NCAA football as well.

Edit: Just read the larger discussion. While it’s true the larger conferences draw from the mid major programs (Illinois just signed a shooter from Mercer), mid major programs are doing better than ever in the tournament and several have developed into consistently good programs on the national level. None of that was really happening before except for the unusual case of Gonzaga.

[dougthonus]

College basketball being basically a series of 1 year contracts is awful for the sport.

Yep. The same could be said for the direction that college football is going, but football is different. The players are somewhat anonymous under those helmets. Fans follow an organization more than the players themselves. Plus, even if they bounce around, the best players do stay at the college level for a few years and that helps too.

Do you think people really follow individual players that much in men's college basketball? Particularly the ones who transfer?

I think in most cases people are rooting for the jersey in college outside of your real stars and the men's game, those guys are gone so fast to the NBA draft anyway.