Any of you agree with the people who say College basketball is better than the NBA?

[LockoutSeason]

I’ve never heard anyone say this.

[jbk1234]

I just watched a No. 2 seeded St. John's lose to a No. 10 seeded Arkansas in a game where neither team could shoot the ball. Not the starters. Not the bench players. Just brick after brick.

[UcanUwill]

There's a lot to dislike about the current NBA, but I personally always found college to be the far inferior product and much less entertaining to watch. March Madness is honestly a very overrated sporting event.

I do not watch american college, but I checked few games last year, and to me its definitely better than NBA. NBA product to me at least is unbearable with all their stoppage time. I remember watching ncaa game last year and these guys suck, but I watch players play the game, novel concept, right? During that moment, I switch to Bucks game twice, first time its coaching challenge that lasted whole 2 minutes I had chanell switched, next time its a timeout that lasted minutes... I hate NBA product, to squeeze any last penny, they undermined it to a point its not watchable anymore, at least to me. When I watch NBA, I never forget for a second that this thing only exist to make money.

[Edrees]

I personally will never understand how you can be that entertained in a league where even the worst team in the NBA would dominate the best team in that league. The skill gap is so big that I am not impressed because they just aren't playing that high level of basketball. I just need the highest level of a sport to be impressed or entertained by what I am watching. It's kind of like watching kids play sports. You watch it because you love the kid and are excited for the, but nobody's going to watch a kids basketball game on TV for the love of the sport. The gap between watching 8th grade kids and NCAA players is about the same gap as the NCAA versus NBA playoff basketball.

Are you guys entertained by NBA garbage time? Those players who playing much harder than the starters play often. Doesn't make it more entertaining when you know they suck.

[nomansland]

The tournament is fun but it's about the only way NCAA basketball competes with the NBA from an entertainment perspective. The people who say they like NCAA basketball better usually don't have an NBA team to support.

[rand]

Both have strong suits. The NBA has vastly superior basketball but the NCAA has better intangibles. College crowds are better and the NCAA tourney has a level of excitement that the NBA playoffs doesn't match.

I'd like to see NCAA basketball make two rules adjustments which I think would make it much more enjoyable to watch: lower the shot clock from 30 to 24 and allow teams to advance the ball after a TO in the final minute.

[CumberlandPosey]

yeah wofford vs northern illinois,kent state vs seton hall,cal vs utah state.creighton vs georgetown,fdu vs la salle.i mean isnt that great???

lakers vs celtics,knicks vs sixers looks bland in comparison.couple it with the great governing body that the ncaa is and voila....there you have it.

[swyftdahoe]

I always assumed that the only people who like college ball more are people who aren't really basketball fans.

[sashaturiaf]

The NBA SHOULD be better since it has much more talented players and a much higher budget. However the NBA is an overproduced, overcommercialised mockery of a sports entertainment league where the players have contempt for the fans and refuse to play hard even for tens of millions of dollars. To me it's barely basketball at this point.

NCAA tournament is a far superior product to watch compared to current NBA. The players care, the games matter and the basketball game is the focus over the halftime show and commercial breaks.

[Godymas]

no, they're absolutely some of the worst sports fans on the planet

they don't fundamentally understand why they think that college players "play defense"

the reason why they THINK college players "play defense" is because college players make so many more mistakes like missing open shots, missing open layups, failing to box out correctly, passing the ball incorrectly, etc.

the hilarious part is how some of them see a guy like Dj Burns Jr. and think "wow I can't wait to see him in the NBA next year" because they are actually football fans who think that all drafts are run like football where 200+ guys get drafted and all of them had to play at an American college to get drafted.

Now can a college basketball game be MORE entertaining than an NBA game? Yes, it's possible. Namely ones where the lead switches a ton and it comes down to the wire, or ones where you have enough awesome NBA prospects that the team is a great scouting preview (like watching Duke this year).

But in general, the guys that are getting minutes in college ball are guys that will never touch an NBA floor. I'm talking about the 5th year red shirted seniors that clearly have no interest from the NBA but are obviously going to be playing because they are the most experienced players with the polished game.

Now, if you enjoy watching amateur level sports a lot, then fine, maybe individually you can enjoy college ball more than the NBA, but to say the game is better than the NBA is ignorant.

Also a TON of credit goes to the March Madness format, I mean it is the most insane format in all of sports and ONLY college basketball could really support it.

And I'll be honest, I feel the same way when watching the NFL vs. College Football. The exact same thing is so clear as day that the level of play is massive and I will NEVER understand guys who get hyped up to watch tons of College Football. The games are literally **** shows where you can literally have an imperfect QB with no arm run the ball 10x in a row and win. I mean Cam Ward is going to be #1 in the draft this year and anyone who watched him in Football almost laughed at how bored he looked throwing dimes to all of his WRs because no one in college seemed able to get ANY QB pressure which would be a joke in the NFL cause even bad teams have elite pass rushers (like Maxx Crosby or Myles Garrett)

[druggas]

Every March, you hear the hot takes from people who claim that NCAA basketball is better than the NBA. Are most of these people just NBA haters, or do they have valid arguments? Abstractly, the quality of play and the players is pretty inferior, so I'm curious where they're coming from.

The games are much more enjoyable.

Every game matters because you lose, you go home.

No prima donnas sleepwalking through games.

This.

[Wingy]

March Madness is far superior to the NBA regular season.

NBA playoffs are obviously higher quality than college anything, but the NBA does itself no favors when it comes to making its playoffs a fan-friendly event.

Spreading the games so far apart to maximize TV ratings kills momentum and excitement, and helps put the inferior NCAA play in the conversation.

[dhsilv2]

The nice thing about college is that the games are played at such a slow and lower level that it's a lot easier for fans to understand what's going on. As a result teams will look much more different out in style from one another, again you're just able to process the action when it's so slowed down and dumb down. The added physical play can be appealing for some as well. And obviously March Madness is just a great spectacle with the whole seeding and then they create all this upset fun.

That said Florida shot 22-34 from the free throw line and almost seemingly tried to give away a game they were up 8 with about a minute left. Things like that are so beyond impossible to watch. The skill gap is so staggering it's painful. Every year I'll somewhat turn off the NBA for a week or so to watch March Madness (Go CATS!!!!), and when I turn back on the NBA game it's like I've gone from watching 6 year olds coloring out of the lines to seeing an actual artist. It's always just jarring seeing how big the gap really is.

[God Squad]

I personally love March Madness, as opposed to the regular college season. There's something special about the atmosphere and crowd, especially during the final minutes. The level of competitiveness and coaching adjustments is crazy compared to the NBA IMO. You never truly know who will win. I've seen some crazy upsets over the years.

I understand the talent level isn't as high as the NBA or even other leagues, but I enjoy watching these kids leave it all on the floor.

[Ice Man]

The nice thing about college is that the games are played at such a slow and lower level that it's a lot easier for fans to understand what's going on.

The college pace is glacial.

I laughed the other day at some guy talking about how Cooper Flagg's stats aren't all that impressive, because he only scores 19 ppg. Among one and dones, SGA averaged 14, AD 14, Melo 22, Tatum 17, Wall 19, etc.

The NCAA games move like mud and the paint is congested. Once these guys get to the NBA, the points come a lot faster.

But sure, the atmosphere is great. I could see arguing that March Madness is better, just as there's nothing like Friday Night Lights & HS football. But the NFL that ain't.

[dhsilv2]

And I'll be honest, I feel the same way when watching the NFL vs. College Football. The exact same thing is so clear as day that the level of play is massive and I will NEVER understand guys who get hyped up to watch tons of College Football. The games are literally **** shows where you can literally have an imperfect QB with no arm run the ball 10x in a row and win. I mean Cam Ward is going to be #1 in the draft this year and anyone who watched him in Football almost laughed at how bored he looked throwing dimes to all of his WRs because no one in college seemed able to get ANY QB pressure which would be a joke in the NFL cause even bad teams have elite pass rushers (like Maxx Crosby or Myles Garrett)

Just like I think people who enjoy the college basketball game don't understand basketball at a high enough level to enjoy the NBA and the faster decision making. Same thing with college. I like the college game way more and I fully accept I just don't know football that well. I very very casually watch and I don't see the differences like someone who really appreciates football would.

[bledredwine]

It’s not a “hot take”. The players are actually playing for something, play in a system instead of around one or two players and it’s far more enjoyable to watch if you enjoy watching more of the complete game instead of a jackfest.

It reminds me that the game is still good. Like it or not, many people feel this way.

[Godymas]

Every March, you hear the hot takes from people who claim that NCAA basketball is better than the NBA. Are most of these people just NBA haters, or do they have valid arguments? Abstractly, the quality of play and the players is pretty inferior, so I'm curious where they're coming from.

The games are much more enjoyable.

Every game matters because you lose, you go home.

No prima donnas sleepwalking through games.

you don't like college ball, you like March Madness and the format it has.

[TheGeneral99]

I appreciate College ball, but the slow half court game is more boring to watch in my opinion.

The crazy crowds and close games are what can make it exciting.

[Bankai]

No. Professional Basketball is called Professional for a reason. While the atmosphere of College Games is nice, the skills isint there.