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

[Ice Man]

When I was in college in Philly, a looong time ago, there was at least as much excitement over the Big Five college games as there as about the Sixers. I remember a Philly sports columnist chiding the city's basketball fans, saying that the quality of ball played by the Sixers was FAR above anything at the college level.

That statement was more controversial than it would be now because the NBA's reputation at the time was terrible -- a bunch of lazy cokeheads who just cashed their check and didn't play defense.

[Prestige]

There’s a huge talent gap. Most college players are crap and we see a lot of bricks and turnovers.

However the NBA with all of its talent has its own problems. As somebody who started watching in the 90s, I’ve grown tired of the modern 3 point era. Can’t bring myself to watch many games anymore as they all look and play the same. Then you add the ridiculous rules that favor free throw merchants, the uncalled travelling and carrying violations, and the combative and clownish NBA media, it just feels like the league has morphed from a sport into a bad overly commercialized reality show.

[JRoy]

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.

Exactly.

Every game matters.

[sisibilio]

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.

But that's due to the format, not the level of bbll played, which is ussually abysmal.

[JRoy]

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.

But that's due to the format, not the level of bbll played, which is ussually abysmal.

Most of these kids will not make the nba.

They play like it matters because it does.

No flopping, no whining to refs, no jogging up and down court taking turns chucking 3s.

It’s alot more fun to watch.

[Infinite Llamas]

I can’t watch college ball because it just seems like a means to an end. It’s one giant audition for the pros and a lot of the so called “passionate” players are the ones who will never see an NBA court because they just aren’t talented enough.

Of course the crowds are rowdy too. Throw a bunch of drunk college kids anywhere and they’ll make something look like a spectacle lol.

[Infinite Llamas]

The games are much more enjoyable.

Every game matters because you lose, you go home.

No prima donnas sleepwalking through games.

But that's due to the format, not the level of bbll played, which is ussually abysmal.

Most of these kids will not make the nba.

They play like it matters because it does.

No flopping, no whining to refs, no jogging up and down court taking turns chucking 3s.

It’s alot more fun to watch.

And then you realize how much money these academic programs pull in and it’s just as much a money making vehicle as the NBA. The players just haven’t figured out how to properly capitalize on it yet but Ed O’Bannon got the ball rolling on that.

[CumberlandPosey]

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.

My thoughts.ty ty ty.i watch so much youth games in person and afterwards you turn on nba game and its crazy.like a different reality.same with amateur sports like college.

[dhsilv2]

But that's due to the format, not the level of bbll played, which is ussually abysmal.

Most of these kids will not make the nba.

They play like it matters because it does.

No flopping, no whining to refs, no jogging up and down court taking turns chucking 3s.

It’s alot more fun to watch.

And then you realize how much money these academic programs pull in and it’s just as much a money making vehicle as the NBA. The players just haven’t figured out how to properly capitalize on it yet but Ed O’Bannon got the ball rolling on that.

You don't think the players getting paid now has mostly narrowed that down? I haven't looked into it but i thought most of these top programs were paying pretty darn insane money at this point.

[dhsilv2]

I can’t watch college ball because it just seems like a means to an end. It’s one giant audition for the pros and a lot of the so called “passionate” players are the ones who will never see an NBA court because they just aren’t talented enough.

Of course the crowds are rowdy too. Throw a bunch of drunk college kids anywhere and they’ll make something look like a spectacle lol.

I mean most of these kids never even are thinking about the NBA. College is their last major thing. Now you got to a big enough school, man it can be lucrative to have been on those teams. Just the connections and doors it'll open. But NBA? Most of these guys are fully aware that isn't happening.

[Infinite Llamas]

I can’t watch college ball because it just seems like a means to an end. It’s one giant audition for the pros and a lot of the so called “passionate” players are the ones who will never see an NBA court because they just aren’t talented enough.

Of course the crowds are rowdy too. Throw a bunch of drunk college kids anywhere and they’ll make something look like a spectacle lol.

I mean most of these kids never even are thinking about the NBA. College is their last major thing. Now you got to a big enough school, man it can be lucrative to have been on those teams. Just the connections and doors it'll open. But NBA? Most of these guys are fully aware that isn't happening.

I guess the point is that a good enough audition might open the doors to other basketball leagues and whatnot. Hell the Spurs coach now had a pedestrian numbers at Stanford but has parlayed that into a big time job in the NBA. Joe Mazzulla was a backup at West Virginia and now he is a champion coach. Did anyone think Tate George would be a surefire first round pick until he hit that big shot against Clemson? Brad Stevens did amazing things inspired by a Cinderella run.

It’s true I’m sure most of these guys aren’t really thinking they can go pro but all it takes is a miracle run and who knows? Kids tend to dream big.

[Infinite Llamas]

Most of these kids will not make the nba.

They play like it matters because it does.

No flopping, no whining to refs, no jogging up and down court taking turns chucking 3s.

It’s alot more fun to watch.

And then you realize how much money these academic programs pull in and it’s just as much a money making vehicle as the NBA. The players just haven’t figured out how to properly capitalize on it yet but Ed O’Bannon got the ball rolling on that.

You don't think the players getting paid now has mostly narrowed that down? I haven't looked into it but i thought most of these top programs were paying pretty darn insane money at this point.

I really have no idea. I know that with the NIL stuff that star players are being compensated but I really have no clue if there’s trickle down or what boosters are paying. I’ve just been under the assumption that it’s mostly star players making money on their image and name…

[Billl]

i mean, of course the talent level and athleticism is nowhere close to the nba. Even just in the tournament, there are 800ish players and 95% of them are not good enough to be in the league. And the 5% who do have enough talent are still super young and raw and nowhere as near as good as they are going to be as pros.

The 1-and-done format is inherently exciting though. The shorter games and less stopages really keep things moving as well.

[Bernman]

The college atmosphere is better, players care more, the only back-to-backs are in conference tourneys, there's not incentive to lose sometimes, & refs aren't as corrupt. But the NBA's still better overall because it's the highest level of the sport. Just wish these other problems would be fixed.

[dhsilv2]

I can’t watch college ball because it just seems like a means to an end. It’s one giant audition for the pros and a lot of the so called “passionate” players are the ones who will never see an NBA court because they just aren’t talented enough.

Of course the crowds are rowdy too. Throw a bunch of drunk college kids anywhere and they’ll make something look like a spectacle lol.

I mean most of these kids never even are thinking about the NBA. College is their last major thing. Now you got to a big enough school, man it can be lucrative to have been on those teams. Just the connections and doors it'll open. But NBA? Most of these guys are fully aware that isn't happening.

I guess the point is that a good enough audition might open the doors to other basketball leagues and whatnot. Hell the Spurs coach now had a pedestrian numbers at Stanford but has parlayed that into a big time job in the NBA. Joe Mazzulla was a backup at West Virginia and now he is a champion coach. Did anyone think Tate George would be a surefire first round pick until he hit that big shot against Clemson? Brad Stevens did amazing things inspired by a Cinderella run.

It’s true I’m sure most of these guys aren’t really thinking they can go pro but all it takes is a miracle run and who knows? Kids tend to dream big.

Becoming a coach is a whole other thing. I am sure a great many have those kinds of dreams. But there are over 300 colleges in D1. Even if 250 have dreams of the NBA, that's not even one player per team.

[dhsilv2]

And then you realize how much money these academic programs pull in and it’s just as much a money making vehicle as the NBA. The players just haven’t figured out how to properly capitalize on it yet but Ed O’Bannon got the ball rolling on that.

You don't think the players getting paid now has mostly narrowed that down? I haven't looked into it but i thought most of these top programs were paying pretty darn insane money at this point.

I really have no idea. I know that with the NIL stuff that star players are being compensated but I really have no clue if there’s trickle down or what boosters are paying. I’ve just been under the assumption that it’s mostly star players making money on their image and name…

Food for thought, I haven't read too much. But 65k average PLUS a college education? That seems awfully awfully good.

When breaking out the average NIL earnings by sport, the big thing that stands out is that men’s basketball players are the most well-compensated athletes, on average, in the NCAA, with $65,853 in average earnings per player through July 2024.

https://painttouches.com/2024/08/01/ncaa-nil-data-shows-mens-basketball-players-highest-earners/

[BodieB]

Let some people tell it, you'd think the college game looks incredible with all the atmosphere and the "hard playing" which evidently the NBA doesn't have. Then you go and watch the game and see the players dribbling for 20 seconds, chucking 3's, bricking shots, and hacking each other on defense. I guess it's all good because they're trying hard though.

[Dan33185]

When I was in college in Philly, a looong time ago, there was at least as much excitement over the Big Five college games as there as about the Sixers. I remember a Philly sports columnist chiding the city's basketball fans, saying that the quality of ball played by the Sixers was FAR above anything at the college level.

That statement was more controversial than it would be now because the NBA's reputation at the time was terrible -- a bunch of lazy cokeheads who just cashed their check and didn't play defense.

And now 2 out of 3 three are still true

[Billl]

You don't think the players getting paid now has mostly narrowed that down? I haven't looked into it but i thought most of these top programs were paying pretty darn insane money at this point.

I really have no idea. I know that with the NIL stuff that star players are being compensated but I really have no clue if there’s trickle down or what boosters are paying. I’ve just been under the assumption that it’s mostly star players making money on their image and name…

Food for thought, I haven't read too much. But 65k average PLUS a college education? That seems awfully awfully good.

When breaking out the average NIL earnings by sport, the big thing that stands out is that men’s basketball players are the most well-compensated athletes, on average, in the NCAA, with $65,853 in average earnings per player through July 2024.

https://painttouches.com/2024/08/01/ncaa-nil-data-shows-mens-basketball-players-highest-earners/

That's not how averages work though. If you, me and bill gates are all in a room, the average is billions of net worth per person. If you look down in that article, it shows the median. That's where half the players get more than that number and half less. For basketball, it was $3,700. The regular players are getting very little from this and the stars can make significant money.

[jbk1234]

I think the NCAA tournament is fun, but that shouldn't be confused with college basketball writ large, anymore than the NBA regular season should be confused with the playoffs.