Basketball is the best sport in the world. It is the most exciting and features some of the most athletic humans in the world. Basketball is truly an art form, but some basketball is certainly better than others.
College basketball is better than the NBA. The players in the NBA are obviously much better and deserve the money, but college basketball is far more enjoyable for fans to watch.
In today’s world, this may not even be an unpopular opinion; college basketball is loved worldwide and will (hopefully) always be. Let’s argue why college basketball is more enjoyable to watch than that of the professional level.
March Madness
I have two words for you: March Madness. I could simply end this entire argument with these two words, but that would not be quite professional. Hey, but I thought I was arguing that being professional is worse?
College basketball is truly a sport that evokes madness. The crazy 3-1 comeback from the Cavaliers over the Warriors was unbelievable, but those outcomes come few and far between. There is an entire month of the year where you could try to communicate with me, and I would not listen because there is a No. 4 seed facing a No. 5 seed in the Round of 32.
An entire country is united during this month in hopes of somehow getting a perfect bracket. Finally, when they lose hope that it will not happen, they root tirelessly and watch history unfold in front of their eyes. One bad game, and you are done. You have to expect the unexpected, and that is something that does not happen in the NBA.
More Teams
College basketball is a sport in which you are allowed to root for more than one team. If you are a Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks fan, you will be sent to jail. If you are a Loyola Chicago fan and a Duke fan, that is perfectly acceptable. With 358 Division I schools, you can cheer for more than one, and they all have the same chance to walk away with a title.
You will never see a Saint Peters run in the NBA. Sure, a No. 8 seed may magically win a series, but that is about it. The more, the merrier.
Defense
NBA fans, did you know that defense actually exists? Watch a college basketball game and you will enjoy the art of basketball much more.
There is nothing quite like a hard-nosed man-to-man defense or the famous Syracuse 2-3 zone. Isolation basketball is not the name of the game, and actual sets are run. They say you cannot stop LeBron, but what if you tried playing defense?
The Passion
Finally, college basketball has more passion. This is not the case for every player on the court, but it is for everyone else involved.
Small venues, packed crowds, face paint, posters, bands, chants, you name it, college basketball, has it. With a smaller schedule, every single game matters, and you can sense that. NIL has somewhat changed this, but players are playing to try to make it big. Everything in college basketball means more, and the passion is unparalleled.
