'What's wrong with college basketball?'

College basketball isn't as good as it used to be, but the NBA is better than it has been in a long time. These stars are just developing in their first few seasons in the league instead of in college.

 

I'm retiring from this side track at this point. But you have a habit of making yourself the third man in. Total bitch move.

Later guys. Back to hoops talk.

 

Say what you will about college basketball attendance, but general message-board pissiness is up 12 percent from a year ago ... yes, of course it's a word.

 

This is a great day not to be a moderator.

 

This drops down to the lower conferences as well. The MAC sold its soul for football glory that has never really materialized. The MAC used to be a really good mid-major conference, now it just flat-out sucks.

 

Great point. It's killed the Big East for teams like St Johns,
Providence, and Seton Hall who now have little chance of winning.

 

Well, I'll try and post something on topic and hope the thread's still here or unlocked come morning.

Stitch captures the key factor in my view.

It's not the quality of the basketball causing the decline, and I'm not really sure there's a markedly discernable difference beyond what exists wistfully in the memories of a bunch of stay off my lawn old timers, pining for the old days when things were better. (And before anyone fires shots for that comment, just note I'm as likely as anyone to fall in that old times is better camp on any given topic).

To some extent, it is the cost. But again, for students who get in for free or virtually nothing, that's not a determining factor at all.

It's really the home viewing experience becoming a vastly improved experience to the in game experience.

First, nearly every game is telecast for most local teams--at least in most of those in the big conferences I would guess. Years ago, you had to attend the games if you wanted to see the majority of them. Now, not so much.

At home, with HD, replay, etc., you get a lot more of the event, or are at least closer to the event, than you would be in person. Plus, no ticket cost, no parking cost, no waiting in traffic, no having to drive home after the game.

You do lose the in game experience, and for that, I do think people will continue to go to events on an infrequent basis, but less and less as an every game, season ticket holder type.

And this isn't just a college basketball issue--it's going to continue to be a growing concern for all major sports. When you televise every game, getting people to the arena will become harder and harder. To the point, that somewhere in the future, I don't think it's unrealistic to foresee attendees being invited in for free, not unlike sitting in on a Hollywood TV show taping--you need the audience to make the show.

 

What's wrong with college basketball? Tom Guigliotta.

 

Do you think that if Kevin Durant was still at Texas that college basketball would be more interesting to watch?

 

Here is the other thing - take a look at almost every major team's schedule and tell me how many exciting home games each team plays.

Most teams are like Pitt -which is the major school in this market -- and play like 12 or 13 non conference games against nobody at home, they play one or two decent neutral site games and then have a couple of league games that are interesting.

That's why I say it is a myth to think that a playoff in football would ensure better non conference games as teams would be less afraid to lose.

I won't pay for tickets to watch Wagner or Coppin State or these teams that seem to come through town every year.