This is supposed to be the NCAA, and I feel like I just watched a YMCA game. What has happened to this once great sport? I know guys leave for the NBA after a year, but there really aren't that many. Maybe 10-15 a year. It seems like the skill level has gone down, not the talent level. The players all look tall and athletic, but they just can't play anymore.
College basketball has become borderline unwatchable
- Thread starter shotgunDawg
- Start date
I bet you're wrong. Players today are bigger, faster, and stronger than ever. They may also be dumber (probably not), but many have been taking basketball seriously since they were about 8. I'd take today's champion over a championship team of thirty years ago easily... and it's the same in every sport.
I don't agree with that. They may be more athletic, but they suck at basketball. their skill level and basketball IQ is horrible.
Borderline unwatchable? Some of these games (Wisconsin games usually) are completely unwatchable. It was just 15-20 years ago that teams were scoring in the 80s and 90s. ****, back in the Dale Brown days, LSU used to push 90-100 points fairly regularly. Now teams struggle to get out of the 60s. There's not a lot of free flowing offensive skill in the college game anymore. Teams get in a scrum in the paint or jack three pointers (and miss).
Absolutely not..
Same issue was being discussed on a radio show I listen to. Anybody who says they like college basketball better than NBA must be high because the quality of play in the NCAA (outside of the top 5-7 teams) is just so mediocre/bad. The SEC was awful even by normal SEC standards. Just hideous.
Same issue was being discussed on a radio show I listen to. Anybody who says they like college basketball better than NBA must be high because the quality of play in the NCAA (outside of the top 5-7 teams) is just so mediocre/bad. The SEC was awful even by normal SEC standards. Just hideous.
It crossed the line for me several years ago. Counting tournaments, I used to go to 25-30 games a year. Unless UofL makes a deep run, I'll barely top half of that this year.
It is down right awful.
If they were dumber than the ones I knew when I was at State, they'd forget to breathe. So not dumber, no.
He doesn't mean dumber in an academic sense. He means dumber in a basketball IQ sense. I agree they are dumber. The game has changed and fundamentals have been thrown out the door.
the more you watch NBA...
the more you realize how pitiful the talent in college basketball is overall. The college game is played 25 feet from the basket with perimeter screens and "chuckers". Watch NBA and you see the name of the game is high percentage shots near the basket. Even the quality college programs while they have better talent, is too over coached to me. I used to be obsessed with march madness and college basketball in general, now I can't get enough NBA. For those that say there is no defense in the NBA watch the 2 best teams in the East, Miami and Indiana play a game some time.
the more you realize how pitiful the talent in college basketball is overall. The college game is played 25 feet from the basket with perimeter screens and "chuckers". Watch NBA and you see the name of the game is high percentage shots near the basket. Even the quality college programs while they have better talent, is too over coached to me. I used to be obsessed with march madness and college basketball in general, now I can't get enough NBA. For those that say there is no defense in the NBA watch the 2 best teams in the East, Miami and Indiana play a game some time.
This^^.
College basketball used to be more "European-looking" to me. There was a lot of motion and set plays, mid range jumpers, big men posting up, etc. Now it's just jacking 3's and going one on one.
It's the NBA minus the talent and the coaching.*. And I never felt there was any coaching in the NBA. I don't know if the NBA is better now, so it's making college basketball look bad....or if college basketball is just so bad it's making the NBA more watchable. I never thought I would see the day where I preferred a NBA game over college...but it's here.
The more I watch the NBA, the more I am convinced college basketball wouldnt get such a bad rap if it too allowed EVERYONE to clearly travel and carry the ball.
The ball goes into the post, to even someone like Duncan. The left foot is established as the pivot foot. They pivot a couple times. They then pivot, spin, take a step with their moving foot, and then put the ball down!
At this point, they have left their defender behind because THEY TRAVELLED!
Another example is all the guards out on the perimeter who are considered to have such a quick first step. Yes, they are mostly all elite athletes, but a lot of that blazing first step is due to the fact that they are taking the step before dribbling. Its a **** ton harder to have that quick of a first step when you have to, you know, follow the rules and dribble first.
Those examples arent so much elite skill as ignoring the rules by the players and refs.
The NBA game is completely different from college because of the enforced rules involved. Some for the better and some for the worse.
- If a 24second shot clock were implemented in college basketball, itd be an improvement.
- If the NBA would stop allowing a timeout to advance the ball from the baseline to past midcourt, itd be an improvement. Seriously, this may be the 17ing dumbest rule in all of sports. No other sport allows a team to just advance the ball by calling a timeout. Its clearly an effort to make the end of games even more interesting by keeping teams in the games, but screw that, the team didnt get the ball past midcourt, it shouldnt just go there after calling a timeout! Does the NFL allow a touchback to be spotted at the edge of the redzone jsut because a timeout was called? NO! Why not?...because the team didnt friggin advance the ball on their own!
- If the NBA would actually enforce rules as they are written, like travelling when a player starts running with the ball before dribbling, itd be an improvement.
The NBA is obviously filled with elite athletes and the best of skills. But if the NCAA started ignoring travelling the way the NBA does, there would be a lot more scoring and a lot more people saying how great the skill set is of players as a whole. Its amazing what happens when a rule that restricts is ignored.
I think watching Wisconsin and their horrible, plodding, slow, pack of codeine-drinking sloths drinking walking through molasses, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass (pause), pass, CLANG style of what I guess they have to call "offense" is clouding your judgment, and making everyone that watched the game hate themselves for wasting the time, and cursing Nasmith for inventing the sport in the first place.
Despite what their coach thinks, it's not "fundamentally sound," it's boring as hell.
Despite what their coach thinks, it's not "fundamentally sound," it's boring as hell.
Gonna have to call BS on that mstateglfr. There is a hell of a lot more wrong with college ball than not being allowed to walk or palm the ball.
These college players today have no midrange game whatsoever (apologies to Rodney Hood). Its all three pointers and one on one drives to the basket and no in between. The lack of discernible offensive sets and poor officiating also drains the fun from the games.
Another thing you don't see anymore is the fast break. Teams used to like to run it up the court and press full court to force turnovers and get easy baskets. I don't know if it is because coaches are too controlling now or what but you rarely see a team that likes to run and can do it well.
Even the traditional powers like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas have been unimpressive for much of the year. It is easily the worst year of college basketball I can remember.
These college players today have no midrange game whatsoever (apologies to Rodney Hood). Its all three pointers and one on one drives to the basket and no in between. The lack of discernible offensive sets and poor officiating also drains the fun from the games.
Another thing you don't see anymore is the fast break. Teams used to like to run it up the court and press full court to force turnovers and get easy baskets. I don't know if it is because coaches are too controlling now or what but you rarely see a team that likes to run and can do it well.
Even the traditional powers like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas have been unimpressive for much of the year. It is easily the worst year of college basketball I can remember.
Agree.
The two most frustrating things about the college game are poor mid range game and awful fast break decisions and execution. Nobody cares about that mid range pull up jumper any longer. The kids can't make it or pass it up when it's there. Fast break game is awful too. They can't beat their man one on one half the time but yet I can't count how many times you see the guy with the ball be out numbered and decide to force something. If you can't beat one guy, what makes you think you will beat two or more.
The two most frustrating things about the college game are poor mid range game and awful fast break decisions and execution. Nobody cares about that mid range pull up jumper any longer. The kids can't make it or pass it up when it's there. Fast break game is awful too. They can't beat their man one on one half the time but yet I can't count how many times you see the guy with the ball be out numbered and decide to force something. If you can't beat one guy, what makes you think you will beat two or more.
Yep, the NBA as a whole might have a high BBall IQ, but dear Lord don't say they use it. Pass it to a guy and get out of the way is not an offense like an Indiana, Duke, etc play. Players like Jordan (in my day) Lebron, et al ruin the NBA as far as actual good basketball is concerned
When was the last time you watched an NBA game? Perhaps this is true of some teams, but try watching a grizz game sometime. They don't "pass it to a guy and get out of the way." In fact, most teams I watch have offensive plays they usually run. Occasionally there's isolation plays, but it's not the more common play.