The best of the best

In 2005, the NBA established a rule that said no player could be drafted by a team in its league unless they were at least 19 years of age AND at least one year removed from graduating high school. This rule essentially forced young players out of high school to attend and play with a college team before going pro.

In my opinion, it is one of the best rules the NBA has ever made. Not only did it take away the unnecessary pressure and stress put on these 18-year-old high school seniors, but it also created more competition throughout the NCAA. Imagine LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Kevin Garnett playing in college. These guys never had (and frankly chose not to have) the opportunity to dominate and create a legacy on the college level.

As the NBA All-Star weekend approaches, basketball fans mustn’t forget about the less profitable but more enjoyable side of the game — the college one. I am here to convince those who aren’t believers that college basketball is simply better than the NBA.

1. Game Atmosphere

Let’s see, on one side we have college kids playing a game they love, for their school, in their school’s colors, in front of their fellow students, to beat a rival school. On the other? Families and businessmen only cheering on their team either after a big three-pointer, a slam dunk or when the PA announcer tells them to. It’s not much of a comparison here.

Student-dominated crowds at NCAA games yell at the top of their lungs for two straight hours and get even louder with the slightest hint at momentum. It’s one of those things you have to experience in order to realize the full magnitude of the situation. In addition, every college basketball game has a raucous student section — especially for the huge conference matchups. There are numerous teams in the NBA that play in front of a half-empty arena every night. Oh yeah, crowds get into it when their team is in the playoffs, but where were you all season long?

2. Parity

Parity is defined as the quality or state of being equal or equivalent. In sports, this term refers to equal levels of talent among teams — a league where the “best” team is not significantly better than the “worst” team. All sports leagues want to claim they have this because it solidifies a fair level of competition.

However, in the NBA, the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder will both reach the conference finals, at least, and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards will finish last — again. It’s just a fact. But in NCAA basketball, a top-10 team can fall to a team with a losing record one-day and then crush a team better than them the next. This is just the way college basketball is — no one is safe and no one is clearly the best.

Let’s take this past week, for example. America saw eight losses by six top-10 teams in just ONE WEEK. No. 1, 2 and 3 ranked teams all lost. And for five straight weeks, there have been a new No. 1 team in the country, according to the Associated Press. This isn’t college football where the SEC has dominated in national title games. Teams from all conferences and all parts of the country have an equal opportunity to win in March, creating that madness that we have all come to know and love.

3. Team Aspect

In the NBA, it is all too common to see a team go far in the playoffs or dominate during the regular season because they have one, maybe two, stars on the squad. The perfect example is when James played for the Cavs circa 2010. The Cleveland team went from being championship contenders to, literally, the worst team in the league and almost ever in NBA history. On the contrary, to win in college basketball, you need a full team of competitors filled with talent and passion.

Take a look back at the five-overtime win by Notre Dame last weekend. Jack Cooley, the Fighting Irish’s best player, fouled out of the game right before the end of regulation. His replacement was Garrick Sherman – a bench player who hadn’t played a single second during regulation. Sherman went on to lead his team to a victory by scoring some of the most important baskets.

4. Playoff System

Does any postseason format even compare to the 65-team marathon that is March Madness in college basketball? I’ll tell you what doesn’t – the NBA playoffs. It is a system that sees teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz squeak in with sub-.500 records and then get swept by their No. 1-seed opponents. They had no chance to win before the series even started. On the extreme flip side is college basketball and the “Win or go home” mentality that exists. You don’t get multiple chances to beat a team to move on the next round.

No, you have to beat whoever your opponent is — which can be pretty tough as we saw two-seed Duke lose to 15-seed Lehigh last March, along with #15 Norfolk State besting the second-seeded Missouri. Heck, Butler made it to the national title game two years in a row in 2010-11.

5. Commitment

College basketball is a game where we see seniors openly weeping after their last loss in the NCAA tournament. It means that much to them that they will never play another game in front of fellow students and in their school’s jersey. College, in general, is an experience for a 20-year-old that forms the rest of his life. That senior may not be going to the NBA or another professional league. College basketball was all he had. So the senior cries. NBA players, except Chris Bosh, don’t cry after a loss. They know that they will be back next year with the same group of guys trying to win again.