The Only Time I Will Discuss College Basketball Here

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is in full-swing. I'm not normally a college basketball fan. I enjoy watching players who can actually make shots once in a while, which rules out 90% of college players, judging by the last two days.

Sometimes it's not too bad. The talent disparity between teams means you get a much wider array of playing styles than in the NBA. Some teams don't have anyone taller than 6-6, while other teams can start an entire frontcourt of guys at least 6-10. Teams who play full-court press, or zone, run everything through a big man, or through a tiny, lightning quick point guard. The strengths and weaknesses of various teams require different solutions, and how they match up can be interesting. Although the talent disparity also leads to a lot of blowout. Watching Gonzaga stomp Farleigh-Dickinson into the ground isn't very entertaining. It's boot vs. ant).

One thing I absolutely cannot stand about college hoops, though, is the possession arrow. If players get tied up over a loose ball or rebound, the refs whistle the play dead and the ball is simply awarded to whichever one has the magical possession arrow. The get to inbound the ball and things go from there. Next time there's a dead ball like that, the other team will have the arrow in their favor. That is boring.

The NBA uses the jump ball, which seems better to em. At least the players get to compete for the ball, rather than a "my turn, your turn" thing. Sure, sometimes you get a 6-1 point guard and a 6-10 forward matched up and it seems a foregone conclusion. But sometimes the guard can get in the air faster, or out-jumps the guy (more likely if the big guy is old). Even if the big guy wins, if he tries to tip it to a teammate, there's no guarantee it won't be intercepted. Sometimes it can spark a fast break. Maybe it gets tapped out to an open shooter behind the arc, or someone can cut to the hoop for an alley-oop. Unpredictable outcomes.

It's not always like that, but the possibility exists, which seems more fun to me.