College Basketball DC

For college students, alumni, professional gamblers, and sports enthusiasts, there is nothing quite like the NCAA college basketball season. Starting in November and ending with the NCAA Championship in early April, college basketball offers thousands of games to watch and plenty of great players to see development throughout their careers. On any given night in these four months of basketball, a fan can watch dozens of games on cable, over the Internet, or listen to their favorite team every couple of days on radio. The reasons why college basketball is so great are plenty, but the biggest reason is that it is exciting and much more balanced in terms of talent than college football. While there are great teams like Duke University and North Carolina, teams like Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and Gonzaga have been able to climb from mid-major conference powers to nationally known schools. For gamblers, there are plenty of opportunities at winning big on a nightly basis. For college students, probably the biggest fans of college basketball, a connection to their school and its rivalries, as well as a love for the game, compels them to crowded gyms and pep rallies for every game their team plays.

The game of college basketball is essentially the same as the pro game with a few exceptions. One of the most important distinctions between the pro and college game is in terms of the shot clock. The NBA and other professional leagues use a 25 second shot clock, in which a team must have the ball hit the rim or lose possession. However, college basketball employs a 40 second shot clock for each possession. In this way, college basketball allows a more patient offensive and defensive setup, with many teams making a number of passes on offense before taking their first shot. The 40 second shot clock allows college teams to create better opportunities through longer offensive sets and requires greater stamina in man and zone defenses.

Another timing difference between the pro and college game comes with the game clock. Professional basketball uses four 12 minute periods to divide up the game, while college basketball uses two 20 minute halves. The college basketball game clock stops every four minutes for a television time out, which gives teams five additional time outs to their usual array of full and twenty second timeouts. The difference in time is often attributed by rookie professional players as a reason why they hit a proverbial wall part way through their first professional season.

A final difference between the pro and college basketball game is in terms of legal defenses. While the NBA has opened up the option of zone defenses, previously illegal throughout league history, there are still restrictions on the type of defense played. However, college basketball features unfettered defensive formations, whether it is man or zone. Often, teams will be defined by the defense they play. For example, Temple University is renowned for its skilled zone defense while Texas Tech and Indiana University, both coached by Bobby Knight, have been known for their man-to-man defense. While both leagues share the three-second lane violation, the defensive schemes for both are quite different.

NCAA college basketball is divided into divisions and further into conferences in order to ensure the best possible competition for each team. Throughout NCAA sports, there is a division of teams into Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3. Division 1-A is the top level of competition in NCAA basketball, with all of the most renowned teams playing each other at this level. However, some great basketball is played at the Division 1-AA and 1-AAA level, considering many have in-state rivalries and players that are hometown heros. As well, the Division 2 and Division 3 levels are very competitive but are smaller schools that don’t have the same budgets as their Division 1 college basketball counterparts. The difference among divisions is essentially school size, athletic budget, and level of talent on an annual basis.

With 334 teams and 31 conferences, Division 1-A is filled with competitive teams and great players. Some of the most renowned professional players and coaches have come from the major basketball conferences like the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten. However, conferences like the Missouri Valley Conference and the Horizon League have become more competitive over the last decade with teams like Southwest Missouri State and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee upsetting higher profile schools in the NCAA tournament. The conferences rarely change from year to year, maintaining competitive balance and the rivalries that make college sports so great.