College Basketball

[Flames in 07]

When everyone was having the BCS sucks parade, and folks were talking about how the March Madness template is such a great example I took a note to see how much college basketball will be discussed during the regular season.

I may have missed it, but there has been somewhere between very little and zero NCAA basketball discussion here, and in most places ... and we are half way through the season. Yet college football was talked about all season long, week in and week out.

Why? Because the college basketball season is 64 games long and starts in March, the ball in Dec-Feb is just preseason.

Whereas each Saturday there are massive football matchups that have ratings college basketball could only dream about outside of its tournament.

The media doesn't grab on to this fact very often, so people don't think about it much, but the lack of interest in what is going on so far in BB proves football's model is better.

[transplant99]

Yeah and ummm....they just started conference play.

If you think there is a lack of interest in college basketball in the States right now, you are badly mistaken as well. It was 3/4 of ESPN's coverage on SC this morning.

Just to add...I perused the TV listings from yesterday. With a regular cable package in your home, you could of watched any of 25 different college basketball games, spanning from noon to almost midnight.

Right now there are 2 live games playing at 1:30 in the afternoon. Vandy is getting smoked by Florida by 27, and Mich St. is beating Mich.

Make that 3 live games as Clemson and Miami are also on with UM up 5.

[ricoFlame]

i'll start talking college hoops if memphis is still undefeated after the tennessee game.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Yeah and ummm....they just started conference play.

If you think there is a lack of interest in college basketball in the States right now, you are badly mistaken as well. It was 3/4 of ESPN's coverage on SC this morning.

Just to add...I perused the TV listings from yesterday. With a regular cable package in your home, you could of watched any of 25 different college basketball games, spanning from noon to almost midnight.

Right now there are 2 live games playing at 1:30 in the afternoon. Vandy is getting smoked by Florida by 27, and Mich St. is beating Mich.

Make that 3 live games as Clemson and Miami are also on with UM up 5.

Pretty much nothing in your post makes sense or has much accuracy.

More like 5 games on here, but regardless there could have been 75 games, nobody is watching ... compared to NCAA FB ratings anyway. If you are perusing, go peruse TV ratings and see how they compare. I've compared its interest vs NCAA FB. BB interest is lower and its insane to even try and argue otherwise.

My point is that nobody has talked about it much here, and they haven't. I only spend about a few days a month in the states, but I listen to national ESPN and FSR everyday on satillite, and NCAA BB is an afterthought there as well.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

Pretty much nothing in your post makes sense or has much accuracy.

More like 5 games on here, but regardless there could have been 75 games, nobody is watching ... compared to NCAA FB ratings anyway. If you are perusing, go peruse TV ratings and see how they compare. I've compared its interest vs NCAA FB. BB interest is lower and its insane to even try and argue otherwise.

My point is that nobody has talked about it much here, and they haven't. I only spend about a few days a month in the states, but I listen to national ESPN and FSR everyday on satillite, and NCAA BB is an afterthought there as well.

What are they talking about then? Brady's boot?

I can't imagine college basketball being on anyone's backburner as a sports network right now.

I haven't been talking about it because I find that most here don't follow it closely enough to be able to comment beyond Gonzaga. That's not a criticism either.

Memphis is just as undefeated as Kansas, by the way.....

[transplant99]

More like 5 games on here, but regardless there could have been 75 games, nobody is watching ... compared to NCAA FB ratings anyway.

Well no kidding. When has BBall EVER had the same ratings as football during regular season? Doesn't take away from the fact that the tournament draws MASSIVE ratings because it IS a playoff system.

If you are perusing, go peruse TV ratings and see how they compare.

Just a quick FYI for you. If no one is watching, they wouldn't be showing the games. There are way more BBall teams than there are football, so its a much more regional type coverage as far as ratings go.

My point is that nobody has talked about it much here, and they haven't.

And rarely is until the playoffs start.

I only spend about a few days a month in the states, but I listen to national ESPN and FSR everyday on satillite, and NCAA BB is an afterthought there as well.

Well I live in the States and watch and listen every day. College BBall is by far the most talked about sport, right now, after the NFL. Once the SB is over and done, college Bball will dominate the airwaves. Far from the ridiculous assertion it is an "afterthought".

But I guess no one will be watching or listening huh?

CBS televises all 63 games of the tournament and paid 6 BILLION dollars over 11 years for the priviledge to do so. What were they thinking?

[transplant99]

Just did a quick search on the BCS ratings.

Championship game down 17% from the year before and down 34% from 2 years ago.

Seems like most people didnt believe they were truly going to see the two most deserving teams play for the title this year (as well as who the teams involved were). A direct result of no playoff system, but instead having computers and biased voters deciding.

Fox drew 14.4% of U.S. TV households for Louisiana State's championship win over Ohio State Monday. That's down 17% from last year's Florida-Ohio State title game on Fox — and down 34% from the previous year's Texas-USC title game on ABC.
The BCS took ratings hits nearly across-the-board. Of Fox's four BCS games, only West Virginia beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl drew a higher rating this year.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colum...-ratings_N.htm

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Memphis is just as undefeated as Kansas, by the way.....

i had no idea

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah, this is an odd post. Look at the NFL threads here vs any NBA threads. It's not even close, the NFL threads generate a lot more interest. This board is a terrible measuring stick for NCAA Basketball interest. Probably a bit strange as I'm guessing more people here likley played Basketball at some point in their lives than they played football.

Football is a short season in which games get played once a week. It lends itself to huge TV coverage as evey game does mean something. Basketball by the nature of the game has 5-6 times as many games so the individual games during the season aren't as important.

I was just in the states for two weeks and NCAA Basketball is a big deal there. Next to the NFL playoffs it was probably the most covered thing and equalled what I saw for NBA coverage. In Hawaii they have a dailey artical on the Hawaiian guy playing for the Wasu Cougars in all their papers. The L.A. times top story was the Cougars coming to town to play UCLA and USC. USA Today generally had something about NCAA Basketball on the first page of the sports section on any day that wasn't Monday. People still watch and follow NCAA Basketball, but yeah like any sport interest will peak towards the end of the season and when the tourney starts. When that tourney does get underway it absolutely rivals or beats the BCS for fan interest.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by ricoFlame

i had no idea

Just sayin'

They'll have a much tougher time staying that way than Memphis...and they'll be better for it.

Might be their year.

[ricoFlame]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Just sayin'

They'll have a much tougher time staying that way than Memphis...and they'll be better for it.

Might be their year.

this is true, big 12 sched could be tough, 2 vs kstate i believe, then baylor, texas and a&m

[Flames in 07]

[quote=transplant99;1164627]
But I guess no one will be watching or listening huh?

CBS televises all 63 games of the tournament and paid 6 BILLION dollars over 11 years for the priviledge to do so. What were they thinking?[/quote]

You and Sylvan are completely missing the point.

It is apples and orages to compare the tourneyment to the 5 BCS games. <Even though BCS games on a pergame basis have much higher ratings.>

The BCS system lends itself to an important football season ... every game is important. Some of the big bb matchups this weekend are basically non factors. If Gonzaga actually won yesterday, it wouldn't matter. Both teams make the tourneyment so who cares?

When you compare the two, you have to compare the entire season from start to finish, and when you do that, it's not even close. If we put a big playoff system into football, it would look more like basketball, lots of interest in the end, but alot of mediocre games to wade through over months to get there.

I don't care what anyone says, I listen to hours and hours of game night, JT and the brick, Czaban, Doug Gottlieb and all the other national personalities every day, and NCAA BB IS an afterthought compared to NCAA FB.

[transplant99]

The BCS system lends itself to an important football season ... every game is important.

Not sure how that would change with football though. You would still have to win a HUGE majority of your games to make it into the playoff rounds...certainly wont take away from the meaning of the regular season at all. In fact it may place more importance on them so you make sure you make the final 8 or whatever it will be.

Some of the big bb matchups this weekend are basically non factors. If Gonzaga actually won yesterday, it wouldn't matter. Both teams make the tourneyment so who cares?

Problem with this is that football teams cant all play each other in their OOC games. Thats why a PO system would HELP. Then OOC teams could face each other in actual games rather than on a spreadsheet in some writers office.

I don't care what anyone says, I listen to hours and hours of game night, JT and the brick, Czaban, Doug Gottlieb and all the other national personalities every day, and NCAA BB IS an afterthought compared to NCAA FB.

Well try listening to guys like Greenburg and Golic in the morning or Cowherd or Turico during the day. They ALL talk NCAA as much as anything else not called NFL.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Well, college basketball is Gottlieb's bread and butter, especially when he gets to talk about the Big 12. I'm sure he pushes it.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Well, college basketball is Gottlieb's bread and butter, especially when he gets to talk about the Big 12. I'm sure he pushes it.

as far as national hosts go, he probably talks about it more than most, obviously because he played, but outside of tourney time, it doesn't domination discussion the way college football does.

Look people can spin it anyway they want but nobody can deny that:

College football is by miles more popular than college basketball. There must be something to it.

[Sylvanfan]

Yeah, Football is the number one game in the US right now in terms of viewing and fan interest. What more do you need?

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Yeah, Football is the number one game in the US right now in terms of viewing and fan interest. What more do you need?

But have you ever thought about why it is more popular? There are probably a few reasons such as how well run the NFL is, how they schedule and how they market. But all those factors hinge on the fact that each game is very very important.

Ever try watching a presason game in a stadium that is half full with no energy? It's hard, I've learned that a good part of overall popularity of a sport, especially football is the local fan interest ... and that local fan interest is completely a function of how important the game is.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

But have you ever thought about why it is more popular? There are probably a few reasons such as how well run the NFL is, how they schedule and how they market. But all those factors hinge on the fact that each game is very very important.

Ever try watching a presason game in a stadium that is half full with no energy? It's hard, I've learned that a good part of overall popularity of a sport, especially football is the local fan interest ... and that local fan interest is completely a function of how important the game is.

Maybe that's why a mid-major conference game is much more fun to watch than North Carolina vs Duke. At least to me.

Still, I think you're ignoring the fact that the present system in college football has made 75% of the schools completely irrelevant. That's not excitiing to me.

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Maybe that's why a mid-major conference game is much more fun to watch than North Carolina vs Duke. At least to me.

Still, I think you're ignoring the fact that the present system in college football has made 75% of the schools completely irrelevant. That's not excitiing to me.

Because 75% of teams will never win the NC? Is that what you are implying here?

If so, that's a fair point, but the playoff system won't change that. Football is different that basketball because in bb you can recruit one guy, like carmelo anthony and poof you are the best team in the country. Football is the ultimate team sport and you'll need to recruit dozens of 4 and 5 star recruits to compete for a NC. Football at all levels has always been like that where teams that were good in the past tend to do well in the future. The only football league I'm aware of that is not like that is the NFL the day after they put a cap in place.

My one complain of the BCS is it has added undue attention to the NC. To me, it's the division races that are of interest, and then watching 2 dozen bowl games, and knowing 30 teams will end the year by celebrating on the 50 yard line.

[corporatejay]

I'm with you on this. Who cares if Memphis goes undefeated or not in the regualr season? They have one bad game and they lose to some BS 16 seed and they're now what? the 64th best team in the country? gimme a break.

I'm not saying the BCS is the greatest system in the world, and maybe an 8 team playoff would make it better, or an "and one" game, so it's essentially a 4 team playoff.

There's a reason why I enjoy the NFL so much, every game matters.

It always makes me smile when people get excited about a baseball team after april. like the Jays go 10-5 and I'm thinking "only 150 more to go".