Water Cooler Debate: NBA Vs. NCAA

With the opening of basketball seasons around the country, we once again find ourselves debating at the office cooler about the winner of a NBA versus NCAA rivalry. Most debates on the topic center largely around which is more fun to watch for the fans. Both have exciting, crowd-pleasing aspects and just the same, but which one is truly the best? In the minds of many fans, the choice is college basketball every time. College basketball wins the hearts of avid roundball fans with its intensity, heart, and a great playoff system.

So what is it that ruins the NBA? It's money, the root of all evil. In a game where passion and energy win just as many games as talent, it's difficult for NBA players to gather the emotions every night on the long road of the 82 game pro season. It's not that players don't want care, it's simply that caring isn't a necessity in the NBA. For NBA players, the paychecks come regardless of wins. With college players, money is out of the equation. When they hit the floor every night for a 30 game season, they are full court press, pedal-to-the-metal warriors for 40 minutes. When college players play, the only thing in their mind is the championship. The NBA has lost sight of such an outrageous concept.

Is it only money though? Of course not, the idea of a T-E-A-M is also what makes college basketball superior. The quintessential ball hog mentality is what drags the NBA down. Even the league's most talented player and defending scoring champion Kobe Bryant can't win it all alone. Even the greatest NBA player ever, Michael Jordan, couldn't win until the introduction of coach Phil Jackson's share-it triangle offense. Moreover, the last three the NBA Finals champions have used the "we" attitude to win it all: San Antonio, Detroit, and Miami. The 40 point night is a rarity in college basketball these days. And Amen for that! The greatness of college basketball exists in the team attitude, where players aren't just teammates, but friends as well. For them basketball is fun and not just a job.

As if arguments of the NBA's selfishness weren't enough, college basketball's most dominant claim over the pros is the unmatched playoff system. Who doesn't love the exciting office pools with March Madness in the Spring? After all, none of us have probably ever filled out an NBA playoff bracket. In March, there are college basketball upsets. In May, upsets and equality in the NBA are lacking and outright boring. Just as bad, the marathon NBA playoffs extend almost as long as half of the actual regular season. For now, the unanimous choice for this uneven rivalry is college basketball. So when the NBA learns from the guys who don't get paid, they may become more interesting and noteworthy. But until then, wake me up when the NBA playoffs end in June.