Football is finished and the NBA is coming off of a horrific All-Star break. That only means one thing — it’s the time of the year when the masses start paying attention to college basketball. However, many “fans” will be in for a rude awakening when they realize that the men’s game isn’t that exciting.
Selection Sunday is on March 17 this year, giving Americans less than four weeks to brush up. And while CBS will be unveiling the men’s bracket live on their network, I’d advise folks to pay attention to ESPN, as they have the women — who have all of the sport’s stars.
In a world in which Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, and Angel Reese have been the biggest names, don’t be a Kenny Smith about it.
If you’re a casual college basketball fan or one that lost your love for the sport due to the transfer portal, the extra COVID season, one-and-dones, or the combination of these things tearing away at the continuity of programs and conferences — I get it, so let this be a mini-guide for you.
First up, let’s start with the coaches
When Coach K left the game nobody had ever won more college basketball games than him. In the two seasons that he’s been retired, his record has been broken — twice. In January, Stanford’s legendary women’s head coach, Tara VanDerveer, broke Mike Krzyzewski’s record. Earlier this week, UConn’s legendary women’s head coach, Geno Auriemma, also passed Krzyzewski. Now we wait and see who will retire first and end up with the record, as Coach K is solidly in third — forever.
Dawn Staley is still the best coach on the women’s side as South Carolina is a juggernaut, as the women’s Elite Eight and the Final Four are destined to be some of the best college basketball we’ll see all season.
Now to the players
Clark is the hottest name in all of college sports. Watkins quietly could be better than Clark, but plays for a lesser team and doesn’t have the same All-American appeal. Paige Bueckers is still a major bucket and is coming back for a fifth year, hoping that UConn will finally have a healthy season that isn’t ruined by injuries. LSU has a host of characters and deserves a reality TV show. And South Carolina is undefeated and has a freshman named MiLaysia Fulwiley who comes off the bench and does Kyrie Irving-like moves in games.
Every player who is deserving of hype in college basketball is a woman this season, not a man. The men have no stars. UConn and Purdue have been the best of the bunch all season and neither team has a player that NBA scouts are drooling over.
Now to the drama
A few weeks ago, a certain group of people got mad when a college basketball, Team USA, and WNBA legend named Sheryl Swoopes made a very logical and intelligent comment about Clark, and how she wouldn’t be able to dominate the pros as a rookie like she’s doing in college. That certain group of people lost their minds and started attacking Swoopes as if she were a JV All-Star. It then led to a story about it, causing even more drama online.
And on the men’s side, Rick Pitino went from hypocritically calling for a salary cap for players because of NIL, to publicly ripping a roster he recruited and saying, “This has been the most unenjoyable experience I’ve had since I’ve been coaching.” He even doubled down on it.
Rick Pitino gon’ Rick Pitino. Kids, Google your head coach’s multiple scandals before you go play for them.
The season has been so underwhelming on the men’s side that the Fab Five reunited in Ann Arbor, but it still might not be enough to save Juwan Howard’s job.
This upcoming weekend is when college hoops start taking center stage, as games will be more prominent on network TV on the weekends. The usual suspects will still be there but won’t be as familiar, as coaches, players, and programs you’ve never heard of will be receiving more attention than you’re used to. It’s a reason why most of your energy should be devoted to the women’s side. Because if you’re truly a fan of college basketball, then you’re going to quickly realize that watching the men is kind of wack.
