Fans obviously want their own teams to do well, and they obviously want their rivals to suffer a 16-1 or 15-2 upset in the NCAA tournament, but what do they want from college basketball on a larger level?
College sports — beyond basketball; the dynamic applies just about anywhere — bind people to teams through the connections created by loyalty to and affection for one’s alma mater. The college experience is a powerful connector and social lubricant in the present tense. The extent to which those associations continue in subsequent years forges an even stronger bond between the individual and the American university. Naturally, we all want our own tribe, our own school, to succeed during the season and in March.
What, however, do we want for the sport of college basketball? What do we want not just for ourselves, but for other people and other interests? That’s a question worth asking.
TSS college basketball writer Ryan Palencer joins me to tackle this question, as our season preview continues.
RYAN PALENCER
Unlike college football in 2015, I want a good and healthy season for star players in college hoops.
One of the biggest dampers on the college football season this year has been the amount of injuries to key players and guys who had NFL draft potential. While you never want to see anyone get hurt, it is even worse when it is a player who takes on a leadership role with a strong team. Ultimately everyone loses when that happens. It eliminates that squad as a title contender and cheats the fans out of the best product possible, not to mention the impact it has on that kid’s future.
Please, basketball Gods, give us a healthy season.
MATT ZEMEK
William and Mary. Saint Francis (Brooklyn). Army. The Citadel. Northwestern.
Please find and put on your Dancing shoes in March.
For The Citadel and Northwestern, the dream of a first-ever NCAA tournament is not that realistic this season. It’s especially the case for Northwestern now that Vic Law is out for the season, a simply devastating blow. However, Northwestern might be in position to make a run in 2017.
Army cannot enjoy the benefit of the doubt in the Patriot League, but the Black Knights surely know that none of the top three seeds in the league tournament made the final last March. Lafayette and American were lodged in the middle of the conference, yet found their way to the tournament final, with a March Madness ticket on the line. Army could at least work its way into the conversation in the Patriot League.
Then, in the Colonial and the Northeast, Bill and Mary plus Saint Francis (NY) could legitimately win their respective leagues’ automatic bids. They came so close last season. They both return enough talent to cross the threshold this time.
If you believe in puppies and rainbows and ice cream and a better tomorrow for America, you want these teams to make it. They were all eligible for the first NCAA tournament back in 1939. None of them have Danced even once.
Mr. Bojangles, we need to fix this.
DANCE.
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Feel free to give your answers in the comments section.
