WHY I LIKE COLLEGE BASKETBALL

I know, this is supposed to be about baseball in general and the Yankees in particular, but c'mon, how can you not like collegiate basketball. After the World Series in Octob...er,Novem...(December?), March Madness is my favorite time. Picasner has been know to stay up till 4:00 AM to watch Slippery Rock State play St. Joseph's of Pennsylvania. Why? Let me count the ways:

1. The fans get excited, sometimes too excited (more on this later)
2. The cheerleaders (Best watched in person, of course)
3. Anybody can win...and I mean anybody. It's disheartening to watch Chattanooga run 40 football players out onto the field and then watch 110 Alabama players invade the stadium. Guess who's coming out on top in that one? But in basketball, Slippery Rock (enrollment of 8,400) could actually beat Michigan (enrollment of 110,000). Why? They can BOTH only bring 15 and only play 5 at a time.
4. The fans can amuse you. Listen closely during a Duke home game on TV. Those fans are very inventive when razzing the other team. (Sometimes TOO inventive.)
5. Even though the final score doesn't look it, the games very often come down to the last 60 seconds.
6. The venues. You gotta love names like Phog Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas), Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke) or Pauley Pavilion (UCLA). Certainly a lot better than HSBC Arena.
...and did I mention the cheerleaders?

The rankings are a good source of arguments, mostly because it's all subjective: ("I think this team is the best. No, it's that one!") Even the Coaches Poll can be messed up and you would think that at least the coaches would have a better understanding of the strength of the teams, but no, they're as screwed up as the sportswriters. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, in an interview says they played one of the toughest schedules in the country. Really? I looked it up: Duke only played 5 games against ranked teams (none higher than 14th) and only won 2 of them. And Duke is ranked 4th in the country (at least until last night's loss to #23 Maryland).

One of the more exciting events in College B'ball is the "Stormin' The Court" after a big win. I've never seen that in pro basketball. Rick Reilly of ESPN, thinks it's overdone (by the way, Bland Rick calls it "Rushing the court"). "Rush the court after Indiana beats Minnesota? Why, that's like pantsing the chess club." Come on, Reilly, loosen up a little. It isn't like they tear down the basket or anything. Certainly better than just sitting quietly and politely applauding. Where'd you go to school, Rick? Thurston Howell III Prep? "Oh, wonderful win, Lovey. Maybe I should stand up."

CP-