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I love basketball at all levels including College and Pro basketball. Pro basketball is played at an up and down pace by some of the greatest athletes on the planet. This brand of basketball is high flying, spectacular and played at a level often just a step below perfection. At least the best teams play this way. College basketball is often played at a fast pace as well, but some teams like to slow it down a bit and focus on passing the ball around and playing tough defense. Sometimes this can make a game a bit boring, though not often enough to spoil it. College basketball is often mistake prone and not perfect. Many of the college payers are great athletes and ball players, but many others are just average players. Even the great players are not immune to inconsistent play. After all they are only 18 and 19 year olds! NBA teams consist of the "creme de la creme". The best of the best. Only the greatest of the college players make the NBA. There are even some exceptional players who skip college all together and join the NBA straight from High School. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant come to mind.

Although the level of play is without a doubt greater in the NBA I prefer the college game. For one thing I live in the mecca of college basketball which is the Triangle area of North Carolina. The sports landscape here is dominated by Duke, UNC and N.C State and the sport which everyone talks about is basketball. This makes me a bit biased towards the college game I suppose but we are products of our environment. :-)

The best time of the year for college basketball is March. Also known as "March Madness". This is when the NCAA tournament is played and often produces some memorable games, players and teams. Coaches can also become well known by the results of March Madness. The Winner of the 2008 tournament is the Kansas Jayhawks. They has some thrilling games along the way including an overtime victory in the championship game against Memphis. Before this tournament not many people outside of Kansas knew who Bill Self was (he is the Kansas coach). March Madness has now made him a star coach and other schools such as his alma mater Oklahoma State are offering him mega bucks to become their coach. In addition to coaches and teams college basketball features small intimate places with crazed student fans such as Cameron Indoor stadium at Duke and Allen Field House at Kansas. The atmospheres cannot be duplicated outside of the college environment.

Pro basketball has it's moments too. The NBA playoffs can be extraordinarily exciting and some of the best played basketball on the planet. NBA stars are some of the best known people on earth. Who has not heard of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird or Kareem Abdul Jabbar? Overall though, the season is too long and the play-offs seem to go on forever. The season does not end until almost July! For excitement, drama, and teams, coaches and players becoming stars on one exciting month nothing can beat "March Madness" and college basketball. Not even the star powered exciting brand of basketball that is the NBA.

Learn more about this author, Bruce Gilbert.
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