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Couldn't agree more Crimson about college basketball being much more enjoyable for me to watch than the NBA. No slight to the NBA because it's the best basketball in the world but I enjoy the college experience more. To each his own but I'm a hoops junkie and I really look forward to the college/high school season more than the NBA.

If I were a Pitt fan I'd be very excited for this season to start. They appear to be a deep, long, & athletic team who is capable of beating any team they play. Getting Cameron Wright back as soon as possible should really help them develop chemistry and depth early in the season.The schedule they'll play is unbelievable and the ACC may be the best basketball conference in history (similar to the Big East of past years). Duke, UNC, Louisville (all pre-season Top 10), Virginia (last year's champ), Syracuse, Pitt, Florida State, improving teams like Wake Forest and N.C. State, and even the bottom teams in the league will be very well coached (Virginia Tech). Wow, what a league where there will be no nights off and everyone will get nicked along the way in the conference schedule.

As for PSU I think they will be better and a couple teams in the league (IU & UM come to mind) may take a step back from what they have been the past few years. I don't think PSU can be considered and upper-level finisher in the Big 10 this year but I do think Chambers is doing a better job of getting more talented players in the program (the 3 players he's recruited in the next 2 classes are all top 100 players which is a revelation for the basketball wasteland that PSU has been in the past). If they can finish in the middle of the Big 10 pack and develop some of their young, athletic freshmen and sophomores I think it'll be a step forward for them. I would expect a big year scoring from DJ Newbill but he is going to need help carrying the load.

I for one can't wait for the season both locally in high school and on the college level.

Compare high school wrestling with college wrestling. With college wrestling, how many 3-2 matches do you want to see? At least on the high school scene, there's more action, more entertainment, probably more strategy by the coaches. It's like that with the NBA. Most games follow the same script, at least I think so. College is WAY more entertaining, and more to strive for with the ranking systems and conference games in place.

Tomorrow night, PSU basketball is back, at the BJC vs Morgan State. All freshmen are admitted free. And it's Dollar Dog Night (While supplies last). Then on Sunday at 5PM, the PSU men take on the Fordham Rams as part of a double header after the PSU women play at 2PM. ALL tickets are $5 for BOTH games.

Louisville and Minnesota play tomorrow night in Puerto Rico as a part of the annual Armed Forces Classic to start the year, as it stands now, it sounds like Pitt will be featured in the marquee event next season. Pitt is rumored to play Gonzaga in Japan next season to kick off the college basketball season. Pretty cool for this group of Pitt players, they were able to spend some time in August in The Bahamas, they will participate in the Maui Invitational in a few weeks, and they'll get a chance to play on an Army base in Japan next year. Pretty exciting.

Those are great trips for the Pitt players, good for them. The trip to Japan is especially unique for those guys and is something that not every college team gets to do.

The Louisville/Minnesota game should be entertaining. I say a little bit of an exhibition that Louisville played last week and their athleticism looked scary. Montrezl Harrell looks like he is going to be a monster this year.

I seen that Penn State just signed a top 30 class...IN BASKETBALL.

-SG: 4* Josh Reeves 6' 4" out of VA. Top 100 recruit with most services and highest rated recruit I can ever remember PSU basketball signing. 81st recruit in 24/7's class.

-C/PF: 4* Mike Watkins 6' 8" but athletic out of Philly. Top 100 recruit with most services. 89th in 24/7's class.

-SF: 3* Deividas Zemgulis 6' 6" out of Maryland. Ranked 279th by 24/7's service.

Just to put this in perspective, Taylor Battle was a 3* recruit ranked around 250th nationally and we seen his impact on the program. Was he underrated? Sure, but this is a great sign for the program.

Penn State really needs to put together a 17+ win season. They bring back everyone except Frazier plus a good recruiting class (in Penn State basketball standards) came in last year. A winning season and postseason tournament will go a long way in continuing the rebuild of one of the worst programs in the power conferences.

Yeah it's probably the best recruiting class Penn State has ever had in basketball. Hopefully they can turn the program around over the next few years and start getting some consistently good recruiting classes.

I'm love college basketball but I really can never get into these early games. They just have little impact on the end result of the tourney. But that's ok because I dislike NBA even more! Aa for pitt vs zags in Japan next year would be cool! Surprised it hasn't been brought up out here in zag nation

Could be another topic, but pick your final 4 now and see how it looks in march.
My 4 is Ucla, Louisville, Kentucky, and Gonzaga

Crimson's Ghost wrote:I like the NBA, and it definitely is incredible basketball, but with an 82 game regular season and a two month long playoffs, it just isn't as exciting as college basketball to me. College can crown their champion in exactly 40 games.

....Crowds are more into it, players are more into it, coaching and strategy comes into play a little bit more.

I think the biggest disenchantment with the NBA in Western PA is lack of a local team, or even local stars for that matter.

The NBA is good basketball, and better basketball than college for that matter but I think the game play, atmosphere, and the shorter season makes it more exciting for people. And plus the no local team plays a factor.

Fair statements, however, I disagree that the "crowds are more into it, players are more into it, coaching and strategy come into play a little more". I believe as you mention that the reason for the negative perception for the NBA is that there is no local team in Western PA. After all, the Penguins are such a popular team, but nobody in Western PA ever played much hockey in their life prior to the 1990s. The percentage of kids who play hockey is dwarfed by basketball. But in all fairness, I get that college games are raucous because of the idiot college kids in the stands. However, go to Cleveland or DC once this year and see how much those fans are into their teams. Its a matter of perception, and taste for most people and I get that. But when it come to basketball, the NBA is unmatched for talent, style, and sophistication.

A big part of my beef with NCAA basketball is how the kids are used while the coaches haul down million dollar salaries. I know that is a big turn off for many fans in NBA cities as well. Trust me, the NBA is doing just fine in terms of popularity. Its just funny that in Western PA its more of "I love college, but I hate the NBA" mentality. And yet while Pitt has a good bit of regular season success, both the Panthers and Penn State are not top tier teams by any stretch of the imagination. What's even more confusing is that NCAA wrestling is not popular at all, yet 6 or 7 of the top 20 Division 1 teams in the country are right in your backyard yet they get little love from the hometown folks.