Features of college basketball in the USA

Every year in March, the TV picture changes on America’s biggest sports channels. Instead of NBA players, we see students from various colleges and universities on the screens. In the basketball industry, March Madness begins. For almost a month, the country is engulfed in student basketball. After all, the playoffs of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) are a source for fans of high-profile sensations and throws in the last seconds that change the outcome of seemingly already decided matches.
Full stadiums, fans going crazy in the stands, active coverage in all national media, comments from the president on Twitter. What is so special about American collegiate basketball?

Future professionals play here

The NCAA is a great platform for developing young talent. It is the most reliable way for basketball professionals. In the minds of 99% of fresh out of high school prospects, the NCAA, even with all of its problems is the easiest and surest way to get into professional sports. In the past two years, only a handful of young basketball players have made it to the pros without going to college. For example, Mitchell Robinson and Robert Williams, despite their obvious talent, were selected lower than expected in the draft, precisely because of the lack of playing experience in students.
Top basketball coaches, great training facilities, and the ability to compete against other top young players while being in the eye of the NBA team scouts – this system is convenient for both young players and their future employers from the world of professional sports.
An underappreciated young talent from any amateur sports hall, such as SportsPlex Olathe, can come to play in a modest college and open up into a full-fledged star in a year.

NCAA knows how to sell itself

At the head of college basketball in the United States are people who sell not just sports, but the whole show. The love of the American audience for “native”, local heroes, coupled with the fact that really the best young athletes of the country play in the league, creates that unique popularity that student competitions in no other country in the world can boast of.

In the last playoffs alone, the NCAA generated over a billion dollars in revenue from television and sponsorship deals. Each stop in the basketball game is represented by some kind of title sponsor. Contests for fans, such as “hit the ring from the middle of the court and get a car,” are also held under the loud advertising of famous brands. Throughout March, the evening prime time of the largest American sports channel ESPN is tightly occupied with the games of the teams of Villanova, Duke, North Carolina and other giant universities and dwarfs of college sports.

The unpredictability of college games

In terms of the number of sensations per square meter, March Madness surpasses any league in the world. Over the past five years, the team with the highest bookmaker quotes at the start of the playoffs has never become a champion.
Here you do not turn off the broadcast if you see that the lead of one of the teams is growing, because you know that the game can be turned upside down at any moment. It is worth remembering how the University of Nevada team played 14 points with a minute left in regulation, and then snatched the victory in overtime.
Collegiate sports are one of the most unpredictable because none of these players have had experience playing at a high level yet, they are vulnerable to pressure. And the other guys do the best job with this, also creating the unique atmosphere of Madness.

Fans creating the unique atmosphere

For fans, college basketball is not only an opportunity to see future professional sports stars from strong university programs battling with local guys, but also a chance to be part of something unique.
They are fierce and unrestrained in devotion to their team and showing support. They wear team-colored suits for matches. They do their best to prevent opposing players from concentrating on free throws, shouting and dancing. They cheer for their favorites louder than fans do at NBA and NHL games. Thanks to them, it is in the student basketball leagues that any actions of the guest team are accompanied by whistles and shouts.
For basketball fans in Los Angeles, for example, a yellow and blue wig and coloring are indispensable attributes, and the section of active fans of the Duke Cameron Crazies is also famous for the fact that they come to matches several hours in advance, starting to support their own team at the warm-up.
Often, basketball fans are not professional players but want to know more about their favorite sport. In SportsPlex Olathe, people can use the sports hall to practice some games. SportsPlex Olathe is a good option for basketball games.

What is special about the trainers?

The NCAA is a real league of coaches. Yes, the viewer doesn’t come here to watch Arizona’s zone defense scheme turn into a “four on the perimeter and a spotter under the rim” on the fly, but behind every strong NCAA team there is an outstanding coach.
Collegiate sports in the US are a testing ground for young innovative basketball coaches. It is here, where there are still no legitimate superstars capable of playing at an incredible level every match, the discipline of the players and the tactical ideas of the coach are of such great importance.
In recent years, many student coaches have had a chance at the professional level. A bright success story is the path of Brad Stevens. One of the most promising coaches in the NBA now – just five years ago, he led the basketball team of the modest Butler University. Now Brad manages the game of the NBA’s top club, the Boston Celtics, from the bench.