Preseason Primer: Reasons to Love College Basketball

Obviously, you wouldn't be here if you didn't know this stuff already, but it's always fun to reflect on the great things about college basketball just before the season starts. If you know someone who doesn't get it - show them the list. And, if I forgot one of your favorites, drop it in the comment field.

The Buildings: The Pit (New Mexico) - Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas) - The Palestra (Penn) - Trask Coliseum (UNCW) - Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke) - Pauley Pavilion (UCLA) - Assembly Hall (Indiana) - The Dean Dome (UNC)

These legendary arenas give strength to fans and players, and sap the will of opponents. There are so many more - add yours below.

The Fans: Rowdy, knowledgeable, and passionate. Alumni get most of the good seats nowadays, but it's the jumping, hollaring, and high-fiving that provide home-court advantage. Do the Cameron Crazies or Missouri's Antlers sometimes go out of bounds? Yes. But we usually laugh anyway.

The Cheerleaders: I'm a nice midwestern boy, so I guess I like my sex appeal in a demure wrapper. The combination of cute + sexy + in love with their school = Perfect.

The Tweeners: There are so many great players who never make it in the NBA because they don't fit the size template. But in college ball, we get to watch skinny PFs and 6'8" centers and 5'10" guards do what they do best. Think about that while you enjoy baby-faced Stephen Curry and so many others this season. If your taste runs more to Projects, check out UNC-Asheville's 7'7" Kenny George or Old Dominion's 7'3" Aussie Sam Harris.

The Coaches: Roy Williams and his "aw shucks" routine, Jim Boeheim looking like someone just ran over his cat, Bobby Knight looking like he'd happily run over Boeheim's cat if Myles Brand were standing behind it. Old-school cats like John Chaney, Lou Carnesecca, and John Thompson. Dick Davey's sweaters. There are some real characters in this game, and we treasure them.

The Nicknames: There are so many awesome nicknames in college basketball. If you want a complete list, regardless of division, check here. Here's my top 25:

1. Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
2. Cal-Irvine Anteaters
3. St. Bonaventure Bonnies
4. TCU Horned Frogs
5. Campbell Camels
6. St. Louis Billikens
7. Vermont Catamounts
8. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
10. San Francisco Dons
11. Centenary Gentlemen
12. Canisius Golden Griffins
13. UMKC Kangaroos
14. New Mexico Lobos
15. Evansville Purple Aces
16. Youngstown State Penguins
17. Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners
18. Delaware Blue Hens
19. Southern Utah Thunderbirds
20. Idaho Vandals
21. Marist Red Foxes
22. Texas Longhorns
23. Cal-Santa Barbara Gauchos
24. Vanderbilt Commodores
25. Florida A&M Rattlers

(honorable mention goes to the independent Presbyterian Blue Hose, who are in the process of becoming DI this season)

The Enthusiasm: There's not a lot of chit-chat or runs to the concession stand in college hoops. Fans stand and scream or, in the case of St. Joe's, flap. The Austin Peay Governors might rally to the cry of "Let's go Peay!!" but most true fans will hold it until halftime rather than miss a play. The kids on the floor are deeply invested in every possession, or they get a trip to the bench. Even more so in the Ivy League, where there is no conference tournament to shift focus from the regular season title.

The Tournaments: I know, I just said that tournaments shift focus from the regular season. It's true, and it's one of those dichotomies that cannot be solved. Because tournaments are fun. Brackets are extremely fun. There's something to be said for that thrill of deeply-held belief in fans of even the worst teams - that maybe, just maybe, we can still do this. They mostly don't, but the chance keeps everyone on their toes, and that's great.

Obviously, the NCAA tournament is the greatest post-season ever invented. We here at STF will not stoop to argue this point with the less enlightened. The fact that a team can get hot and rise above their hierarchical status at the right time is part of sports, and it's a part we celebrate unreservedly in College Hoops. Nothing beats that frenzy of activity in the first week of the NCAAs - filling out brackets, perusing rosters for teams you can't quite place on a map, and screaming your guts out for some tiny U. that's playing a hated rival, or because you picked them as your "upset special". And when your team runs that six-game gauntlet and collapses on the floor as champs, let me tell you, it is magical. My team hasn't done it since 1988, but I'm sitting here with goosebumps just thinking about it.

Here's to college basketball. And to you, STF readers, and fans of the game!