College athletics taketh away, and college athletics giveth

February 7th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

So I celebrated signing day by completely decrying the collegiate recruitment process and the particularly murky aspects of those players’ careers once they arrive at their campus of choice. It might be a bit ironic then - or at least contradictory - that I’ll settle under the warm glow of the HDTV tonight for a night full of collegiate athletics at their finest. Hey, I never said I didn’t like college hoops, I just don’t like the way they’re made. If I was into giving simple concepts presumptuous capitalized titles (or if I was Bill Simmons), I might call it the Sausage Theory.

Anyway, one game obviously jumps up at the viewer tonight: North Carolina at Duke, traditionally the most overhyped of all sports contests. By now it’s an old complaint, but the number of camera angles - nay, channels - dedicated to a regular season college basketball contest is truly something to behold. Even national championships don’t get the subsidiary treatment. And a camera trained on the fans - really? As someone who’s been inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, the last thing you really ought to focus on is the incredibly nerdy, cranky Crazies, especially when there is quality basketball being played on the floor in front of you. (Quick story: when Indiana played at Cameron for the Big Ten/ACC earlier in the season, every time the Hoosiers would set up their mini benches on the Duke floor, three female Crazies would give themselves absolute coronaries screaming “GET OFF OUR FLOOR!!! DISRESPECTFUL!!! THAT’S SO DISRESPECTFUL!!! GET OFF OUR FLOOR!!!” Finally someone on media row told them that it was something IU did every game, and that it was probably not meant as disrespect. Blue-faced [from the shout-induced asphyxiation, not the face paint], the Harpies just glared at the poor guy. Crazy, indeed.)

But alas, as in most other years, at least one of these teams is very good and the other is slightly above average, making the game worthwhile viewing even for impartial college basketball fans. And as cynical as I might be - it wouldn’t surprise me if the NCAA arranged this scheduling so everyone could immediately forget how icky signing day is - it’s hard to thumb your nose at college basketball’s aesthetic finest. That what it’s all about, after all; the sheer joy of the game might not completely trump my qualms with the NCAA, but it certainly helps the balance.

For the record, that photo was taken immediately after Roy Williams was asked if he thought a “Crazies Cam” was the least bit necessary. “OH GOD NO!! NO!!!!”