Basketball season is a joyous occasion for me. It’s my favorite sport to watch and the one I know the most about. Once October gets here I start going mental over the thought of Kings season approaching. Despite the fact that they may not be very good this year I am still pretty psyched.

I like college basketball too, though not nearly as much. The only teams I really follow are the Sacramento State Hornets and North Carolina. For the most part I find that regular season college basketball is useless.

Wake me up in March when the field is set and I can completely tune out the world for three weeks while clutching the only paper in the world that matters-my NCAA bracket. I know my boys from Chapel Hill will be there (and this year will win it all) so that’s where I’ll be, waiting for March.

Regular season college basketball is about as entertaining as listening to Shaq talk about the importance of voice inflection. The NBA has got storylines galore on a nightly basis. How will Ben Wallace affect the outcome in the Eastern Conference? Will Amare Stoudemire ever be the same again? How many times will ESPN run a 20-minute story about why Kobe changed his number? How was Adam Morrison not cast in Almost Famous? Isn’t it weird that the front-runner for the ROY has the last name Roy?

Some things I do look forward to in college though. I want to see just how good the Heels are going to be this year. I want to laugh every time I see coach Shushefski’s rat face. I want to see if Tyler Hansbrough looks even more like State Hornet alumnus Jimmy Spencer this year.

Despite not enjoying it on TV nearly as much as the NBA, I still do watch college hoops when a game piques my interest. However, if Dick Vitale is on I look for something to throw at the TV that might somehow injure him. It hasn’t worked yet, but I’ll keep on trying.

So here’s to March, when nothing else in life really matters.

Aaron Boore – NCAA

When it comes to basketball, there is always a question as to what is better to watch NBA or college basketball.

In the NBA, you have some of the best athletes in the world. You’ve got guys like LeBron, ‘Melo, Kobe and Wade. You have the spectacular dunk and the deep three. But, none of those things really matter.

When I’m asked that question, my answer is always that I prefer NCAA basketball. You have young men and women playing for one thing and one thing only, the love of the game. These kids are not out there playing for millions of dollars and shoe deals; they are playing because they have a true passion for the game.

College basketball is the ultimate for any basketball purist like myself. You get to see young people developing their game and playing as a team, unlike the NBA, where one-on-one play seems to be the thing of the future.

The NCAA is the only place where you have a battle between 64 teams to decide a National Champion. It’s the only place where you can have a team like George Mason knock off college basketball powers en route to the final four. The NCAA gives hope to the underdog, anybody can upset anybody else on any given night.

These young athletes don’t care about how many points per game they score or who is the superstar of the team. They care about getting into the big dance come March and cutting down the nets in celebration of a final four, or even better a National Championship.

You don’t have that kind of passion in the NBA. It’s a business for them not a game.

Vinnie Gesuele – HD NBA

When I watch basketball on TV, it’s the NBA. Mainly because most of the games are broadcast in high-definition. College basketball is entertaining, but for some reason CBS chooses not to broadcast all of the important games in stunning HD quality. That reminds me, CBS sucks because they do the same thing on Sundays with the NFL.

Besides the lack of quality resolution, I can’t get behind a team of players who I don’t know or who don’t have criminal records. There’s nothing better than watching a tattooed thug or an abusive drunk drop 30 points on the Clippers.

Sure, there are some great players in college ball, but they don’t make millions of dollars and bitch about it. Besides, how many college players drive a Lexus or a Land Rover and appear on MTV’s Cribs before even making an All-Star team.

The NBA is pure spectacle, with Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson providing some great analysis on TNT, while Bill Walton lays down some of the best color commentary this side Marv Albert. Who can compare to them? Mike Tirico? Ah yes, Dick Vitale.

Vitale is another story. I used to enjoy him, but I could only put up with “Diaper Dandy” for so long. He gets my award for single-handedly ruining college basketball on television. He over-emphasizes mediocre plays and spends too much time building up the coach and player relationship. Who cares? At least Bill Walton will call people out. He is not afraid of calling a player horrible or pointing out his flaws.

This doesn’t mean I don’t like college basketball. I would rather watch the NBA on television. The production quality, star power and overall presentation are much better.

March Madness is the only exception to my rule. This is because I like to bet on the NCAA tournament. I have to make sure I watch when my money is on the line.

So if money’s not on the line, you’ll catch me watching the NBA.