When did college basketball hit its peak for you?

[Jeff Howe]

College basketball might've been my favorite sport when I was a kid.

I remember my brother and I messing with rabbit ears on an old TV to watch the Duke-UNLV semifinal in 1991. I hated Christian Laettner. I loved the Fab Five. The UConn-Georgetown Big East Tournament final in 1996 (Ray Allen vs. Allen Iverson) remains one of the most exciting basketball games I've ever watched at any level.

For me, college basketball peaked during the 2003 season. Texas' run to the Final Four. I've followed it as a fan and media member since then, but I remember more about that tournament and that season than almost every tournament that's been played in the last 20-plus years.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy it, and very few things are better as a sports fan than going to an arena for first and second-round NCAA Tournament games live, even if you don't have a dog in the fight. But T.J. Ford was captaining the ship for Texas to New Orleans, where Carmelo Anthony put an end to the Longhorns' title quest in the Superdome, when college basketball hit its absolute peak with me.

What was that season for you?

The one where your fandom, interest and love for college basketball was a 10 out of 10.

[Jeff Howe]

I wanted to bring this topic to the board because, as someone who is a "One Shining Moment" stan, the 2003 version hit me right in the feels when my YouTube algorithm suggested I watch it:

 

[Jeff Howe]

That Kansas-Syracuse title game also gave us this legendary Roy Williams postgame interview (for those who don't know, he took the North Carolina job about a week after this interview):

 

[ArizonaLonghorn]

13 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

What was that season for you?

The one where your fandom, interest and love for college basketball was a 10 out of 10.

Growing up in the 1960's in the Carolinas as an All-Conference high school basketball player this is an easy one for me.

1974, 1982, 1983, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015 and 2017 were all very special years for me lol.  

[Jordan91]

The game that really got me heavily involved was the NC State Houston game. That was followed by Villanova playing its “perfect game” to win it all. The BMW crew stole my heart and then LMU after Gathers died. Like you it peaked in 2003. The entire week leading up to final four I tried to find articles from every major newspaper in the state so I could keep them. 

[THookem]

Big Mondays in the 80s.   Dave Gavitt was the mastermind of Big East basketball!  

[Here for the Wins]

Unfortunately, my interest has really faded.  The 80s were it though.

The Never Nervous Pervis Ellison championship was pretty cool.

Hated Georgetown so the Villanova win was nice.

Big Syracuse fan with Stevie Thompson and Derrick Coleman.

The Runnin’ Horns were fun.

Certainly the NC State win over Phi Slamma Jamma was memorable.  The Dean Smith over John Thompson in 1982 may have been the start.  

1982-87 must have been it.  

Luke Jackson from Oregon may have been my last must see player.

[stephanie]

I’ve loved bball my whole life. I’ll never forget the Lady Longhorns season ‘85-‘86 with Coach Conradt, Clarissa Davis & Andrea Lloyd. They were 34-0 that season. I got to go to almost every home game that season. 
 

Also remember how fun it was to watch Univ of Houston Phi Slama Jama in ‘83 with Clyde Drexler & Hakeem Olajuwon. Listened to their national championship game that year on the radio. Even though I’ve been a Longhorn fan since 5y/o, I remember feeling crushed when NC State ended up beating Houston in that Natl Championship game. 
🤘🤘🤘

[Alex Butler]

2 hours ago, Jeff Howe said:

I wanted to bring this topic to the board because, as someone who is a "One Shining Moment" stan, the 2003 version hit me right in the feels when my YouTube algorithm suggested I watch it:

 

This!! I’m with you 100% 2003 and TJ owning everyone and Royal Ivey locking fools down is it for me. Loved the fab 5 and am still heart broken over the Webber timeout. 

[LILP]

Late 80s into all of the 90s. That goes for the NBA as well. 😉

[Califashorn75]

The John Wooden years were the best. I am old. I met him in Las Vegas and actually sat with him while he waited for his ride. Forever gracious. His ride was Dale Brown of LSU who coached Shaq. That was a great afternoon. 

[Jordan91]

4 hours ago, Alex Butler said:

This!! I’m with you 100% 2003 and TJ owning everyone and Royal Ivey locking fools down is it for me. Loved the fab 5 and am still heart broken over the Webber timeout. 

I was on the same Junior High team as Ray Jackson. Everybody knew they were out of time outs. 

[whereiend]

I'm not sure to be honest but it's been over 10 years since I regularly watched college basketball games that don't include UT. Truly don't care about the sport as a general fan, though I have season tickets for the horns. Still glued to the TV all day on Saturdays during football season.

For a long time the college basketball product was just awful. I think it's actually gotten better in the portal era, but UT has only been good for one year of that and that has stymied my interest.

 

Edited 2 hours ago by whereiend

[Paul Jespersen]

I grew up on Phi Slamma Jamma over their ~3 year run, attended, watched, listened to pretty much every game those years, even catching some Fonde games, and was pretty captivated by college ball in general for about a 5 year widow there when the UNC's and Georgetowns and Louisvilles.

Tapered off for me after that, and then pretty much died in terms of avidly tracking the sport as a whole once we started getting into the 1 and done and teams stopped having persisting identities... hoping that's not what we end up with in football now, but its trending that way to point I barely follow it during the season anymore other than supporting Texas no matter what and will follow the occasional supernova players, but the sport as a whole I just don't have time for. 

I also used to play, but post achilles, just lost the passion (and ability) so that didn't help either.

🤘

[Thorn007]

Phi slamma jamma