So women's hoops can pack The Pit and bring home conference championships.
There's still nothing like the men's game.
Men's college basketball is still men's college basketball. Quick question: What's the most exciting national sporting event every single year?
It ain't the Super Bowl or the World Series and forget about the NBA playoffs. There is no better time to be a sports fan than during March Madness. Men's college basketball is an exciting, big-money sport that the women's game just doesn't compare to. What average fan, other than Riley and his poodle Princess, gets excited for the women's March Madness? The games aren't even broadcast on network television - even the championship is played on ESPN.
What would a basketball fan rather see, Lindsey Arndt spinning on her defender, working to get off an easy hook or floater, or David Chiotti power dribbling before throwing it down on a guy with both hands? Mandi Moore crossing over a defender and driving to the rim, or Danny Granger pulling the same move?
One of the best parts of watching basketball is the players' athleticism, and the women just don't have it like the men. Alfred Neale's spring-loaded rocket legs make him a blast to watch. How often are the women's opponents worried about getting dunked on?
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
And while the men's team hasn't been the smashing success it was in the late '90s, there's still a ton to be excited about this year. Granger is an All-America candidate, and according to some mock drafts already up on the Web, a future first-round draft pick. Rick Majerus said last season Granger is the best player he's ever seen at New Mexico.
Chiotti gives us a legit big man a lot of schools would be jealous of. He plays with coolness and control even when he's slamming the fudge out of an opposing post player.
Mark Walters has been undeniably solid through the season's first four games.
Neale coming off the bench has worked brilliantly.
Kris Collins's driving ability gives the Lobos an option they lacked last year.
Even back-of-the-bench guys like Jeff Hart and Kellen Walter have shown signs they can make solid contributions this year.
Forget the road losing streak, this team will end that shortly anyway. The men are still a force when they play in The Pit - last year they went 14-4 at home.
With scant ticket sales and crowds that resemble a receding hairline, the Lobo men seem to be in a slump in the program's progress. The third season for head coach Ritchie McKay's is when it all gets turned around. Expect the old-school excitement for the men's team to pick up once they start winning.
The old people and little kids that fill the seats for the women's games just can't get as loud as a raucous student section and a bunch of blue-blooded basketball fans.
