I know a few posters have attended Big 10 schools and even more enjoy college sports, so I thought this might be a good place to ask - How do I learn enough about the Big 10 Men’s Basketball to get interested in following the stats & really the season? I have a Purdue alum in the house who really enjoys all of the ins & outs of the basketball season. I’ve tried to learn in past but there isn’t an easy way to start - it all assumes you already know so much that I just feel dumb and confused.
Men’s basketball is playing tonight in Hawaii and H was so excited to tell me all about the schedules and teams and ranking and predictions. It reminded me that, yet again this season, I struggle to even know or care about the basics.
I like learning new things, why not learn about the Big 10, right? How do I start?
You're good. My H works in pro basketball and after nearly 17 years together, he still may as well be speaking a foreign language as far as my comprehension is concerned. I'm also a Big 10 alum.
I can't speak to Big 10 specifically, but I am a big college basketball fan, primarily women's basketball. Pick a team, start following them, follow some story lines with them, specific players, get involved in the more "human interest" part if the other stuff doesn't hold your interest as much. I follow all of my team's players on Instagram, as well as the team and the coach. Don't get bogged down in stats, keep it fun. Learn some players and coaches names and try to follow them. Just have fun with it.
I love college basketball but I wasn't super interested in it at first. I went to the University of Kansas which is a huge basketball school. I didn't have cable so the games were kinda the only thing on. I didn't know a ton about the rules that the time. But by watching I slowly learned the rules and now I'm a junkie. My daughter plays now and together we have become women't college fans. You might enjoy watching the girls. The game tends to be a little more fundamental and you could pick up on the rules/plays a little easier. As prior poster said, following some of your favorite teams on twitter/instagram is also fun.
Post by rootbeerfloat on Nov 20, 2023 13:13:42 GMT -5
Definitely follow their social media. Go to ESPN and favorite Purdue men's basketball, and it will filter content for you about the team; there's also lots of college basketball articles that might be helpful. And you will learn by watching and listening to the commentators.
If you want to know more about the game itself, there’s a basics of basketball podcast on The Lazy Genius, episode 302. That’s a quick and entertaining intro.
As far as specific teams, follow their social media accounts and look for the more human interest side than stats, unless you’re really wanting to know stats. College & professional sports these days are kind of like soap operas with all of their drama.
Look for their rivalries and what kind of trophies are available for each. Know which games are “big games” and which ones are there to pad schedules.
Post by slbride2003 on Nov 20, 2023 14:24:23 GMT -5
The Maui invitational is a great tournament. I prefer Big East to Big10, but we went to Maui one year for Thanksgiving and watching good college basketball in a high school gym was awesome. I agree with everyone who said to just watch, and following the teams on social media will help.
Post by donutsmakemegonuts on Nov 20, 2023 16:27:01 GMT -5
I am a MD basketball fan, even though they appear to be sucking this year so far. DH is UMD alumni and I wanted to go there at one point, and we live in MD where everyone practically bleeds MD colors so it was inevitable. I loosely follow the team, but it definitely gets easier if you watch their games. We are planning on going to a UMD game in January because DH believes/wishes he is still in college lol. I don't know much about any of the other Big 10 teams.
I am a Big Ten alum and I'm also the daughter of a basketball coach, but even so the strategies of offense and defense and fouls elude me. Fortunately, I think basketball is fairly self-explanatory compared to football and baseball.
If I were you, I would wait until the March Madness playoffs and binge watch the first week. Some games will be blowouts but some will be really exciting. I'm not saying you won't still be lost, but it will at least be a kind of fun thing to watch with your H, rooting for the Big 10 teams.
Thank you very much. I started reading-up on the team - Purdue did great last year, haha. And will look into players, too. I will look into ESPN this weekend. I watched the game tonight, too (mostly). And they won in Hawaii. All good starts.
Post by followyourarrow on Nov 21, 2023 9:04:35 GMT -5
I grew up in Kansas and worked for KU for 5 years. My office was around the corner from the field house so I saw the players a lot. I love college basketball. Now I'm in Louisiana where football reigns.
I'd pick a team and follow them on social media. Follow the mascot! Most mascots have their own social media accounts. I love following Big Jay or Mike the Tiger.