What happened to the good old days of Bedlam basketball?

[OUHoops]

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[Krugerfan52]

The Thunder happened. I dont know how many people I have talked to, OSU and OU fans alike that are going to the Thunder game tonight instead of Bedlam.

I'll be at the LNC with 4,000 of my friends.

 

[oSuJeff97]

The Thunder happened. I dont know how many people I have talked to, OSU and OU fans alike that are going to the Thunder game tonight instead of Bedlam.

I don't buy that.

If OU was something like 23-5 and OSU was 22-6 and they were fighting for 2nd in the Big 12 (instead of 13-13 and 13-4 and at the middle-bottom of the conference) the game tonight would be close to, if not sold out.

The crappy attendance at both places is mostly about crappy teams.

 

[DenverSooner]

I think it is both. The Thunder have to have some impact. If just 20% of OU and OSU are also NBA fans and prefer the NBA, then both schools lose 20% of their fans to the preferred NBA level of basketball.

I do agree if the two teams were fighting for first place in the conference the stadium would be more crowded.

 

[StatGeek]

I think it is both. The Thunder have to have some impact. If just 20% of OU and OSU are also NBA fans and prefer the NBA, then both schools lose 20% of their fans to the preferred NBA level of basketball.

I do agree if the two teams were fighting for first place in the conference the stadium would be more crowded.

I think the biggest impact the NBA has had on college attendance is the one and done rule. Because of this policy college basketball lacks star power and everyone knows that the stars that do emerge during the course of the season will be gone before the next season starts.

The policy needs to change for the betterment of both levels. I think the MLB policy would work great with college basketball. The MLB policy allows kids to be drafted straight out of High School, but if they sign with a college, they must wait at least 3 years before they become draft eligible again.

 

[PasoPoke]

I think the biggest impact the NBA has had on college attendance is the one and done rule. Because of this policy college basketball lacks star power and everyone knows that the stars that do emerge during the course of the season will be gone before the next season starts.

The policy needs to change for the betterment of both levels. I think the MLB policy would work great with college basketball. The MLB policy allows kids to be drafted straight out of High School, but if they sign with a college, they must wait at least 3 years before they become draft eligible again.

I think you are 100% right on.

 

[sooner333]

I don't think the one-and-done rule has not been what has hurt the popularity of college basketball--at least they way you bring it up. At least not in Oklahoma. OU has had two one-and-done guys recently--Tommy Mason-Griffin and Tiny Gallon. Both left for reasons other than talent and I don't think their leaving led to the demise of OU hoops.

What it has done is help the most traditional basketball powers who have been able to attract the superstars and replace them with superstars. It has hurt the not-as-traditional high-major programs who either get one star and can't replace them and settles for a lower level of talent than they would have had if they weren't chasing the top. These teams have to play the haves on a regular basis.

It also helps the mid-majors who haven't altered their recruiting strategy and continue to focus on four-year guys.

But, the effect is basically that 10-15 guys who would have gone to college zero years go for one. 10-15 guys a year aren't what's hurting college basketball. For OU it's the winning percentage combined with the Thunder--when option 1 is not as fun to watch, there is an option 2 that wasn't there in the past.

 

[campbest]

Crappy basketball is what has happened.

 

[oSuJeff97]

I think it is both. The Thunder have to have some impact. If just 20% of OU and OSU are also NBA fans and prefer the NBA, then both schools lose 20% of their fans to the preferred NBA level of basketball.

I do agree if the two teams were fighting for first place in the conference the stadium would be more crowded.

I don't doubt that the Thunder has had some effect on attendance at both OSU and OU.

I was more addressing this specific game. Krugerfan talked about people specifically choosing the Thunder game over this game.

My point is that's an easy choice right now. What would you rather watch? One of the two best teams in the NBA taking care of business, or two middle-bottom-tier Big 12 teams flailing around the court for 40 minutes? That's an easy answer.

If OSU and OU were more like our teams in the early-to-mid 2000s... ranked in the top 25, fighting for top position in the Big 12, etc., then I think the answer might be very different.

 

[MsProudSooner]

I don't doubt that the Thunder has had some effect on attendance at both OSU and OU.

I was more addressing this specific game. Krugerfan talked about people specifically choosing the Thunder game over this game.

My point is that's an easy choice right now. What would you rather watch? One of the two best teams in the NBA taking care of business, or two middle-bottom-tier Big 12 teams flailing around the court for 40 minutes? That's an easy answer.

If OSU and OU were more like our teams in the early-to-mid 2000s... ranked in the top 25, fighting for top position in the Big 12, etc., then I think the answer might be very different.

I agree w/ Jeff. The One and Done rule has hurt college basketball as a whole, but the poor performance of the teams has had the biggest impact on Bedlam. Were both of these teams competing for conference championships, the atmosphere would be what we are all used to. Yes, there might be some who would choose a Thunder game over an classic OU/OSU Bedlam game, but not an overwhelming number.

 

[quick release]

I guess i'm confused as to why the one and done rule makes college basketball have less star power. These one and done guys would have never stepped onto college campuses under the previous rules. Guys like Mike Beasley, John Wall, Kevin Durant, etc. would have jumped straight to the league and not attended college if the option was available. Tell me those guys didn't provide star power.

 

[StatGeek]

I guess i'm confused as to why the one and done rule makes college basketball have less star power. These one and done guys would have never stepped onto college campuses under the previous rules. Guys like Mike Beasley, John Wall, Kevin Durant, etc. would have jumped straight to the league and not attended college if the option was available. Tell me those guys didn't provide star power.

Simple, what college basketball stars are looking forward to watching next season? You don't know yet because you have know idea what players will be around next year. So every year fans have to find new players to be emotionally invested in, and the reality is that only the die-hard fans do this. Everyone else just looks at the schedule and says Villanova @ Providence; I don't know anyone who plays for those teams this season, I think I will a NBA game instead, they have players I have heard of before. This is why TV ratings & attendance are down.

 

[OUFtball]

A while back I posted a story about Duke having trouble filling their 9,000 seat stadium...Just watching college basketball on ESPN..There are a lot of arenas with empty seats.....

 

[ousooners1baby]

pfffttt!