With the NBA Lockout showing no signs of slowing down, many fans are jumping on the college basketball bandwagon earlier than normal. In fact, some of these people have joined the crowd that has continuously been proclaiming Division I basketball better than professional basketball (a few of those people even find Dick Vitale to be tolerable, but that’s another argument for another day).

So with that said, I wanted to present to you five reasons why the college game cannot touch the NBA:

1) The athletic ability of the players. The quality of play is infinitely higher in the NBA, and athleticism is a key factor to that. The alley-oops and blocked shots that take place in these games are not possible anywhere else.

2) Exclusivity. While not everyone can play Division I college basketball, only a select few can find a roster spot on an NBA team. This guarantees that the best players step onto the court night in and night out.

3) Rewards players who work their hearts out. This definitely ties into the last point, but the NBA is a place where people with less talent can succeed and make a name for themselves. It creates inspiring stories about dedication and perseverance. For all those who think the NBA is about flashy scorers, men like Dennis Rodman continue to cement their place in the pro basketball Hall of Fame for their success in the league in different roles.

4) Defense wins championships. People like to constantly criticize the league for being too free-flowing and un-coachable. But the NBA has a much greater reliance on sound team defensive strategy than the NCAA tournament. When you play the same team four-seven times in order to advance to the next round, you need to come into each game with a gameplan. The March tournament, particularly in the first few rounds, has an emphasis on three-point shooting and the unpredictability it causes, and less emphasis on defense, creating matches which were ultimately decided by luck and whim. And as teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons, and Boston Celtics have shown within the past decade, teams with commitment to the defensive side of the court have a lot of success, regardless of what people say.

5) Playoffs create more intensity through their build-up. At the end of the day, the Division I tournament is exciting due to its unpredictability, Cinderella stories, and America’s fascination for betting and brackets. But when two teams battle it out in the context of a seven game series, tempers flair, important individual match-ups get the spotlight they deserve, and coaches are forced to actually adjust their game plans with a short amount of time to prepare. And there are definitely runs by underdog teams in the NBA Playoffs... Just ask the Memphis Grizzlies and even this year’s champions, the Dallas Mavericks.