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Message: [QUOTE="Plebe, post: 2489642, member: 6927"] I'm going to actually refer to (gasp) men's college basketball for a moment. College basketball at its best (both men's and women's) is a celebration of sport and spirit. What makes it more compelling to me than professional basketball is how most of the players are driven by their pure love of the game and take joy in the team experience, without the jading effect of contracts and salaries. I know it's fashionable on this board to find fault with the men's game, but here are three men's teams that currently embody why I love the sport: [LIST=1] [*][B]Arizona State.[/B] In Bobby Hurley's 3rd year at ASU—and after two struggle-filled years—ASU has come out of nowhere and burst onto the national scene with huge wins over Xavier and Kansas, and they're one of only three remaining undefeated teams. ASU plays with an explosive energy, passion, and selflessness that are a reflection of how Hurley always played the game. ASU is led by a trio of senior guards plus one energizer-bunny freshman guard named Remy Martin, who comes off the bench and who reminds me very much of Moriah Jefferson for the gusto with which he plays pesky ball-hounding defense. He is a water bug. This ASU team reminds me of why I love college basketball. [URL='https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/arizona-state-makes-its-case-for-being-the-best-team-in-college-basketball/']Arizona State makes its case for being the best team in college basketball[/URL] [*][B]Oklahoma.[/B] Or should I say, [B]Trae Young[/B]. He is just a freshman, but he is leading the nation in both scoring and assists. Let that sink in for a moment. What he has done so far is mindblowing, and no one even saw it coming. He didn't have the preseason buzz of Marvin Bagley (Duke) or DeAndre Ayton (Arizona). A local product from Norman, Young has talked about how much joy he gets from making his teammates happy. How often do we get to hear that from a freshman in December? In his last game he posted an NCAA-record 22 assists. His court vision and shooting range have drawn apt comparisons to Steph Curry: [URL='https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2017/12/22/16813194/trae-young-stephen-curry-oklahoma-nba-draft-comparison']Trae Young made basketball look effortless again[/URL] [*][B]Villanova.[/B] Nothing new here, but this is a team that just gets it. They play for each other and they have complete buy-in from the top of their roster to the end of the bench. And coach Jay Wright is sustaining an elite level of excellence without the one-and-done superstars of other elite programs. [URL='https://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2017/12/6/16740858/villanova-basketball-mikal-bridges-omari-spellman-jay-wright-national-champions']Why does the college basketball world love to sleep on Villanova?[/URL] [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

Verification: First name of men's bb coach