Is NCAA D1 College Men’s Basketball More Physical Then the NBA Today??

After watching most of the 67 NCAA Tournament Games, many NIT and then watching a few NBA games there is a question I have about which is more physical NCAA or the NBA?

The NBA has made an honest effort to clean up the hand checking and the rough physical play in the post.

College ball especially at the top level of D1 is more physical in my opinion then the NBA is now. The NBA game is smoother and there are fewer whistes, less turnovers, better basketball decisions are made and the game is not as physical as the players have adjusted to the changes in the rules of how much contact is going to be allowed.

The NBA hierarchy was smart enough to know that fans did not want to see wrestling matches in a basketball game and that was why they had the officials tighten up on handchecking the player with the ball and the rough play in the post area.

Also, because the Pros play 80 games compared to 40 for most top college teams that get to the elite eight and the Pros can concentrate on basketball with no other distractions (such as attending classes and getting their grade averages up to be eligible)
makes it a much more easier task of playing basketball.

Also, when the NBA teams get to their playoffs it is not the pressure of one and done. Playing the best of a 4 of 7 series in the NBA allows for more coaching adjustments and the only time it is really one and done for either team is when they are playing a game 7 in the early rounds.

I use to think the NBA stood for Not Basketball Anymore, but now I am reconsidering that college ball at the higher levels is more physical then the NBA today.

Maybe NCAA should stand for “Not Calling All Arm-Wrestling” in the post area or “Not Calling All Assaults”.