20 weeks until Selection Sunday

Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself to see what the field will be for the 2012 NCAA College Basketball Tournament, but if anything, it means that college basketball is finally upon us. Midnight Madness has come and gone, exhibitions and scrimmages are underway, and Duke is in the Maui Invitational, FINALLY. Unfortunately, UNC starts the season atop the polls, but come on...they suck. Nah, just kidding. Despite having an eternal contempt for the Tar Heels, I have no shame in admitting that they're good - especially Harrison Barnes. He's fallen into the same category many people placed J.J. Redick in, which is "You're good, so I hate you." Except, you know, people like UNC and not Duke.

This isn't about UNC and Duke though (as much as it could be). This is about college basketball itself. There's a new concept this year, called State of the Game, which is a top-to-bottom examination of the college game and all 300-odd teams in Division I. As well as the game itself. College basketball is loaded with talent every year, but unfortunately, this talent leaves the game after one season to go to the NBA. Maybe the lockout will help things this year, but all hope is lost for those in the 2011 draft class (see: Irving, Kyrie. Shoulda stayed at Duke my man...) who were hoping to play in 82 games with an NBA team this year. And personally, I think they should extend the amount of time players stay in college - sure, there's the occasional amazing talent like Irving, John Wall, LeBron, Kobe, or Dwight Howard who leaves at the earliest date possible, or the Brandon Jennings, who goes and plays professionally internationally instead of going to college, but just imagine if they had four years at school. To be under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coaches like Boeheim, Calhoun, Krzyzewski, Williams, is something that you don't see in the NBA. The longest tenured coach in the pros was Jerry Sloan before he retired this season, who was with the Jazz for 23 seasons. Three of those four college coaches have been with their team for longer than that (the one exception being Williams, who joined UNC in 2003.) The college game offers so much for players, yet so many seem to refuse it for more than one year.

But no matter what happens, college basketball is college basketball, which means it remains the greatest thing on TV. Yes, even better than House. Here are a few marquee Duke games I have my eye on this year:

• March 3rd - UNC @ Duke. Let's be real here, I have to give the first nod to senior night. In what could be a game to decide the regular season ACC Championship, this is any Duke fan's first game to circle on the calendar.
• January 25th - Duke @ Maryland. I always love the Duke/Maryland game in College Park...there's something about Maryland fans at Duke games that I just can't help but laugh at.
• November 15th - Michigan St. vs. Duke. As part of the Champions Classic, Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Kansas will face each other over the next 3 years. Thank you, college basketball gods.