Indiana [LOTS OF POINTS], Houston Baptist [SIGNIFICANTLY LESS]: Three things we learned from a basketball game

Today, Indiana played a basketball game and won by a lot of points. Indiana got off to a slow start, but it was all over when [RUN AT INDISCRIMINATE POINT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIRST HALF]. [PLAYER A] led the way with [X NUMBER] of points. Indiana advanced to [X-1], while [SUB-250 KENPOM TEAM] fell to [BAD RECORD].

Here’s three things we learned.

OG Anunoby dressed!

Didn’t play, tho. That was the beginning and end of interesting things that happened today!

Indiana is better than Dallas Christian and Ecclesia College, probably by a significant amount!

Both of these schools are in the NCCAA. (Yes, there’s an extra C in there. Yes, on purpose.) That’s, for all intents and purposes, a loosely-sanctioned collegiate sports association that plays several tiers of organization and quality lower than D-3 or NAIA.

They also account for 66% of Houston Baptist’s wins.

This is the team that replaced Kentucky on the schedule.

I hate writing these so much.

It’s really nice that Indiana has a very good basketball team, coached by a good basketball coach, that should do good things this season. Etc, etc, etc. Whatever. But I’m just as exhausted with writing this shit as you are watching it. Indiana will play eight of the worst 100 teams in college basketball by the time Christmas rolled — most in the lower half of that tier.

Tom Crean is a good basketball coach. This is a good basketball team. But, my god, we’re living in the Marianas Trench of College Basketball here. These are games that should not see the light of day, and don’t let yourself be shamed by anyone for not attending, not watching, or not caring.

College basketball chose long ago that true competitive non-conference home games — that are better for players, fans, and students — didn’t matter. The sport’s being sucked into the same big-money TV pit that college football went down, and local fans are left with this dystopian remnant. Don’t pay for this. Don’t go to these.

It, of course, stretches beyond Indiana. The NCAA can incentivize quality home-schedules in the non-conference. But, of course, that would jeopardize the big money neutral site showcase games. That would jeopardize the business of college athletics.

The business that really doesn’t give much of a shit about its own employees — or those that consume their work product.