What’s the Effect of the NBA Lockout on College Basketball?

The NBA lockout continues to dominate the basketball world, which seems to beg the question: will college basketball benefit from all of this?

You would have to think that it would, and that’s a topic that CBSSports.com’s Matt Norlander covered in a recent article about what the lack of an NBA season means for the 2011-2012 college hoops season.

It really is a fine read and drives home the fact that this could be a very big year for the college game.

I’ve always preferred the college game to the pro game, just because of certain things that atmosphere and the phenomenon that is the NCAA Tournament? But will this lockout cause more hardcore NBA fans to seek out roundball in the form of a great college game? It’s quite possible.

Most basketball fans likely follow college basketball to some degree anyways, but this season is different. A large population will have the decision to turn to college hoops as their basketball fix, while others might be more interested in seeking out overseas game where NBA stars are playing.

It will be interesting to see the numbers in terms of how big time college games are faring in television ratings early in the season.

There will likely be an increase, but the big question is how much of an increase will it be?

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