Hoopapalooza 2009!

Covering college basketball is one of my life's joys.

While there might be other places in America where the sport holds more meaning and there's a higher level of play -- Kentucky, Indiana, the North Carolina triangle -- I don't think there's any place better than here to cover the sport.

You have programs that are all over the development spectrum: Illinois as a perpetual NCAA team looking to recapture that 2005 glory...DePaul trying to climb out of the depths...Northwestern tearing a hole in the time-space continuum by challenging for its first NCAA berth...various state schools on the upswing...

You have interesting players and coaches all over the map. Unlike pro basketball, where the cast remains the same forever, college players dash onto the stage, stay for a while and then exit stage left. Guys come out of nowhere as 2-star recruits and become pros. Others have been hyped since eighth grade and leave college with a whimper.

The games themselves are as pure as can be -- a packed gym with 10 inspired players on the floor is pretty darn close to heaven -- but the competition to get to the top might be more ruthless and shady than ever. Gotta appreciate that relationship between good and evil.

All of this rambling leads to this point: The NCAA says official practice can start at 5 p.m. today...and we're pointing the Hoopsmobile to as many locales as possible to drink in the fun.

If the wi-fi behaves -- and my daughters behave as they join Dad on his pilgrimage -- we'll have live blogs from Northwestern's 6:30 p.m. practice. And DePaul's 8 p.m. Blue Madness. And Loyola's 10 p.m. festivities.

Also, at great expense to the blog but no cost to you, special guest star Joe Sports Sr. (the real journalist in the family) will chime in with a report or two from Illinois' "Spike the Record" soiree.

If the Illini get at least 14,000 fans into Assembly Hall, they'll set the Div. I record for a volleyball crowd (No. 10 Illinois hosts No. 6 Minnesota). Then the fans get to check out the ballyhooed freshman class. Look for Brandon Paul to dominate the dunk contest, especially if he can con 6-foot-9 freshman Stan Simpson to stand under the basket and accept a facial like he did in an open gym.

So come back early and often tonight to bask in the new season's glow. Mmmm. Smells like bouncing faux-leather and burning twine.

LW