marchmadness 2005

The AI in the game feels appropriate in NCAA March Madness 2005. In college hoops you're not dealing with as much talent like you get with an NBA team, but you're getting players who are more dedicated to executing a coach's wishes. College coaches on the other hand only want what they can realistically get out of their players. As a result the AI in MM makes it so big men can't shoot outside and little guys are not going to be dunking on anybody. You have to work the ball around on offense and switching back and forth between zone and man defense will force the opposition's hand. Now of course when you start talking about the powerhouse teams with superstar players, these basic premises go out the window. A player like Rashad McCants can pretty much do whatever you need him to do in any situation. Get in a tournament and Syracuse will always keep it close through sheer force of will. But for the other 100+ D-1 teams, success will come from keeping it simple and executing. Just like in real life.
Creating open shots is the challenge on offense, forcing bad shots is the challenge on offense. But you can feel the difference in how college players behave compared to pros. Pump fakes are more likely to get a skittish freshman up in the air so you can dribble drive and create a play. In the NBA, this rarely happens…..at least not on playoff caliber teams. Blocked shots play a bigger role in college basketball and it's rare you'll see a player averaging anything close to double digit assists. This is because height is still a big advantage at the college level and there's a lot more hands touching the ball when you're on offense. These two concepts are executed beautifully in March Madness 2005. Again this applies to the vast majority of the teams. When you've got Kentucky and UConn going at it, it comes down to your skill on the sticks not just the built-in swagger of the powerhouse teams.
The Dynasty Mode lets you negotiate the tough terrain of recruiting and maintaining a respectable basketball program. Through your PDA you'll get messages from your athletic director hounding you to stay on the recruiting trail throughout the season, your scouting staff notifying you of potential recruits and, if you get into trouble, the NCAA will let you know they've got their eyes on you. In a move that we want to see implemented into every sports game, you can actually use underhanded tactics to land talented troublemaker players. Sliding some tickets to boosters and getting help from family friends to help in the acquisition of blue chip talent is a decision you'll have to make. Coping with that wild card player once he's on campus is another headache you'll have to deal with. Unlike NCAA College Football, March Madness is much stricter with its discipline system. You can't suspend a wayward player for a half of basketball for instance. You have to spend your discipline points to suspend for games at a time and the NCAA's interest in the cleanliness of your program may not budge if you don't do something drastic. Should the NCAA become dissatisfied with how you're running things, they'll start taking away your televised games and scholarships to show you they mean business. We never encountered the "Death Penalty" where you lose scholarships, TV games, tournament eligibility and the whole enchilada but then again that's become fairly rare in real life.