Get Schooled

Traditionally targeted to a smaller audience, college basketball games are usually the poor siblings of their NBA hoops counterparts.

With NCAA March Madness 2001, EA hopes to change all that. EA's newest installment of their NCAA franchise is chock full of features that rival its NBA counterpart, NBA Live 2001.

NCAA fans will find just about everything they can hope for in a video game version of the sport. There's a Dynasty mode, the Women's Sweet 16, the March Madness Tournament, and even a Dream Tournament with over 60 classic teams-including the '91 and '92 Duke squads.

Duke fans will also rejoice at the addition of the so-called "Coach K's Coach Mode" that lets you turn a small school to a Division I contender. It's a good option for those hoping to add some replay value to the game, since it gives you something to aim for after leading your regular team to the top.

While March Madness 2001 has impressive features, its gameplay and graphics are another story. Granted, it's for the original PlayStation rather than the snazzier PS2 or Dreamcast, but even given that limitation, its animation is choppy, and graphics are average at best.

Worse, the lackluster gameplay doesn't make up for this game's graphical letdowns. Other problems include the AI, which can be seriously flawed at times, and the fact that it's way too easy to swat away shots, even when you try to adjust the settings.

Until EA decides to port NCAA March Madness 2001 to the PS2, this is probably the best college hoops game we're going to see. And while NCAA March Madness 2001 is a step in the right direction, there's a lot of room for improvement.