I agree with all of your points, well said.

My hope is that the "newness" of this ability to transfer will lead to higher numbers than we see in the future. I think we will start to see some combination of a) transfers heading to other pastures that turn out not to be greener, and b) coaches being more selective about transfers so as not to upset their team chemistry. I think b is important, as before transfers had to earn their stripes with the team by sitting a year out. Now, there are more likely to be hard feelings from players who have been paying their dues. After a while, I think coaches will realize that sometimes that will be a net negative.

Like you, I do not begrudge the players in the least and I hope this hits some sort of equilibrium.

I watched a total of 2 men's games this season.

One was ND vs Kentucky and I forget who the second game was.

I watched zero women's games.

It was barely watchable before all the mass transfers. Mass transfers have killed the game of Basketball. Football is next.

Maybe I'm just getting old, but I do not think I'm alone in my opinion.

Wonder how the ratings have been compared to other years?

At least for random games that ND is not participating in, but maybe that's just because I need something to scratch that itch that ND hoops isn't providing. As pointed out elsewhere in this thread, that Gonzaga-UCLA game was a classic thriller filled with excellent basketball.

I do find the NBA very uncompelling; I think there's entirely too many regular season games and too many teams in the league's playoffs too. It's not a good product until the semi-finals where you see players giving maximum effort all game long.

it's what I've acknowledged is a subjective view (although I hardly think I'm alone in this) that watching games involving teams that are almost randomly determined is quite unsatisfying.

At the core, I root for teams, not players. Of course, that's oversimplification in a certain sense, as I certainly have had favorite players on teams for which I root, as well as on other teams.

But the heart of my 50-plus years of being a sports fan is rooting for my favorite teams to win, and to win championships. As I said originally, college basketball is rapidly moving toward being indistinguishable from choosing sides for games at the YMCA.

To reiterate, I don't mean to comment on the caliber of play and I don't begrudge players the right to play where they choose and to move as often as they like.

But as a fan, I have no obligation to care or watch, and the increasingly transient nature of teams is rapidly eroding my interest level.

I don’t know what that really means. The Gonzaga-UCLA game was one of the best games people have ever seen. The show that Baylor put on in their last two games was just great basketball. IMO, this was one of the better tournaments in a while, and, while there were several significant players who were transfers, you wouldn’t have known that until the announcers pointed it out. College teams are transient by nature, and most fans don’t know who plays for whom outside of their team and maybe some conference rivals. The quality of the players and coaching is as good or better than ever.

Just to get the halftime score for my box. Went to bed and got the
final score for my box in the morning.