Having lived in the southeast I'm always amused by the time of year when the college football season has officially ended and college basketball takes center stage along with the NBA and the NFL Playoffs.

What makes college basketball such a farce in the area is that people, especially within this state, think that Alabama or Auburn could have a team that would be on pace with the perennial basketball powers like Duke, North Carolina and Kansas.

Dream on Tide and Tiger fans.

You only need to look at last Wednesday's so-called game between the rivals at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn.

It was just a few years ago that Alabama and Auburn played for a chance to qualify for the Final Four. Now, after Wednesday's game, those years of prosperity were proven to be just a fluke.

Now the Tide and Tigers are back where they belong as also-rans to the king of the SEC, Kentucky.

Sure the Wildcats seem to be on tough times after dropping its first game in almost 30 years to Vanderbilt at the house that Adolph Rupp built, but it I'm sure most Wildcat fans will give Vandy a win once every 30 years in Rupp Arena.

So now that Alabama and Auburn's football programs seem to be on the upswing after this past season, college basketball is now back to where it belongs in the southeast - buried inside your daily sports section.

And for you football enthusiasts, you are back in hog heaven now that football has reached its second season - recruiting.

For the past two weeks that has been the hottest topic among sports talk radio gurus across the southeast. And basketball is just an afterthought.

It's amazing to me that anyone has interest in college basketball in the southeast. It's always been deemed a Yankee sport anyway.

So for those of you who think you may be an avid college basketball fan and cheer for Auburn or Alabama, you may want to rethink your allegiance.

Unless you are a transplanted Yankee or a true sports nut, you are just wasting your time trying to keep up with college basketball.

When it comes to college athletics in Alabama, the only season that matters right now is the recruiting season.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor for The Greenville Advocate. Call him at (334) 382-3111 ext. 122 or e-mail kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com.