I agree with what you said about the NFL/SB but lets ignore that for a minute and just compare CFB/CBB:
The differences are ingrained and, I guess, "baked in" to our viewing of the sport. I don't think that fans "hate" great CBB programs as much as they "hate" great CFB programs simply because they aren't conditioned by YEARS and DECADES of rooting against the top teams where it mattered and this is true regardless if you are a fan of a major helmet program like me or a fan of a team that hasn't been seriously in the NC conversation in years.
If Purdue and Ohio State were NC contenders in CBB this year neither your team nor mine would "need" UNC/Kansas/Kentucky/Dook et al to lose. It wouldn't matter if they all went undefeated (I know they can't ALL go undefeated but that isn't the point). So what. No matter how good those blue-bloods are, each of our teams can still get into the postseason tournament. In fact, both of our teams can still get in the postseason tournament.
In CFB it is (and certainly was) different. If Purdue and Ohio State were NC contenders in CFB this year there are only four spots. Our teams can't get in unless they are in the top-4. If our teams have to play each other (which, with the CG they necessarily would if both were NC contenders) then in order for both to get in we NEED Bama/Clemson/Oklahoma/USC to lose a game or two. This was even more of an issue prior to 2014 when only two teams made the playoff and a bigger still issue prior to 1998 when there was no playoff. For decades we have been conditioned to ALWAYS root against the top teams because we needed them to get cleared out to make room for our team to win the final poll (then make the final top-2, now make the final top-4).
That's true. But with a 31-game season + conference tourney and undefeated UNC/Duke are playing each other on a random Wednesday night in late February, am I going to tune in to that game even if I'm rooting for both teams to lose?
I get that individual games are more important for the MNC/BCS/CFP. And for the 6-7 teams each year in the sport that have realistic aspirations of being there, I can see why they might root against other helmets. I've never been in that position, but I suppose it's nice on that perch.
As a fan of a program that will never sniff the CFP in its current form, I also get that individual games are ALSO more important for conference standings and bowl placement even if you're not in the CFP. That's what you get when you only have 12 games.
I think that most of us when we have a CBB team that is REALLY good, we absolutely ARE sweating out our own wins/losses and opposing top teams' wins/losses though. Tournament seeding is HUGE for your chances to get into both the FF and win the championship. The difference between a 1 seed and a 2 seed is pretty significant. If you're a 2-seed, you're facing a 1-seed in the EE almost 70% of the time. If you're a 1-seed, you're only facing a 2-seed in the EE 47% of the time.
If you're a 2-seed, you're facing a 1-seed in the EE almost 70% of the time. If you're a 1-seed, you're only facing a 2-seed in the EE 47% of the time. I've seen arguments on H&R where fans are hoping that Purdue (in a middling year) are hoping that Purdue slips from a 5 to a 6 seed simply to avoid the 1-seed in the S16--they'd rather face a 3-seed in the R32 and a 2-seed in the S16 and hope that someone else has broken that 1-seed in the bracket before the EE.
Hardcore CBB fans are looking at resumes and seed lines and what's going on in the rest of the sport all through late Feb and early Mar when everything is firming up. Because those games in Feb and Mar matter when it comes to how far you might advance in the tourney, which is dependent on your seed line.