[a] The game is similar to the basketball sport and is played in a self-rotating 3D court and is divided into three main modes: Tournament, 2-on-2, and Single.

[7] The game was directed by Richard Seaborne; produced by Mitzi McGilvary and Bill Hindorff; designed by Jose Erazo, Doug Gray, and Jules Marino; programmed by Michael Alexander, Seaborne, and Charles Tolman, and composed by Earl Vickers and Doug Brandon.

[8] The game was developed solely through the Sega Genesis software; however, it still managed to achieve scaling and rotation.

[11] The game's self-rotating 3D court was a key marketing point for Dick Vitale's "Awesome, Baby!"

[10][6] In an advert on an issue of GamePro, Vitale stated that he was "proud" to have his likeness in the game due to it being very similar to actual college basketball.

College Hoops later released in late 1994, which is indicated by the timeframe of when it was actively covered in video game magazines.

College Hoops was generally received positively by critics; the game's graphics and self-rotating court was described as "colorful, high-res, and smooth".

[2] Aaron Thomas of VentureBeat was critical towards the game's box art, ironically stating that it is "quite possible [that Time Warner Interactive] used scissors and tape" to make it.

[13] In 2011, Game Informer's Jeff Marchiafava listed Dick Vitale's "Awesome, Baby!"