Final Four Lament

T’was after the Final Four and all through our place
We were feeling real down, we had a long face
The Tar Heels had won there wasn’t a doubt
They played a good game and now Syracuse was out.
So then off to bed, disappointed and tired
Sleep was what’s needed, rest was required.
When all of a sudden at 7 am I arose
I looked out the window and I shouted “Oh noes!”
All was covered in snow as far as I could see!
An inch or two had fallen, perhaps maybe three!
The wind was a’blowing! The snow it was drifting!
And I shuddered at the thought of the snow I’d be lifting.
“I’ve had enough! I bid you good day!”
“I’m going back to bed. I’ll see you in May!”

There's now about six inches of snow in front of my house.

In any event....

Go 'Nova!

Syracuse Roundball Retains #1 Post

Syracuse wins with one second left on a Tyler Ennis three pointer from downtown!
SU defeats Pitt 58 - 56. SU is still undefeated, 24 - 0.

Pbbbbt to you Pitt.

As I watched the game I was sure SU was going to lose. They got the ball back down one point with 4.4 seconds on the clock. Ennis shot the ball with 1.1 seconds left on the clock and it went through the basket just before the buzzer.

The last time I saw something like that was when Pearl Washington made a half court basket at the buzzer against Boston College thirty years ago - January 1984.

Amazing...

Bad British Sports Commentary

College Athletes - It's All About The Benjamins

My alma mater plays UNC today at noon.

A recent study of UNC basketball players does not paint a flattering picture:

[...]But a researcher at the University of North Carolina, Mary Willingham, came in for particular vitriol after reporting that of 183 Tar Heel football or basketball players, 60 percent were reading at levels between fourth and eighth grade.

She also cited the example of one basketball player who came to her for help early in her career who could not read or write. In response, the university issued a statement saying it did not believe her claim about an illiterate player — adding it could not comment on the other claims because it didn’t have the data. CNN says it has e-mails showing the university knew about the research, had even given its permission and has the data.

We note that Willingham’s numbers about UNC accord come in the context of the study’s larger finding that “most schools have between 7 percent and 18 percent of revenue sport athletes who are reading at an elementary school level.” Recall too that UNC is the same school where just two years back 18 members of the football team took a class that existed only on paper.

It's a shame. Most of these players will not get picked by the the pros, what kind of jobs will they get once they graduate ... if they even graduate?