THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603210008
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 34 lines
Score one for the good guys.
As college-basketball fanatics were wending their way to the Final Four last week via Richmond and other destinations, one hot story was Princeton's deposing of the reigning national champions at UCLA.
In a sport sullied by six-figure shoe contracts, players who are as familiar with a courtroom as a dressing room and an unrelenting string of coaches and alumni willing to cut corners and ignore rules to win hot-shot recruits, the victory of coach Pete Carril and the Princeton Tigers was a refreshing reminder of what ``March Madness'' could be about.
At Princeton, basketball is a sideshow, not the main event. There are no athletic scholarships, and entrance requirements aren't bent to suit a team roster. Even the Carril-inspired playing style - slow and measured and, yes, even boring - is a throwback to a less-glittery era.
Few expected the Tigers to survive their first game, and when they did the Ivy League champs became crowd favorites before bowing to Mississippi State in the second round.
In an arena that too often seems to be spinning out of control, thanks to Carril and his team for making one of this season's lasting memories a little ``March Saneness.'' by CNB