They Had Midterms, but They Want Finals

Annual smart-kids-play-basketball note:

Members of the Stanford team had more than hoops on their minds this week as they sweated out midterm exams before boarding a charter to St. Louis for the Midwest Regional.

Cardinal guard Arthur Lee said he doesn’t regret going to Stanford, but he wonders if other schools in the tournament are under as much academic stress.

“After you get here, you wonder if guys are studying for finals across the nation,” Lee said. “After the fact, you think about it.”

Teammate Peter Sauer then interrupted Lee.

“Hey, we know how to get around it, and Arthur leads the way on that!” Sauer said.

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Add tests: Mark Madsen was allowed to bring his midterm with him on the trip.

“It’s in macroeconomics,” Madsen said. “There are a lot of geniuses in the class. I don’t consider myself a genius.”

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So, Valparaiso Crusaders, are you guys a Cinderella team or not?

Players are split on whether they qualify.

“I really don’t like the Cinderella story, it kind of makes it look like we really shouldn’t be here,” senior guard Jamie Sykes said. “There was no luck involved. We deserved it.”

Teammate Bryce Drew respectfully disagreed.

“We’re a school no one heard of, from a conference no one heard of and we’ve got a mascot probably no one knows the name of,” Drew said.