NEWS BLOG (WSAU) I worked in Ithaca, New York for three years. And I followed the Cornell Big Red… the team that knocked the Wisconsin Badgers out of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.

The first thing you should know about Cornell is that it’s an Ivy League school. And the thing you should know about Ivy League schools is that they don’t give out athletic scholarships. Every student who’s there got in on their academic credentials. For them to beat a team like Wisconsin – where almost everyone is on athletic scholarship – is inconceivable.

During my time in Ithaca, I was a Cornell football season ticket holder. The quality of football was poor… and they played only other non-scholarship teams. Basketball is different where a handful of good players can carry a team.

So what happened Sunday? Cornell jumped out to an early lead. Cornell’s shooting was lights-out in the second half. Wisconsin’s outside shooting was poor. Still, the bottom line is the eggheads beat the jocks. How often does that happen?

Chris Conley
Operations Manager, Midwest Communications-Wausau
3.22.10