Of course Florida was the better team last Monday night. They deserve their NC. They will probably never win a title again consider Bill Boy will jet for Kentucky the minute Tubby gets canned from Lexington. Regardless - Florida was the best basketball team in the country this past year. And kudos to them.
But apparently their success on the court is causing some of the Florida officials to hallucinate. Get this - they Florida can surpass UCLA in ... academics. Can't make this stuff up:
Machen (Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida) flew into Gainesville from Indianapolis on Tuesday morning, after watching the Gators pound the University of California - Los Angeles by a 16-point margin. Fresh off a victory on the court, though, Machen was already thinking about beating UCLA in the classroom, too.
"Last night we played a basketball team that is ranked higher than us (in academics)," Machen said, easing back into the blue couch in his Tigert Hall office.
In the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, UCLA placed third among public universities, 13 spots ahead of UF. A renowned basketball school, UCLA has managed to make strides in high-profile sports without sacrificing its academic mission, Machen said. The University of Michigan, where Machen once served as provost, has also done well with the balancing act, he said.
The tension between athletics and academics, however, is real at UF. When surveyed on the subject, the majority of UF faculty said they felt the university placed too much emphasis on sports.
I have two suggestions for those Gators administrators. First, if you don't want to be known as a joke academic school, then do away with majors like Leisure Service Management that seems designed specifically for Billy's kids. Second, aim with some realistic goals. If you get to the same academic level of UC Merced, perhaps than you can think about having the same academic standards as UCRiverside. And then some day you guys can think about getting to same level as UCLA."Last night we played a basketball team that is ranked higher than us (in academics)," Machen said, easing back into the blue couch in his Tigert Hall office.
In the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, UCLA placed third among public universities, 13 spots ahead of UF. A renowned basketball school, UCLA has managed to make strides in high-profile sports without sacrificing its academic mission, Machen said. The University of Michigan, where Machen once served as provost, has also done well with the balancing act, he said.
The tension between athletics and academics, however, is real at UF. When surveyed on the subject, the majority of UF faculty said they felt the university placed too much emphasis on sports.
GO BRUINS.