March Madness — higher ed’s Springtime PR-fest known as the NCAA men’s basketball tournament — usually refers to when the spotlight catches underdogs like the University of California Irvine (UCI) Anteaters.
UCI, the 13th seed in the South Regional, upset 4th seeded, Kansas State in the biggest first-round upset last Friday.
Irvine, not known for basketball, has the unique diversity distinction as one of the most Asian American schools in the country.
UCI entered the Fall of 2018 with a 35 percent Asian American population, the highest in the UC system — more than Berkeley or UCLA, according to the statewide UC website (UCI’s profile includes Whites, 16 percent; Latinx, 22 percent; African American, 2 percent. International students are at 19 percent).
Those demographics produced one of the top basketball teams in the country. You can’t just photo shop your head on an athletic body and join this varsity.
Still, madness has its limits.
Sunday night, UCI was hammered by 12th seeded Oregon, 74-59.
