The tradition has always been that sports is different, a kind of protected zone where athletes compete and no amount of spin can alter their performance on the field.

CNN: Let Manti Te'o be the end of sports hero worship

Because more than it was a product of one or two sublime players, this unexpected run to the Final Four came on the back of good coaching, a group of athletes who bought into a system in this case, Boeheim's 2-3 zone defense improved at it through the season, then hit their peak when March rolled around.

WSJ: Boeheim plans on being back at Syracuse