It was inescapable during this year’s national title win: those in the national media feeling like they must qualify any praise given to UNC basketball by mentioning the current NCAA, as Roy would say, “junk.” No nuance given, mostly just some greatest hits of what we have heard before. It culminated the Sunday after when Bob Ryan, esteemed writer of the Boston Globe, opined on The Sports Reporters that he felt like the title game would have been better if anyone else had won.
At this point, seven years into the scandal, we as fans think we know what to expect of those who offer an opinion about the situation.