As the NCAA Tournament kicks off today, we can already put the Irish in the Final Four. Academically speaking, that is.

Along with Purdue, Butler, and Western Kentucky, if the Final Four were determined by player graduation rates, Notre Dame (at 91%) would be in San Antonio. (And how about 3 Indiana schools sneaking in there!)

Brian would likely cite this as more evidence that ND coddles its athletes and pads their grades. Unfortunately, no relevant data exists for the Michigan basketball Wolverines, as the study didn't account for teams who failed to make even the NIT.