Ryan Langborg had some analysis to analyze before his Princeton University basketball team traveled to Louisville for Friday’s NCAA Tournament South Regional semifinal.
No, we’re not talking about Sweet 16 opponent Creighton’s tendencies, although that’s certainly on his plate.
The economics graduate is knee deep in writing his final thesis, a 50-page paper expected next month. The subject?
“Evaluate the NBA’s travel across multiple time zones and its effect on league winning percentages, as well as how it affects moneylines, spreads and betting,” he said .
Welcome to life at Princeton, where basketball is good but academics are king. Every Princeton senior must submit a thesis, which is a publishable research paper in an area related to their major. Juniors must write a “junior paper,” which is a smaller version of the thesis.
These projects are due in April, so it’s a crucial time for upperclassmen on campus, including hoopsters.
“We talk about this thesis all the time,” Princeton coach Mitch Henderson said. “It’s Princeton. These guys know what they signed up for.
Henderson has been through this. As a senior economics student at Princeton in 1998 — and a member of the last Tigers team before this one to advance in the Big Dance — he wrote about portfolio diversification.
“Mine is probably in the trash somewhere,” he said. “You won’t find it in any library.”
The theses of his players seem much more interesting.
What they write
Here’s a look at what these guys write.
Tosan Evbuomwan
Senior forward, economics major
Thesis topic: How diversity in NBA executive leadership affects team performance.
Due date: April 13.
How are you: “I was able to make some progress before all this (March Madness) happened. I wouldn’t say it’s almost finished, but I’ll get it done in time.
Keeshawn Kellman
Senior forward, major in sociology
Thesis topic: How in-season professional sports performance affects the cohesion of surrounding communities. What is the crime rate, what is the turnout rate in an election year, etc.?
Due date: April 14
Projected length: 80 pages
How are you: “I started writing, but I still need to finish the rest of the data. It’s been tough the last two weeks because we’re so focused (on basketball). At the same time, I have a student duty. Today (Monday) was only a thesis.
Ryan Langborg
Senior guard, economics major
Thesis topic: Evaluate NBA travel and its impact on sleep patterns and outcomes.
Due date: April 20
Projected length: 40 to 50 pages.
How are you: “I haven’t run my stats yet, but my guess is that the betting lines rate this pretty well – they have it all down to a T. But absolutely, there is something about traveling from east to west which hinders performance.”
Konrad Kiszka
Senior guard, psychology major
Thesis topic: The hot hand fallacy. For a basketball shooter or player, is there a hot hand?
Due date: April 28
Projected length: 45-50 pages
How are you: “It’s really a false sense of confidence” (his findings, not his progress).
Zach Martini
Junior forward, major in English
Subject of the junior article: The placement of the house in dystopian literature (A Clockwork Orange, 1984, Brave New World). “Many dystopias are run by totalitarian societies,” he said. “The government runs everything, so there’s no privacy.”
Length: 21 pages
How are you: “I had my final project before all this madness. I am in good shape.”
Matt Allocco
Young guard, major in sociology
Junior article topic: How television impacts social dynamics.
How are you: “Older people spend more time watching television because their social life has diminished. This is also how they adapt to the times.
Shove it in
By now, Princeton’s upperclassmen are used to juggling books and the ball. The difference right now is this: March Madness swallows up everyone’s normal routine. The Tigers held two press sessions and a pep rally at Jadwin Gym this week, then flew to Louisville Wednesday morning, meaning they missed classes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (most have Fridays free or a light schedule).
This is all very unusual for a program that mainly plays on weekends and travels regionally by bus. Last week, when they won two NCAA games in Sacramento, it was spring break. This week, the Tigers did their best to study before heading to Louisville. Langborg handed in a midterm assignment for his “Italian Cinema” course on Tuesday and was granted a one-week extension on his thesis due date. Evbuomwan was late for Monday’s press session due to a three-hour seminar on business leadership. He arrived beaming as the chair of the economics department congratulated him and Langborg on their Big Dance run.
“The support from all the teachers has been great,” he said.
Martini has two essays due Friday. He asked for extensions and, as of the beginning of the week, was nervously awaiting a response.
He abandons the thesis for the next few days.
“All the focus will be on Creighton, I can tell you that right now,” he said.
Martini, however, brought a few books with him to Louisville.
“Leisure reading,” he said.
Dystopian leisure reading?
“Franz Kafka,” he said, “so more or less.”
Jerry Carino has covered New Jersey sports since 1996 and college basketball since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at [email protected].
