As you watch The University of Kansas take on The University of Memphis tonight at 6:21p.m. (US/Western) on CBS for the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship keep in mind that the respective universities, and many others, are failing their student-athletes.

The University of North Carolina is the only school among the final four teams to graduate at least half of its players. The other top seeds graduation rates are an embarrassment: 45 percent at Kansas and 40 percent at UCLA and Memphis.

Race matters in this issue, reflected in the gaps between graduation rates for white and African-American student-athletes. 34 percent of the tournament teams have a 30-point or greater difference in graduation success between black and white players. Schools of higher education promise their student-athletes a meaningful education but have failed to meet those promises.