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PORTSMOUTH, Va. – I know that the NCAA insists on calling its basketball players student athletes, but let's get real. Some of the college seniors skipping the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament this week might want to take one more math class before leaving school.

Every year the biggest story in Portsmouth is about who's not here instead of who is.

Most of the top seniors, including Joey Graham, Hakim Warrick, Danny Granger, Wayne Simien, Channing Frye, Ronny Turiaf, David Lee, Julius Hodge, Salim Stoudamire, Ryan Gomes, Luther Head, Lawrence Roberts and Dijon Thompson never accepted an offer to play in camp to begin with.

Others like Daniel Ewing, Eddie Basden, Will Bynum, Barry (B.J.) Elder, Luke Schenscher, Roger Powell Jr., Ellis Myles, Larry O'Bannon, Chevon Troutman, Sharrod Ford and Rawle Marshall accepted their invitations but withdrew at the last minute.

Myles, Elder and Schenscher are claiming injuries are keeping them from participating. Many of the rest are just getting bad advice.

Here's where the math applies. There are 24 seniors who aren't playing here. There are 30 first-round slots this year.

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