After years of whispered and proven academic impropriety, the NCAA has finally come down on UNC's basketball program after nine members of its staff improperly helped and in some cases completed coursework for student-athletes.
UNC will have to return all of the money it received as part of the 2011 NCAA tournament, but it won't have to forfeit any basketball championships - because Northern Colorado didn't win any.
Right, that UNC. That's former coach B.J. Hill pictured above, not Roy Williams. You did a double-take. We did too. Everyone did.
NCAA finally nails UNC for academic fraud. https://t.co/EHMrzeAq0E
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 15, 2017
Here is how dearly Northern Colorado basketball - which literally nobody cares about outside of *googles it* Greely, CO - will pay for cheating:
- Three years of probation from Dec. 15, 2017, to Dec. 14, 2020.
- The university must return all money for its appearance in the 2011 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
- A postseason ban for the 2016-17 men’s basketball season (self-imposed by the university).
- Reduction of three total men’s basketball scholarships for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years (self-imposed by the university).
- Recruiting restrictions, as detailed in the public decision (self-imposed by the university).
- A vacation of all regular-season, conference tournament and postseason records in which ineligible student-athletes competed.
- A six-year show cause order for the head coach from Dec. 15, 2017, through Dec. 14, 2023.
- A three-year show cause order for the assistant coach who spearheaded the academic fraud scheme for a prospect, including personally completing his coursework and paying for one of his online courses. The penalty, which is from Dec. 15, 2017, through Dec. 14, 2020, considers his exemplary cooperation.
- A three-year show cause order for the assistant coach who completed coursework for a prospect. The penalty, which is from Dec. 15, 2017, through Dec. 14, 2020, considers his exemplary cooperation.
- A five-year show cause order for the assistant coach who completed coursework for a prospect and provided false or misleading information during the investigation. The show cause order is from Dec. 15, 2017, through Dec. 14, 2022.
- A four-year show cause order for the assistant coach who arranged and paid for a friend to complete coursework for a prospect. He also provided false or misleading information during the investigation. His show cause order is from Dec. 15, 2017, through Dec. 14, 2021.
- A five-year show cause order for the assistant coach who paid or arranged payment for two prospects’ online courses. He also engaged in unethical conduct by refusing to agree to participate in the investigation. His show cause order is from Dec. 15, 2017, through Dec. 14, 2022.
- A three-year show cause order for the graduate assistant who completed coursework for a prospect. The penalty, which is from Dec. 15, 2017, through Dec. 14, 2020, considers his exemplary cooperation.
In October the same governing body that just hammered the *googles it* Bears basketball program acknowledged that the University of North Carolina was guilty of "running one of the worst academic fraud schemes in college sports history, involving fake classes that enabled dozens of athletes to gain and maintain their eligibility."
And yet, it levied zero penalties against the Tarheel basketball program. To quote the late Jerry Tarkanian:
"The NCAA was so mad at Kentucky they gave Cleveland State two more years of probation."
