The NCAA will strip the Louisville men’s basketball program of its 2013 national title and 2012 Final Four appearance. Utterly ridiculous, in my opinion.
On Tuesday, Greg Postel, interim president at Louisville, published a letter on the university’s Web site. Here’s an excerpt of it:
"“Today the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee upheld earlier penalties imposed on the University of Louisville, including vacation of victories from 2011 to 2015. That includes the 2013 national championship and the 2012 Final Four appearance. I cannot say this strongly enough: We believe the NCAA is simply wrong.”"
I couldn’t agree more, and I’d like to step back in time for a bit.
We are at the 2013 NCAA Tournament. After upsetting No. 1 seed Indiana in the Sweet 16, the Syracuse basketball squad, the No. 4 seed in the East Region, advances to the Elite Eight and will face Marquette, the No. 3 seed.
The contest is occurring in Washington, D.C., which has served as my hometown for many years. Naturally, I go to the game, along with my parents and my brother.
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Given how fanatical I am about SU hoops, I’m a nervous wreck throughout this duel between former Big East rivals.
The Orange is stifling on defense and handles the Golden Eagles with ease. As the event is nearing its conclusion, and it’s apparent that the ‘Cuse is marching on to the Final Four, I am acting bananas. My family members had to calm me down.
Haha. I can’t help how much I love Syracuse!
Given that attending a Final Four is on my bucket list, and my alma mater is going there, three buddies and I decide to make the trip to Atlanta.
What an experience. We met tons of SU faithful. The national semifinals versus Michigan, of course, didn’t pan out how we wanted. But I saw the Orange play in the Final Four. There is absolutely no disputing that.
Two days later, although not in person, I watched on TV as Louisville squeaked by the Wolverines for the 2013 national title. Clear as crystal, the Cardinals emerged triumphant.
Fast-forward to the present, and, due to NCAA sanctions, both the ‘Cuse and Louisville, among others in recent memory across the college-basketball landscape, have witnessed wins getting vacated from their record books.
In the Cardinals’ case, the consequences also entail losing a national championship and a Final Four appearance.
I am in no way saying that Louisville and Syracuse didn’t break NCAA rules. They did, and they got punished. Whether the penalties for each school proved too harsh or too lenient, that’s a debate we’ll shelve for now.
However, vacating victories is laughable. It’s unnecessary. We all saw which team scored more points in every single match-up. One registered a defeat, and the other landed a conquest.
When the NCAA doles out fines, puts programs on probation and reduces scholarships, among other measures, I’m okay with that.
But SU head coach Jim Boeheim has succeeded in excess of 1,000 instances. The Cardinals made the 2012 Final Four and captured the 2013 national title.
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These things transpired, and no one can convince me otherwise – including the remarkably pathetic organization commonly referred to as the NCAA.