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Men's Basketball

Louisville Avoids Major Punishment From Pay-For-Play and Extortion Investigation

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UofL Athletics

For the better part of the last decade, the University of Louisville men’s basketball program has been a part of an NCAA investigation. The most recent of which includes impermissible services and payments to recruits in association with Adidas under Rick Pitino and the attempted extortion of Chris Mack.

The case had been delayed by federal court cases and the second set of allegations arising from Dino Gaudio’s attempted extortion of Mack, but the NCAA completed their investigation on August 6th, 2021. This resulted in an amended notice of allegations containing one Level I and six Level II allegations.

Now over five years since the initial investigation began, the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) has given the program its ruling, first reported by CBS Sports.

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The punishment includes the following:

  • No postseason ban.
  • $5,000 fine
  • A small reduction in recruiting days.
  • Two years of probation.
  • Rick Pitino and Chris Mack avoid punishment entirely.

The decision and its specifics will be made public later this morning.

While the punishment may seem minor and less than what many were expecting, the effect the investigation has had on the program has been major.

At the time of the investigation in 2017, UofL was a Top 10 team and was No. 2 seed in that year’s NCAA Tournament. Now, the Cardinals just lost an exhibition by double-digits to a Division II team and are predicited to be one of the worst teams in the ACC.

Louisville joins Memphis and NC State to receive their ruling from the IARP, with Arizona, Kansas, and LSU still remaining.

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This also comes the day after Kansas announced a more harsh self-imposed punishment which included a four-game suspension for Head Coach Bill Self and Assistant Coach Kurtis Townsend, and the loss of one scholarship for the next three years. The entire press release can be read here.

While there is no timeline on the completion for the other schools, NCAA Vice President of Hearing Operations, Derrick Crawford, told the media back in September that the cases are on track to be resolved in “late spring, early summer of 2023.”

What do you think of Louisville’s punishment?

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Players Say They Think About Winning National Championship “Every Second”

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Kentucky basketball players celebrate after their big over Duke.
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The expectations at Kentucky are the highest of any school in the country, and there is good reason why. The winningest college program ever. Eight national titles, under five different coaches. Seventeen Final Four appearances. You get it, a lot of success.

Fans want the players to have those same expectations. Despite not having the elite talent or preseason hype of great Kentucky teams past, this year’s team still has their eyes set on doing something “people will remember forever”, winning a national championship.

Asked on social media, if hanging banner #9 was all the players thought about “every second”, Ansley Almonor had a response.

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“We do.”

It takes a lot to win a national championship, including some luck, but this team is certainly going to be loved for their desire to live out their dream of playing at Kentucky and their unselfishness. Those two things can take them a long way this season .

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Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart Seemingly Takes Shot at John Calipari, “Anybody Can Recruit”

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Mitch Barnhart sitting next to basketball coach John Calipari.
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John Calipari and Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had their differences over fifteen years, but success can hide a lot of things. Not that they hated each other, but they each had vastly different personalities. As that success weaned towards the end of Calipari’s tenure, those issues started to be noticed publically.

If you need evidence of that, despite their efforts to dispute it, there is the infamous press conference where Barnhart talked about “entitled” coaches, shortly after Calipari publicly called for a new practice facility. Then, there were multiple times when Calipari expressed that the administration was not on the same page and that he was facing “headwinds”.

That said, Calipari is now at Arkansas, but those differences and some disdain remain. During an interview on the Kentucky Football pregame show, Barnhart seemingly took a shot at Calipari when asked about Mark Pope’s recruiting philosophy and prioritizing fit.

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“I tell people all the time, ‘Anybody can recruit, not everybody can evaluate,’” Barnhart said. “You can recruit. You can be phenomenal at bringing people to your program. But if it does not fit you, it’s really not helpful.”

Of course, Calipari is one of the best, if not the best, recruiters in college basketball history. At times, he prioritized talent and athleticism over fit.

Quite the coincidence.

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ESPN’s Jay Williams Gives Message to Kentucky Fans, “You’re Not Going to Like It…”

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ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Williams gives a message to Kentucky fans after the Wildcats win over Duke. "You won't like it."
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Back in April, opposing fanbases like Duke, told Kentucky fans to “cope with Pope” following the hire of Mark Pope and the corresponding initial shock. On Tuesday, those same fanbases had to watch as Mark Pope outcoached Jon Scheyer and Duke in the final minutes of the Champion’s Classic to get his first marque win in just his third game at Kentucky.

Of course, shortly after the game, Duke fans began to rationalize the loss by highlighting their team’s youth. While true, it sounded like an echo chamber of what Kentucky fans said for years under John Calipari. One notable example was former Blue Devil Jay Williams.

At halftime, while Duke was leading 46-37, Williams called this year’s Duke team the most talented since the 2001 team that he was a part of at halftime. To his credit, he complimented Kentucky on the comeback victory, specifically on their offense and maturity, but then 36 hours later he posted a message to Kentucky fans on social media.

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“Let me put you on to something,” Williams started. “Whether you like it or not, networks are going to sell Cooper Flagg. He’s going to be the number one pick in the draft. You’re going to talk about whether he won the or whether he lost the game, regardless of the outcome.”

“You’re not going to like it. There should be more kudos to Mark Pope and Kentucky,” Williams continued. “Regardless of whether you won the game or not, they’re still going to sell Cooper Flagg because he is selling the sport. Sorry.”

William’s statement is true. That said, it comes off as ‘sour grapes’ about losing. Cooper Flagg is a great talent and will likely be the first pick in the NBA Draft, but most Kentucky fans would say they would much rather have the win than the marketing.

Futhermore, Kentucky and its ‘brand’ has raised the level of multiple players and coaches, and will continue to do so. A deeper impact than Cooper Flagg will have on Duke in just one season.

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