NCAA and Arizona Basketball

The NCAA has finally finished their investigation of Arizona basketball. The penalty was scheduled for June 25. The allegations center on whether Lute Olson helped former goazcats.com publisher Jim Storey raise $197,000 to hold the Arizona Cactus Classic recruiting event against NCAA rules. That may be a good thing for UA if the news is bad. But the NCAA would surprise if it made major changes to UA's self-sanctions, which include the withholding of one scholarship for 2012-13, a reduction in recruiting man-hours and a reduction in official recruiting visits.

The self-sanctions UA imposed were:
1 -- Two years' probation beginning Feb. 5, 2010, when UA submitted its official response to the NCAA allegations.
2 -- Reducing official recruiting visits from the maximum of 12 to 11 in 2009-10 and to eight for 2010-11. (The UA said the higher number in 2009-10 reflects the number already used at the time of their response).
3 -- Reducing recruiting "person-days" from the maximum of 130 to 120 in 2009-10 and to 110 in 2010-11.
4 -- (this is actually part of No. 3) Reducing person-days from 60 to 52 this July.
5 -- Reducing scholarships from the maximum of 13 to 12 for 2011-12.
6 -- Institutional recertification that the  UA's current policies and practices conform to NCAA requirements.


The NCAA has added the school shall reduce by one scholarship in the 2012-13 academic year, reduction in "person  days in 2010-11 from 110 to 100, 2 less official visits for 2010-11, Two men's basketball players competed while ineligible during the 2007-08 academic year, based on their receipt of impermissible benefits in conjunction with the 2006 Cactus Classic. The institution will vacate all wins in which those players competed while ineligible.