College Hoops on Sling: The NCAA and the Stupidity of Vacated Wins
Jim Boeheim on Saturday led the Syracuse Orange to a 66-62 upset of #9 Virginia, for what should be his 1,000th career victory. But the NCAA is a sports governing body rife with idiotic rules that it enforces with even dumber punishments, and among its dumbest punishments is the dreaded “vacated win,” of which Boeheim is the all-time College Basketball Champion with 101 – Ohio State has more than Syracuse, but they split theirs among two coaches, leaving JB as the king. So instead, Boeheim is officially credited with 899 wins, 3 shy of Bobby Knight for second-most all time in men’s basketball.
“I’ve been part of 1,000 wins,” Boeheim told ESPN after Saturday’s game. “Whether they’re all there or not doesn’t matter to me. I’ve been part of a lot of wins, and I’m really proud of that.”
The NCAA in their infinite wisdom thinks they can magically erase history with the stroke of a pen, and pretend that 101 games just never happened, which is nuts. Its nuts because we all saw them happen – THEY HAPPENED – they’re videotapes, box scores, newspaper accounts, memories… It was real, not some “Newhart”-esque dream. By “vacating” those games, the NCAA not only punishes Boeheim, and the players involved – most notably Fab Melo – but also the fans who watched those games, the opponents who played in those games and every kid that went to Syracuse to play while the school was on punishment and so didn’t get the full experience.
Setting aside the NCAA’s absurd fetishization of “amateur” athletics, it really needs to focus its punishments on the schools and coaches, and not the kids and fans. Hit them where it hurts: in the wallet. Ninety-nine percent of what motivates people in this life is either food, sex or money, and since the NCAA has no business in Boeheim’s fridge or bed, they should go after his wallet and leave everyone else. Boeheim would never tell a reporter, “I’ve made $10 million, whether it’s all in the bank or not doesn’t matter to me.”
Watch NCAA basketball on Sling, here’s our full lineup
Monday
#4 Louisville (19-4) vs #12 Virginia (17-5)
7pm ET on ESPN
#3 Kansas (20-3) vs Kansas State (16-7)
9pm ET on ESPN
Tuesday
Alabama (13-9) vs #19 South Carolina (19-4)
6:30pm ET on SEC Network
#17 Florida (18-5) vs Georgia (13-10)
7pm ET on ESPN
LSU (9-13) vs #15 Kentucky (18-5)
7pm ET on ESPN
Wake Forest (14-9) vs #tk Notre Dame (17-7)
7pm ET on ESPNews
Georgetown (13-11) vs #2 Villanova (22-2)
7pm ET on FS1
Wednesday
DePaul (8-15) vs #24 Xavier (17-6)
6:30pm ET on FS1
NC State (14-10) vs #14 Florida State (20-4)
7pm ET on ESPN2
#6 Baylor (20-3) vs Oklahoma State (15-8)
7pm ET on ESPNU
#13 West Virginia (18-5) vs Oklahoma (8-14)
9pm ET on ESPN2
UCF (15-8) vs #11 Cincinnati (21-2)
9pm ET on ESPNU
Stanford (12-11) vs #9 Arizona (21-3)
11pm ET on FS1
Thursday
#16 Purdue (19-5) vs Indiana (15-9)
7pm ET on ESPN2
#8 North Carolina (21-4) vs #18 Duke (18-5)
8pm ET on ESPN
#25 SMU (20-4) vs Temple (13-11)
9pm ET on ESPN2
#5 Oregon (21-3) vs #10 UCLA (21-3)
10pm ET on ESPN
Saturday
Texas A&M (12-10) vs #17 Florida (18-5)
Noon ET on ESPN2
Kansas State (16-7) vs #13 West Virginia (18-5)
Noon ET on ESPN2
Miami (15-7) vs #4k Louisville (19-4)
2pm ET on ESPN2
TCU (16-7) vs #6 Baylor (20-3)
2pm ET on ESPNU
#3 Kansas (20-3) vs Texas Tech (16-7)
2pm ET on ESPN
#23 Creighton (20-4) vs DePaul (8-15)
2pm ET on FS1
#2 Villanova (22-2) vs #24 Xavier (17-6)
2:30pm ET on FOX
Ohio State (14-10) vs #21 Maryland (20-3)
4pm ET on ESPN
#14 Florida State (20-4) vs Notre Dame (17-7)
6pm ET on ESPN
#19 South Carolina (19-4) vs Mississippi State (14-8)
8pm ET on ESPN2
#1 Gonzaga (24-0) vs #20 Saint Mary’s (21-2)
8:15pm ET on ESPN
Cal (17-6) vs #9 Arizona (21-3)
10pm ET on ESPN2
#5 Oregon (21-3) vs USC (20-4)
10:30pm ET on Pac-12 Network
Sunday
#11 Cincinnati (21-2) vs #25 SMU (20-4)
4pm ET on ESPN
Oregon State (4-20) vs #10 UCLA (21-3)
5pm ET on FS1
#12 Virginia (17-5) vs Virginia Tech (16-6)
6:30pm ET on ESPNU
Watch college basketball on ESPN & ESPN2 by subscribing to Sling Orange; on ESPNU, ESPNews, and SEC Network by subscribing to Sling Orange + Sports Extra; on FOX and FS1 by subscribing to Sling Blue; on Pac-12 Network by subscribing to Sling Blue or Orange + Sports Extra
All stats courtesy ESPN and College Basketball Reference.