NCAA Basketball: 5 biggest schools to be probed for alleged corruption
By Daniel Garay
Arizona
There’s allegedly a wiretap of Sean Miller saying some fairly incriminating things about recruits and money and such…we haven’t heard it yet, but it’s probably out there. Deandre Ayton got paid a lot of money to dominate college basketball for a year, but he couldn’t deliver a national championship, as Arizona bowed out of the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament by losing to Buffalo (Buffalo???).
Of course, Miller denies all of the accusations that were brought forward, but he did take some time off last year. You have to wonder — was it worth it, Sean? The Wildcats have dominated the PAC-12 for several years, but that domination is clearly in jeopardy of fading. Then again, maybe there’s a more sinister reason behind that success that goes beyond just better recruiting skills.
The Wildcats come into this year having lost every single one of their starting 5 from last year, meaning that regression is quite likely. With teams like Washington and Colorado rising among the traditional powers of Oregon and UCLA, the PAC-12 appears to be much stronger than in years past. The danger for Arizona fans is that the steps that the Wildcats have taken under Miller’s tenure could be undone with a lackluster season, overshadowed with controversy and uncertainty.