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NCAA Basketball: Programs currently in danger of facing NCAA sanctions

By Bryan Mauro

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 11: Sean Miller head coach directing his team against the Washington Huskies during the first round of the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 11, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 11: Sean Miller head coach directing his team against the Washington Huskies during the first round of the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 11, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 25: Devon Daniels #24 of North Carolina State University (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 25: Devon Daniels #24 of North Carolina State University (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

NCAA Basketball program in trouble – NC State Wolfpack

Mark Gottfried’s tenure as the head coach at NC State was not great. It was marred by inconsistency. The coach didn’t win which ultimately led to his firing. Gottfried didn’t leave the Wolfpack with much of a parting gift as he got the school and basketball program in a lot of trouble with the NCAA over one player. That one player was Dennis Smith Jr. When Smith Jr. was on campus the Wolfpack was not very good and it seems weird that Gottfried would commit all of those violations for one player who didn’t even lead them to the NCAA tournament.

NC State was issued two level II violations as they gave Smith Jr. $40,000. Former head coach Gottfried was hit with a failure to monitor as he claimed he was not aware of the payment and was not the one who negotiated it. On top of the $40,000 given to Smith Jr., he was also given free tickets and a free parking pass for football games. The star player left after one season to head to the NBA.  Gottfried was fired before the allegations even came out and he headed to be the head coach at Cal St. Northridge.

Much like Pitino, it should be noted that the new Matadors head coach may also be hit with a show-cause penalty. NC State is likely going to get a stiff penalty for the money given to the player and likely a postseason ban. By all accounts, current head coach Kevin Keatts is running this program with integrity and is not cheating so he is yet again going to have to pick up the pieces left behind by the individuals before him.

One thing of note regarding the Wolfpack under Kevin Keatts.  NC State has already been ravaged by recruiting and has yet to be placed on any type of probation.  Saddiq Bey, who was a star at Villanova, initially committed to Keatts before he went to Villanova and Jalen Lecque who was a five-star recruit committed to NC State before deciding that he was going to enter the NBA draft without ever playing a game in college.

It doesn’t help that NC State plays in one of the best conferences and has to already compete with North Carolina and Duke for battleground within the state.  Any probation is going to be magnified, potentially more than other schools’, for the Wolfpack.

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