Oklahoma State Basketball: Why penalty for Cowboys is awful in every way

Problem 3 with Oklahoma State Basketball ban: NCAA Consistency

The NCAA really brought the hammer down on Oklahoma State, and that was for one Level I violation. Kansas was hit with FIVE Level I violations. Other programs like Louisville also had more infractions than OSU. And while OSU’s single Level I violation, according to the NCAA itself, was not one that affected recruiting or competitive play, it was quite the opposite with Kansas. The NCAA enforcement staff had this to say about Kansas:

"The institution secured significant recruiting and competitive advantages by committing alleged Level I men’s basketball violations. The institution, in taking its defiant posture in the case, is indifferent to how its alleged violations may have adversely impacted other NCAA institutions who acted in compliance with NCAA legislation."

Yikes. While this would suggest that the NCAA is committed to punishing Kansas in a manner consistent with the severity of their wrongdoing, I’ll believe it when I see it. This has happened with blue blood programs before, even quite recently. North Carolina skated through their academic fraud scandal after the NCAA failed to conclude their investigation. Most people believe the NCAA tends to treat its larger programs more favorably at the expense of smaller programs. Jerry Tarkanian famously quipped, “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky, it will probably give another two years of probation to Cleveland State.”

Here’s the kicker. The NCAA isn’t even dealing with Kansas directly. While Oklahoma State’s case was handled by the NCAA’s own Committee of Infractions, Kansas’ case is being transferred to the Independent Resolution Panel – a non-NCAA body. The transfer to the IRP casts a shadow of doubt on how exactly KU will be treated relative to Oklahoma State.

The NCAA has never been historically regarded as an institution with any sort of disciplinary consistency. They have a noted track record of protecting blue bloods or at least looking the other way while punishing smaller programs for lesser violations. After Oklahoma State’s penalties, the NCAA needs to be consistent with its treatment of Kansas, Louisville, and others. They’re already not off to a great start by shuffling Kansas’ case off to an independent group.

Obviously, OSU’s own situation is still pending appeal, but it will only further add to the injustice of the situation if Kansas and others are not adequately punished for their far more severe transgressions.