The Arizona Wildcats' much-hyped 25-year NCAA tournament streak no longer exists and its basketball record from 2007-08 has already been changed to 0-14 for 2007-08 following the NCAA Committee on Infractions' decision to vacate wins from that season.
Moreover, former UA interim head coach Kevin O'Neill's career record has shrunk by 19 wins following the decision to vacate the games, even though O'Neill was not implicated in the infractions committee report for violations in the Lute Olson era.
Gary Johnson, the NCAA's associate director of statistics, said today that the vacated wins cost Arizona three percentage points in their all-time 105-year history, to .645 (1565-872-1).
"If you're playing basketball for a hundred years, that's pretty significant," Johnson said.
O'Neill's 14-year collegiate record drops to 185-207 (.472) from 204-208 (.495).
However, Johnson said he would likely put a note in the record book indicating that O'Neill's wins were being vacated even though he was not implicated in the Infraction Committee report. O'Neill served as the interim head coach that season while Lute Olson, who was implicated heavily in the report, took a season-long leave of absence.
O'Neill, now the head coach at Southern California, said he isn't concerned about his record.
Vacated games only affect the team in question and do not impact the opponent.
The Wildcats' record in 2007-08 was formerly 19-15 but Johnson said the 19 wins have been vacated as well as their one NCAA tournament game, a loss to West Virginia.
UA has promoted a 25-year NCAA tournament appearance streak, from 1985 to 2009, but that is no longer the case in the NCAA's minds. Johnson said NCAA staff determined a year ago that vacated games can no longer be counted toward appearances.
Therefore, UA's longest NCAA tournament streak is 14 years, from 1985 to 1998, which is tied for fifth in the NCAA records (UA vacated its 1999 appearance for violations involving former standout Jason Terry, but the school had considered the appearance as counting toward the streak). UA then had another streak from 2000 to 2009, which ended last season when the Wildcats did not make the tournament field.
Johnson said he formerly had it in his books that vacated games did not affect streaks but was told during a staff meeting last year to change that practice.
The changes have been implemented in the NCAA men's basketball record book for 2011, which will be available online this fall.
The Arizona media guide is also expected to reflect the changes, though UA basketball information director Richard Paige said he is on vacation and has not yet had a chance to determine the appropriate course of action until he speaks with Johnson next week.
The UA also must officially vacate the statistics and records of the two ineligible players from the 2007-08 season, believed to be Jamelle Horne and Jerryd Bayless. However, Johnson said the players' statistics will be allowed to remain in overall team season statistics and game boxscores, so the rest of the statistics balance.
