Acknowledging that NCAA investigators found some former Arizona men's basketball staffers displayed "serious lapses in judgment," the school announced Tuesday it has self-imposed a ban on the upcoming postseason.
In a penalty that could be accepted or added to by the NCAA's Independent Accountability Resolution Process in future months, the Wildcats will not play in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament and, even if they qualify, the NCAA Tournament.
The Pac-12 issued a statement saying it "recognizes and supports" UA's self-imposed NCAA Tournament ban and would therefore keep the Wildcats out of the conference tournament under Pac-12 policy. A new bracket for the 11 remaining teams is to be announced.
Picked to finish fifth in the conference after losing all five starters from last season, Arizona emerged as a potential Pac-12 contender and NCAA Tournament team Monday when it beat Colorado 88-74 to improve to 7-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
“I understand and fully support the university’s decision to self-impose a one-year postseason ban on our men’s basketball program," UA coach Sean Miller said. "Our team will remain united and aggressively compete to win a Pac-12 championship.”
The UA's statement did not mention any behavior regarding Miller, who could still face penalties under NCAA head coach responsibility rules. His program was under FBI and then NCAA investigation from 2017 until October, when the NCAA issued a Notice of Allegations.
The Notice of Allegations is a signal that the NCAA has concluded its investigation. While Arizona has so far refused to release the NOA, saying it is in the best interests of the state not to do so, The Athletic reported that it reportedly contains five Level I violations.
If the Wildcats are found guilty of any Level 1 violations, they could be subject to an NCAA-imposed postseason ban and other serious penalties. Miller also had a clause added to his contract in April 2018 that says he must pay $1 million if he is criminally charged or found guilty of a Level 1 violation.
After receiving the NOA, Arizona requested its infractions case be transferred to the Independent Accountability Review Process, a newly created alternative resolution track for complex NCAA infractions cases.
The IARP has enforcement and hearing panels consisting of lawyers, investigators and others outside of the NCAA structure. Although it has yet to complete a case, with four other programs also under its review, the IARP will eventually produce a non-appealable resolution that will match or exceed Arizona's self-imposed penalty.
The IARP is not expected to issue a ruling in time to affect this season's team. So if the IARP winds up agreeing that Arizona should only sit out one year of the postseason, Arizona's move to self-impose right away could effectively mean it traded a ban this season for one next season, when the Wildcats are expected to be in better position on the court.
However, Arizona appears to be facing a minimum of a one-year ban if nothing else because of the actions involving former assistant coach Book Richardson, who admitted receiving $20,000 in bribes from an agent.
Oklahoma State received a one-year ban for a comparable infraction involving former assistant coach Lamont Evans, who admitted to taking $22,000 in bribes. Meanwhile, Auburn self-imposed a one-year postseason ban last month after former assistant coach Chuck Person pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to steer players to a financial adviser; federal prosecutors said he took $91,500.
Arizona has also faced many additional allegations during the two federal trials involving college basketball, as well as the HBO documentary "The Scheme," which focused on aspiring agent Christian Dawkins' role as the center of the FBI's investigation.
Richardson was arrested in September 2017, then fired in January 2018 and sentenced to three months in federal prison from July 2019 to October 2019 after admitting he took $20,000 in bribes in exchange for promising to steer UA players toward Dawkins' agency.
Richardson also told the New York Daily News in October that he was "helping kids when they got on my campus, yes."
Former UA assistant coaches Mark Phelps and Joe Pasternack have also been the subject of allegations, with UA suspending Phelps early in the 2017-18 season for an undisclosed violation of NCAA rules and then removing him from the team in February 2019 after he was accused of an NCAA violation regarding the academic transcripts of former recruit Shareef O’Neal.
In "The Scheme," a two-hour-long documentary that began airing on HBO last March, in a recorded conversation between Dawkins and Miller was played that was not aired during the federal proceeding. In it, Dawkins told Miller that the coaches of a top recruit’s club team “definitely want to get some (expletive) for themselves,” and Miller responded by asking “Miami doesn’t have an advantage over us in that area, do they?”
UA called its decision to self-impose a ban a "proactive measure" in the ongoing NCAA enforcement process.
"The decision is an acknowledgement that the NCAA’s investigation revealed that certain former members of the men's basketball staff displayed serious lapses in judgment and a departure from the University’s expectation of honest and ethical behavior," the school's statement said. "It is also in accord with the penalty guidelines of the NCAA for the type of violations involved. This decision also reinforces the institution’s commitment to accountability and integrity as well as serving the best long-term interests of the university and the men’s basketball program.”
In a separate part of UA's statement, athletic director Dave Heeke called the decision "extremely difficult" because of the impact it has on the current players.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the NCAA enforcement process and continue to support the hard-working young men in our men’s basketball program," Heeke said.
However, the NCAA has already ruled that all winter sports athletes participating in 2020-21 will not lose a year of eligibility, meaning even seniors Ira Lee, Terrell Brown and Matt Weyand could return if they want to.
In addition, this year's NCAA Tournament won't be its usual cross-country showcase, with the NCAA exploring a move to hold it entirely at one location, probably Indianapolis.
No UA players are expected to be available for comment until after the Wildcats face Washington on Thursday in Seattle, but Lee and Brown have both previously said they weren't sure if they would return next season.
