Oklahoma State’s basketball program was rocked by the NCAA on Friday, receiving their punishment for violations uncovered by an FBI investigation. A former associate head coach of the Cowboys accepted nearly $22,000 to influence recruits’ college decisions.
Here is the official punishment from the NCAA:
- Three years of probation.
- A 2020-21 postseason ban for the men’s basketball team.
- A $10,000 fine plus 1% of the men’s basketball program budget (self-imposed by the university).
- A reduction of men’s basketball scholarships by a total of three during the 2020-21 through 2022-23 academic years.
Going into the 2020-2021 season, Oklahoma State seemed as if they had a solid chance of making the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mike Boynton. Now, with a postseason ban, their absence from the postseason will extend to four consecutive years.
Most of the reason the Cowboys were pegged to have success was incoming freshman Cade Cunningham. A point guard from Arlington, Texas, Cunningham was the top overall recruit on 247Sports’ composite. He signed his national letter of intent with Oklahoma State in November 2019.
Now, the possibility of Cunningham leaving the program could be a strong one now that the Cowboys cannot compete in the NCAA Tournament. Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported Cunningham had an offer from the same NBA G-League team which was after Greg Brown. After initially denying the offer, Cunningham would re-explore his options.
Cade Cunningham turned down a lucrative offer from the G-League new program that was believed at least as much Jalen Green, source told @Stadium. Cunningham had no real interest at the time, but now it will be interesting to see if he has interest and if they increase the offer.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 5, 2020
Another school possibly in trouble with the NCAA is Kansas. Bill Self’s program was apart of the same FBI investigation as Oklahoma State, but are expected to have harsher penalties.
The Cowboys only committed one violation and still received a postseason ban. For the Jayhawks, they have committed five different violations. While nothing has been reported or announced by the NCAA, if staying consistent, Kansas’ probation and possible postseason ban could prove to be one of the worst the sport has ever seen.
So what does all of this mean for the Big 12 assuming Kansas’ possible punishments does not affect the 2020-2021 season?
As a whole, the conference was looking for a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2019-2020 campaign.
Baylor and Kansas were two of the top three teams in the country last season and were expected to be 1-seeds in the NCAA Tournament had it not be canceled due to the coronavirus.
Past those two squads, the rest of the conference was a fringe tournament team or out completely. Middle tier teams such as Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia were inconsistent throughout the year.
Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and TCU all finished with losing records in the Big 12.
Now, the top six of the conference seems as if they have a great shot of making the NCAA Tournament in 2020-2021.
Baylor and Kansas will remain loaded, with both teams expected to keep a majority of their starting lineup from last season.
Yes, the Jayhawks will lose both Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike, but they will be replaced with five-star point guard Bryce Thompson and big man David McCormick.
The middle tier of the conference is where the boost is really expected. West Virginia and Texas Tech are preseason top 25 once again but should be able to maintain the success throughout the year with Bob Huggins and Chris Beard at their respective schools.
Texas is also dubbed as a top 25 team going into the season, as Shaka Smart returns 100% of his production from last season, while also adding five-star recruit Greg Brown.
Despite losing first-team All-Big 12 Kristian Doolittle, all five of Oklahoma’s starters were apart of the program last season. Brady Manek can really shoot the ball, finishing fourth in three-pointers made last season in the Big 12.
Even without Oklahoma State, six Big 12 teams are still expected to make the NCAA Tournament in 2021. If Cunningham stays in the program, the Cowboys will still be a threat to steal wins away from tournament hopeful teams and possibly destroy resumes.
After a 2019-2020 season where there was a real chance only three teams made the NCAA Tournament, the Big 12 has the opportunity to establish itself as the top conference in the country in 2020-2021.
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