ARIZONA GIVES ITSELF BAN FOR ’21 POSTSEASON
The Arizona men’s basketball program has self-imposed a one-year postseason ban related to its long-running NCAA rules infractions case.
Arizona was accused of nine counts of misconduct, including five Level I violations, in a Notice of Allegations sent by the NCAA in October. The violations include a lack of institutional control and failure to monitor by the university, and lack of head coach control by basketball coach Sean Miller.
The school announced the one-year ban Tuesday.
“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 said in a statement. “It is also in accord with the penalty guidelines of the NCAA for the type of violations involved.”
Arizona is off to a 7-1 start this season, including a 1-1 mark in the Pac-12, but won’t have the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament.
The postseason ban includes the Pac-12 tournament. Arizona’s season will end against Arizona State on March 6.
Tuesday’s games
No. 1 Gonzaga 112, Dixie State 67: Corey Kispert scored 25 points, Joel Ayayi added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Gonzaga (9-0) beat visiting Dixie State (4-2).
No. 2 Baylor 93, Central Arkansas 56: MaCio Teague scored 20 points on 9of-13 shooting, preseason AP All-America guard Jared Butler had 17 points and host Baylor remained undefeated at 7-0 with a rout of Central Arkansas (1-7).
Tulsa 65, No. 5 Houston 64: Brandon Rachal hit two free throws with a tenth of a second remaining and finished with 22 points as Tulsa (5-3, 2-1 American) topped unbeaten Houston (7-1, 2-1).
No. 9 West Virginia 75, Northeastern 51: Derek Culver scored 18 points, Oscar Tshiebwe had 12 points and 15 rebounds and West Virginia (8-2) capitalized on its size advantage to beat visiting Northeastern (1-5).
No. 10 Iowa 87, No. 16 Northwestern 72: Jordan Bohannon scored 24 points, CJ Fredrick added 19 and Luka Garza finished with 18 as Iowa defeated Northwestern (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten). The Hawkeyes (8-2, 2-1) won their eighth consecutive home game against a ranked opponent.
No. 13 Texas Tech 79, Incarnate Word 51: Kevin McCullar scored 11 points in his season debut coming off an ankle injury and host Texas Tech (8-2) cruised past Incarnate Word (1-4).
No. 14 Rutgers 81, Purdue 76: Montez Mathis had a career-high 25 points, including 16 in the second half, and Rutgers (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) beat visiting Purdue (7-4, 2-2) without leading scorer Ron Harper Jr. (ankle).
Clemson 77, No. 18 Florida State 67: Clyde Trapp scored 15 points and Nick Honor had all his 13 points in the second half as host Clemson (7-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) rallied past Florida State (5-2, 1-1).
No. 24 Virginia Tech 80, Miami 78: Keve Aluma scored a career-high 26 points and Virginia Tech (8-1, 2-0 ACC ) made crucial free throws in the final minute on the way to a victory over visiting Miami (4-3, 0-2 ACC).
West
USC 86, Santa Clara 63: Evan Mobley had 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and host USC (5-1) beat Santa Clara (6-2), the first game for the Trojans in nearly three weeks.