Will the Kentucky basketball program have to vacate wins?
By Drew Koch
With the latest report from Yahoo Sports citing players from the Kentucky basketball program, will the Wildcats have to vacate wins from previous years?
With the latest report from Yahoo Sports citing players from the Kentucky basketball program, Big Blue Nation is sure to be on edge. Will the Wildcats have to vacate wins from previous seasons?
Federal documents obtained by Yahoo Sports listed Kevin Knox, Bam Adebayo and Nerlens Noel. Knox was listed a player who had a meeting or meal with ASM agent Christian Dawkins. The document listed Noel and Adebayo as players who received a loan. So now the question becomes, will the Kentucky basketball program have to vacate wins?
The short answer is, we don’t know. However, it’s hard to imagine UK escapes without some sort of punishment given the amount of money Adebayo is alleged to have received. Last season, the Wildcats finished 32-6 and lost in the Elite Eight to North Carolina.
Bam Adebayo was a prominent member of last year’s team. Adebayo averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds per game. He was selected No. 14 in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat. Adebayo is currently averaging 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in his rookie season.
Nerlens Noel was John Calipari’s prize player from the 2012 recruiting class. An injury tragically cut Noel’s freshman season short. Noel tore his ACL against in a loss to Florida and only played 24 games for the Cats in 2012-13.
Noel would forego his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2013 NBA Draft. The New Orleans Pelicans drafted Noel with the 6th pick and later traded him to Philadelphia. The 76ers unloaded Noel last season to Dallas and he is now in the doghouse for the Mavericks. In only 18 games this season, he is averaging just 4 points per game.
UK could be forced to vacate 49 (2013 – 17 and 2017 – 32) wins, if the allegations prove to be true, and the NCAA takes action against the Kentucky basketball program. While that is not a good thing, no one on Kentucky’s coaching has been implicated as of yet.
Big Blue Nation can also take solace in the fact that Kentucky’s NCAA leading program in wins will be safe. After all, the report implicates North Carolina, Duke and Kansas as well.