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NCAA Basketball News and Notes: Cardinals Receive Allegation Notification

It seems like ages ago that the NCAA men’s basketball tournament was canceled, one of the initial significant decisions of the current pandemic. Even though the season is over, though, it doesn’t mean that news has halted out of the college basketball world. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the basketball news from around the country:

Louisville Hit With Multiple NCAA Allegations

Earlier this week, Louisville was notified of allegations by the NCAA from incidents that happened during Rick Pitino’s time as coach. One of those allegations is considered to be a level I allegation, which is seen as the harshest that can be levied by the NCAA.

The level I violation comes from 2017 when 10 men were arrested around the country, all stemming from illegal pay to play recruiting that included schools, sporting companies and others. At Louisville, it stemmed from the recruitment of Brian Bowen II, which included benefits to him and his family.

The school also had two level II violations levied against them by the NCAA, but those were not necessarily tied to Pitino.

From here, Louisville will have the opportunity to respond, followed by committees being set up and likely several months, if not years of investigation before any punishment may be handed down.

This is not the first time that Louisville has been in trouble as they were on probation from 2015 when they were in the midst of a scandal that involved the program’s use of escorts (one that resulted in them having to forfeit their 2013 tournament championship).

Needless to say, Louisville could be facing a really rough road ahead, given their history of shady behavior.

It is not to say that Pitino will go unscathed, as the new Iona head coach may also be subject to some of the penalties depending on what the findings are.

Sarr Transfers To Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats got a little bit stronger this week as Wake Forest big man, Olivier Sarr, has decided to transfer to the Wildcats.

The 7-foot center from Toulouse, France, averaged 13.7 points on 52.7% shooting this season. He also averaged nine rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game this season.

The one interesting thing to watch will be how quickly Sarr is eligible. Technically, he is not a grad transfer, which means he would have to sit out a season, but with a coaching change at Wake Forest, the Wildcats are hoping he can get an exception from the NCAA.

Wake Forest Brings In Forbes

As mentioned in the previous section, Sarr transferred after a coaching change at Wake Forest that saw the previous coach, Danny Manning, being fired. His replacement comes in the form of Steve Forbes, who had previously been the head coach of East Tennessee State.

In five seasons with East Tennessee, Forbes went 130-43 overall, including two regular-season and conference titles in the Southern Conference.

Forbes will certainly have his work cut out for him. The Demon Deacons went just 13-18 this year, and that is before seeing the big man Sarr transfer. Still, it is a great opportunity for Forbes, and he will look to right the ship for Wake Forest moving forward.

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