We have seen teams stripped of their Final Four appearances (most notably Memphis in 2008, and Michigan in 1992 and 1993). However, the only other time you can remember a major championship being stripped (or “vacated” as the NCAA likes to term) is USC’s football title in 2004.
Pitino was 415-171 in 16 years at Louisville, where the Cardinals made the postseason every year. The only times the Cardinals did not make the NCAA tournament were his first year in 2001-02, and 2005-06, the first year the Cardinals joined the Big East Conference.
Then came the “pay for play” scandal from 2017, that led to Pitino’s eventual firing, along with six other programs in the “Power Five” conferences (Auburn, Miami (FL), Oklahoma State, South Carolina, and Alabama). Louisville was the only one considered a marquee program, although Miami has come very far in building up their program in the past few seasons.
Getting the New York Knicks to a division title in 1989, Pitino bolted back to college, taking over at Kentucky. The Wildcats were already on probation, stemming from the Eddie Sutton scandal. Kentucky never missed the tournament after coming off probation, including the 1996 National Championship. Pitino could not resist the bright lights of the NBA, leaving Kentucky for the Boston Celtics. Well, the Celtics never finished over .500 in any of his first three seasons, and he resigned midway through the 2000-01 campaign.
Pitino was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, has five Final Four appearances, and is 33rd on the all-time NCAA list of coaching wins (769).
The NCAA was not about to drop the “Death Penalty” on Louisville in lieu of the scandal, which four assistance coaches, and Adidas executive James Gatto were arrested on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery. Nor is Pitino likely to get another high-profile college coaching job again. You may see him go the Jim Tressel route, and become an Athletic Director or school president somewhere.
Then again, having Pitino that much closer to the money and/or corruption that got him essentially fired is a scenario no school is likely to pursue.
Taking a banner down, or stopping the sales of championship merchandise is about on par with Lonestar losing the ring for The Schwartz. The 74,326 that watched Pitino’s Cardinals beat Michigan cannot be scrubbed from memory like Men In Black. Kevin Ware, who disturbingly broke his leg in front of millions worldwide the year before in the Final Four, will not give up the piece of the net he cut down after sitting on the bench when the Cardinals won it all.
We see programs like Kentucky, North Carolina, and Duke take the form of being “one-and-done” NBA training grounds. You also have players like Missouri’s Michael Porter Jr. who is likely to jump after playing just two minutes in the Tigers’ season opener, before suffering a back injury assumed to keep him out the rest of the season. Porter could be expected to return for the Tigers’ postseason run.
Wolverine head coach John Beilein has already stated publicly that Michigan will not put in a claim with the NCAA for the vacated championship. In the eyes of the NCAA, the game was never played, but Wolverine and Wichita State fans have already voiced their opinions of hanging banners in the Crisler or Charles Koch Arena(s), respectively. Neither school can legally raise such a banner, unless ruled upon by the NCAA.
The NFL is not going to take away the New England Patriots Super Bowl trophies for Deflategate and Spygate, despite the team having been found at fault by the league’s investigations. This is not a call for the NCAA to give the title to Michigan, but the Wolverines should be permitted to have some semi-official recognition for getting to the title game, and acknowledging Louisville used underhanded tactics to get to the same level.
-JC24