Let’s get right to it. The Big 12 is the most corrupt league in all of sports. They will stop at nothing to prevent Kansas from winning the conference, AGAIN. Everyone who knows anything about college basketball knows that Kansas has won 14 straight Big 12 regular season titles. That doesn’t mean they haven’t overcome outside forces to do so. Let’s take a look at just some of the most ridiculous attempts from the Big 12 and NCAA to end the streak. From the beginning….
2011-12 Ben McLemore and Jamari Traylor ruled ineligible
Has anyone ever heard of the term “partial qualifier”? Yeah, me neither. Seems like qualifying for college is either a yes you did or no you didn’t type of situation. But apparently the Big 12 is the only conference in the country where “partial qualifiers” are ineligible. Granted, Traylor probably wouldn’t have played the biggest role, but to take McLemore out of the lineup would be like taking Jeter off the Yankees for most of the 2000s. 16 points, 5 rebounds, 42% from 3 as a “redshirt” freshman the next year! You don’t think that would have made an impact in the lineup instead of walk-on turned 6th man Connor Teahan taking up 25 minutes per game?? Shame on you Big 12.
2013-14 Joel Embiid bounty
They would like you to think that Embiid’s back injury that caused him to miss the final 6 games of the regular season and all of the post season was just a fluke. No, no, no. The Big 12 had a hit on him. Introducing Dexter Pittman. 700 lb monster from Texas spends the whole game laying elbows and forearm shiffers into Embiid’s lower back before finishing him off with a powerbomb on the baseline that ends his season. Mike Tyson is the only person who can compete with a broken back. Spinal…..
2014-15 Cliff Alexander
Not much public knowledge into this topic, but “allegedly” his mom took a loan out against his future earnings. Since when is it wrong for a person to do that. Start up and small businesses do it ALL THE FUCKING TIME!! Nope, your poor and black. You’re out. This is why Kaep started kneeling.
2015-16 Cheick Diallo
The circus surrounding the eligibility of Cheick Diallo is when the world really got introduced to the fuckery that Mark Emmert is still running around. Need transcripts to see if he meets NCAA standards? Sure, makes sense. They get that. Nope, not good enough. We need the 6th grade math report card from Mali. WHAT THE FUCK?! NCAA is out here trying to decide what curriculum is adequate for entire country. Then Emmert doubles down. Who does he put in charge of this case? Oliver Fucking Luck. Most people may know him as the current XFL Commissioner. Can you even take anything related to Vince McMahon serious? To Kansas fans, Oliver Luck was AD at West Virginia who gave Bob Huggins a contract that included a $100K bonus for every time he beat Kansas. Does this sound like a guy who’s going to make an impartial ruling in this case? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. Diallo and Kansas had to jump through hoops to please this man until lawyers finally cornered him with the fact he had nothing against the kid and had to rule him eligible. But not until midway through the season so his footing was a little off and the full Diallo was never seen by college basketball. Look at the numbers he’s putting up in New Orleans right now to see the kind of player that was forced to sit out for no reason other than he chose to go to Kansas.
2017-18 Billy Preston
Ruled ineligible because his mom’s gay lover decided to give him a car. Was this someone trying to get on his good side in hopes of getting some of the NBA money that was coming? No. This was a woman who has been in his life since he was a small child and even lived in the same home for close to a decade. Essentially his step mom, but since they weren’t legally married and he wasn’t adopted by her, this was an NCAA violation. Fuck. That.
And that brings us to this year. The year they finally pulled out all the stops. And with 2 games remaining in the regular, it looks like the corrupt powers that be might just finally pull it off.
Silvio De Sousa
Not only is he ruled ineligible for this season, but next season as well. He is ineligible because his guardian accepted money from an Adidas fall guy. Why is this detail important? Because not only has the NCAA allowed Bruno Fernando to play for Maryland, they are about to give him awards and accolades for his play this year. But wait, what does a Maryland player have to do with Silvio de Sousa, you ask? Remember the “guardian” who accepted money? Well, plot twist! He’s Fernando’s guardian too!!! So one kid is ineligible because he went to Kansas, while another is going to make All-American teams because he went to Maryland. At least try to hide it better, NCAA.
But that’s not it.
Udoka Azubuike
Freak injury in practice? Or, bounty #2 by the NCAA? Just so happens this happens before the Iowa State game? In Ames, no less. This has Melvin Weatherwax written all over it. Mr. Wax is a prominent ISU booster famously known for charging after Bill Self looking to fight following the Jayhawks win in 2013.
https://deadspin.com/after-loss-to-kansas-angry-iowa-state-fan-rushes-court-5986921
Does this look like a guy who doesn’t hold a grudge? He put a hit out on a Azubuike and everyone knows it.
Last, but certainly not least…..
Other Teams
Coming down the home stretch of the season, you can’t believe teams aren’t laying down for Texas Tech and Kansas State at this point. Last night, for example, TCU is playing for their season right now as they are a bubble team. What do they do? Play their #2 scorer 26 minutes and only give him 4 shots. If that’s not a forfeit without forfeiting I don’t know what is. What does Texas do in the same boat? Kick their best player, Kerwin Roach, off the team with 5 games remaining. Feb 9, what does Baylor do at home against 1st place Kansas State? Hold out their 2 leading scorers while inexplicably playing a walk-on a season high 10 minutes. Bob Huggins gave up on the season as soon as Konate went down and promptly kicked 2 other starters off the team. Iowa State and Texas Tech close out the season against each other. With Tech holding a 1 game lead with 1 game remaining, I fully expect Iowa State to rest multiple starters who have “nagging injuries” in preparation for March.
Fuck the NCAA. Fuck the Big 12. And, fuck Mark Emmert.
