Morgantown, West Virginia – Oklahoma State, West Virginia’s opponent on Thursday in the Big 12 Tournament, was handed a postseason ban at the beginning of the season and should not be allowed to play past the regular season.
Lamont Evans, a former assistant coach for the Cowboys, accepted approximately $20,000 in bribes to direct players to sign with certain financial advisors. For this, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions handed down the punishment of 3 years of probation and a 2020-2021 postseason ban for the basketball team.
Oklahoma State appealed the ban earlier in the season and the NCAA has yet to respond to the appeal.
So, the postseason ban should absolutely still be in effect.
However, Oklahoma State is still expected to play in the Big 12 Tournament. What kind of punishment is this?
Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Boynton said he hasn’t heard anything about the appeal process since the school filed it.
“No, not at this point”, Boynton said. “It’s not moving as fast as I think people thought it was and I think thought it would initially, I don’t know if we have anymore clarity on the finality of it at this point. As soon as we know more information, we’ll pass it along.”
So the Oklahoma State Cowboys will play in a game and in a tournament that they have absolutely no business participating in. The West Virginia Mountaineers should be given a bye and should be allowed to prepare for the top-ranked Baylor Bears on Friday.
