The NCAA’s self-titled infractions “off-ramp,” which for so long has been a road to nowhere, has finally issued its first ruling. The end result looks a lot like everything else pertaining to the federal investigation of corruption in college basketball: harder on fired Black assistant coaches than anyone else.
The Independent Accountability Review Process handed North Carolina State its fate Monday, and the Wolfpack can exhale. They are eligible to compete in the 2022 postseason, though the current 7–4 team will have to do a lot of work to make the NCAA Tournament. There were some light recruiting sanctions and the usual fines, but there was no postseason ban assessed.