While You're Waiting...Baylor Penalized (Kind of)

This green bear looks like someone put their can of Griz Wintergreen through the washer Due to some phone call and text violations (that's it, I'm sure...ಠ_ಠ), Baylor got into hot water with the NCAA recently.   A 66-page report came out, citing 738 impermissible text messages and 528 impermissible phone calls from the men's and women's basketball teams combined.   The most damning claim, however, was against former (now resigned) men's assistant Mark Morefield, who apparently committed a major violation by attempting to influence two AAU coaches to lie to the NCAA regarding text messages. After reviewing the evidence, the NCAA has put Baylor on three years probation and suspended Scott Drew for two Big 12 games next season.  From this ESPN report, here are the additional self-imposed sanctions Baylor suggested and the NCAA accepted:

- Mulkey -- whose 2011-12 squad went 40-0 and won the NCAA title -- will be prohibited from recruiting off-campus for the entire summer recruiting period (July 1-31). - McKinney hasn't been allowed to make recruiting calls to prospective student-athletes since Jan. 1. The ban will be lifted on May 1. - Baylor's women's basketball program lost two of its 15 scholarships in 2011-12. - Baylor's men's program lost one scholarship for both the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. - Drew and Tang were prohibited from making recruiting calls from Jan. 1 to Feb. 29 of this year. - The maximum number of official visits allowed to the men's basketball team in 2012-13 was reduced from 12 to seven.

The talking heads agree - Baylor really got off easy here.  Partially because the assistant who did the worst deed is already gone, and partially because...well, who knows.  Maybe they just really like that Scott Drew guy.  Must be a really nice guy - how else does he get 5-star recruits to attend BAYLOR?  Certainly not by breaking any rules...oh, wait.  Nevermind.  The report states he "failed to monitor" his assistants and program sufficiently. __________________________________________ The LIVE BLOG is coming at 7:30 PM.  I know you're anxious.  It'll all be okay, don't worry. Until then, sit back, grab some popcorn (or a beer/bourbon if you anticipate disappointment), and watch.  These guys are doing it - so should you. So many mixed emotions.  Oh, and some guy wrote an article on why Noel and Shabazz should NOT go to Kentucky.  He thinks it'll ruin the fun of March Madness.  As UK fans, I'd say we whole-heartedly disagree. We wait.  And so it goes.