Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.
KENTUCKY ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT PLACED ON NCAA PROBATION, FOOTBALL WINS VACATED
The NCAA brought down the hammer on Kentucky’s football and swimming programs on Thursday, placing the university’s athletic department on two-year probation while vacating wins from the Wildcats’ 2021 football season — including the team’s Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.
The NCAA found that Kentucky’s football program provided “impermissible benefits” to at least 11 student-athletes, who received payment for unperformed work during 2021 and 2022. Eight of those 11 athletes went on to compete and receive compensation despite being ineligible.
The 2021 season was one of the most successful campaigns in Kentucky football lore, with the Wildcats claiming double-digit wins for just the fourth time in program history. Now, that season will be wiped from the record books.
In addition to violations levied on the Kentucky football program, the NCAA discovered that the Wildcats’ men’s and women’s swimming programs exceeded limits on countable athletically related activities for nearly three years. The university agreed that it failed to adequately monitor its swimming programs.
KATIE LEDECKY… ACC LEGEND?
The latest wave of conference realignment finally ended on Thursday as the Big Ten officially added Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA to its ranks.
With realignment comes the opportunity for conferences to claim the histories and athletes of their new programs. Perhaps the most egregious case of this newfound issue came on Wednesday when the ACC congratulated Olympic legend and Stanford alum Katie Ledecky for claiming the gold medal in the 1500-meter freestyle.
— The ACC (@theACC) July 31, 2024
Ledecky bringing home the #AccomplishGreatness x #OlympiansMadeHere pic.twitter.com/GjdiTz9wiQ
The only problem? Ledecky never competed as a member of the ACC.
Ledecky’s illustrious collegiate career with the Cardinal — in which she racked up eight NCAA individual titles and two team national championships — came entirely while Stanford was a member of the Pac-12.
Props to the ACC, though. Whenever you get a chance to claim one of the greatest Olympians of all time, you have to take it!
BIG TEN CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS TO GO WEST
With the Big Ten’s westward expansion finally becoming official, the conference announced plans to move its future postseason basketball tournaments out west.
Spanning all 3 time zones across the Big Ten!
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) July 31, 2024
Here are the hosts for the 2025-2028 Mens and Womens Basketball Tournaments: https://t.co/lDiAEA5oVI#B1GMBBT l #B1GWBBT pic.twitter.com/clkRFmWP7O
The 2025 Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will share a familiar venue in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, but the two tournaments will be played at separate venues in 2026 and beyond.
In 2026, the women’s tournament will remain in Indianapolis while the men will compete at the United Center in Chicago. The 2027 women’s tournament will be the first played in the Pacific Time Zone, with T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, serving as the host site, while the men return to Indianapolis.
In 2028, the men’s tournament will shift out west to Las Vegas, while the women will play at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.
ICYMI
Former Ohio State and Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, and he sat down with 11W beat reporter Dan Hope to discuss his time as a Buckeye under legendary head coach Woody Hayes.
Ohio State opened fall camp on Thursday and head coach Ryan Day was encouraged by the developments made by transfer quarterback Will Howard.
11W men’s basketball beat reporter Andy Anders analyzes Ohio State’s first full roster of the Jake Diebler era.
WHAT'S NEXT
- 27 Days: Ohio State’s season–opener against Akron
- 118 Days: The Game
