Syracuse bans men’s basketball team from postseason play

Syracuse University has imposed a postseason ban on the men’s basketball team this season amid findings of past NCAA rules violations.

The one-year ban includes the ACC tournament, the NCAA tournament and the NIT, the school said.

The self-inflicted punishment is the result of an investigation that began in 2007, when the school reported potential rules violations to the NCAA. Syracuse appeared before the NCAA committee on infractions last October, and the school said Wednesday that it already had alerted the NCAA of its self-imposed penalty.

Syracuse said the ban was instituted “as a further means of acknowledging past mistakes.”

Syracuse said it has imposed other penalties, which will be announced when the NCAA committee issues its report.

“The University has taken this matter seriously and worked with the NCAA for nearly eight years to investigate and address potential rules violations. The process has been exhaustive,” Chancellor Kent Syverud said. “We have taken responsibility for past violations and worked hard to ensure they are not repeated.”

Coach Jim Boeheim, whose team is 15-7, said, “I am very disappointed that our basketball team will miss the opportunity to play in the postseason this year. However, I supported this decision and I believe the university is doing the right thing by acknowledging that past mistakes occurred. Our players have faced adversity and challenges before. I know they will rise to this challenge by keeping our program strong and continuing to make our university proud.”