NCAA Hits Syracuse Basketball, Jim Boeheim Hard

So much for trying to dodge suspensions and scholarship losses.

The Syracuse Orange removed themselves from postseason play this season, but apparently that did not matter. The team and head coach Jim Boeheim are still going to be hit hard.

NCAA orders Syracuse basketball to lose 3 scholarships a year for 4 years. MORE: http://t.co/zmiI5lnL7J

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 6, 2015

Can Syracuse still be a contender throughout this entire mess? That is the real question. Here’s a simple answer: Maybe. In no way will it be easy losing Boeheim, one of the greatest minds in college basketball, for nine conference games. Considering conference play is a big part of the schedule, and Syracuse plays in the mighty ACC, those nine games are going to be brutal for the Orange.

Plus, losing three scholarships a year for four years basically speaks for itself.

Hopefully future prospects are still going to want to play for this program, or else we could see some really tough times for Syracuse.

All of this just spells doom for the Orange. The program will have to vacate wins, it loses scholarships, it will be without its coach for nine games — none of this is good.

It was a nice try to pull the self-imposed ban trick earlier in the season, but that apparently did nothing. We will have to wait and see how Syracuse responds to this, but the NCAA has certainly dropped the hammer on this basketball program. This should serve as a warning for every team out there.