The Louisville men's basketball must vacate its national championship from 2012-13 along with a Final Four appearance in 2011-12 after the NCAA denied its appeal Tuesday.
Does that mean it didn't happen? The Cardinals aren't the first school to have a Final Four vacated. Before the expanded bracket era started in 1984-85, Saint Joesph's (1960-61), Western Kentucky (1970-71), Villanova (1970-71) and UCLA (1979-80) had Final Four appearances stripped from the record books.
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Louisville's 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams join seven other schools that have vacated Final Fours since 1984-85. That doesn't mean we don't remember the teams. In fact, Sporting News decided to rank those teams from 1-9.
If it didn't happen, there's no harm in ranking them, right? Let's take a closer look
1. Louisville (2012-13)
Record: 35-5
Coach: Rick Pitino
Star players: Russ Smith, Peyton Siva, Luke Hancock
Why NCAA got involved: The NCAA penalties are the result of an investigation that included allegations that a former Louisville staff member arranged for striptease dances and sex acts for players and recruits during parties at an on-campus dormitory from 2011 to 2015.
What didn't happen: A memorable tournament run in which Kevin Ware suffered a gruesome broken leg in the Elite Eight victory against Duke. Russ Smith's frenetic play, Luke Hancock's 3-point barrage in the championship against Michigan and a memorable block by Peyton Siva on Michigan's Trey Burke in an 82-76 victory in the national championship game. Pitino even got a tattoo to commemorate the occasion. Should he have that removed, too? The next two teams on this list might be better, but they didn't win the national championship.
2. Michigan (1992-93)
Record: 31-5
Coach: Steve Fisher
Star players: Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson, Jimmy King
Why NCAA got involved: The basketball program was penalized after an investigation involving booster Ed Martin's relationship with several members of the program. Martin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder money after telling prosecutors he combined gambling money with payments of more than $600,000 to four Michigan players.
What didn't happen: Webber's ill-fated timeout, which was the culmination of a second run to the NCAA championship game. Michigan lost 77-71 to North Carolina in the national championship game, part of a fantastic Final Four in which the Wolverines beat Pitino-led Kentucky 81-78 in the previous round. The loss to the Tar Heels was the last game all five members of the Fab Five played together.
3. Memphis (2007-08)
Record: 38-2
Coach: John Calipari
Star players: Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier
Why NCAA got involved:The NCAA accused Memphis of several major infractions under Calipari, including a fraudulent SAT score later found to be Rose. Memphis was given three years of probation.
What didn't happen: Memphis dominated Conference-USA with a 16-0 record and stormed through the tournament. The Tigers beat a UCLA team led by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love in the Final Four before blowing a lead in the final two minutes against Kansas, which set up Mario Chalmers' unforgettable shot. Memphis lost 75-68.
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4. Michigan (1991-92)
Record: 25-9
Coach: Steve Fisher
Star players: The Fab Five
Why NCAA got involved: The same violations mentioned for the 1992-93 team.
What didn't happen: Michigan made a run to the national championship game with five freshman starters, a run that included a thrilling 75-71 victory against No. 1 seed Ohio State in the Southeast Region final. The Wolverines beat Cincinnati in the Final Four before losing 71-51 to Duke in the national championship game.
5. UMass (1995-96)
Record: 35-2
Coach: John Calipari
Star players: Marcus Camby, Donta Bright, Carmelo Travieso
Why NCAA got involved: A NCAA investigation found Camby accepted gifts from agents while still in school and was ruled ineligible.
What didn't happen: Calipari's heated battles with Temple coach John Chaney. UMass finished 15-1 in the Atlantic 10 that season. Forget about those. Camby's emergence as a NCAA tournament icon for leading the Minutemen to the Final Four through Arkansas and Allen Iverson-led Georgetown. UMass' run ended at the Final Four in a loss to eventual national champion Kentucky, led by Pitino.
6. Memphis State (1984-85)
Record: 31-4
Coach: Dana Kirk
Star players: Keith Lee, William Bedford, Andre Turner, Vincent Askew
Why NCAA got involved: Kirk was fired a year later after being indicted by a federal grand jury. Kirk was convicted on one count of obstruction of justice, one count of income tax evasion and three counts of filing false tax statements.
What didn't happen: Memphis finished 13-1 in the Metro Conference. Lee, a 6-foot-11 center who had 2,408 points and 1,336 rebounds, led the Tigers to the Final Four, where they lost to eventual national champion Villanova in an upset that preceded the Wildcats' victory against Georgetown.
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7. Minnesota (1996-97)
Record: 31-4
Coach: Clem Haskins
Star players: Bobby Jackson, Sam Jacobson, Eric Harris
Why NCAA got involved: An academic fraud scandal involving Haskins, an academic adviser and a secretary involving "400 pieces of course work for at least 18 student-athletes" from 1994-98.
What didn't happen: Jackson's high socks, Jacobson's shooting or Harris' high-flying dunks for a team that finished 16-2 in Big Ten play before a run through the NCAA tournament that ended with a thrilling 78-69 loss to eventual national champion Kentucky – coached by Pitino? Of course not.
8. Louisville (2011-12)
Record: 30-10
Coach: Rick Pitino
Star players: Kyle Kuric, Russ Smith, Gorgui Dieng
Why NCAA got involved: The same violations mentioned that vacated the 2012-13 national championship.
What didn't happen: The Cardinals' run through the West bracket as a No. 3 seed, which included a 57-44 victory against Michigan State in the Sweet 16. The Cardinals beat Florida 72-68 in the Elite Eight on a late basket by Chane Behanan, and that set up a Final Four matchup against in-state rival Kentucky and Calipari. Kentucky won 69-61 en route to a national championship.
9. Ohio State (1998-99)
Record: 27-9
Coach: Jim O'Brien
Star players: Scoonie Penn, Michael Redd, Ken Johnson
Why NCAA got involved: O'Brien admitted to giving money to overseas recruits Aleksandar Radojevic and Slobodan Savovic, the latter who played on the Final Four team in 1999.
What didn't happen: Penn's deep 3-pointers, Redd's smooth drives to the hoop or Johnson's block shots. The Buckeyes finished 12-4 in the Big Ten and made a run that included a Sweet 16 victory against Auburn and Chris Porter – who was suspended after admitting to taking money from an agent the following season. The Buckeyes lost in the Final Four to eventual national champion UConn.
