NCAA allows Syracuse to count 3 scholarships toward penalty

Jan 12, 2016 - 11:45 PM SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) The NCAA Committee on Infractions has approved Syracuse University's request to begin serving its men's basketball scholarship penalty this season, the university said in a release Tuesday.

The NCAA originally sanctioned Syracuse last March with the loss of three scholarships a year for a four-year period. That penalty was part of the punishment for violations within the men's basketball program. The university appealed and the governing body reduced the penalty to eight over four years.

While the appeal was pending, the university voluntarily forfeited three scholarships for the current season and Chancellor Kent Syverud requested in a December letter that the Committee on Infractions count those three scholarships against the eight-scholarship penalty.

Greg Sankey, who chairs the Committee on Infractions, notified the university last week of its decision. That means Syracuse will lose two scholarships in each of the next two years and one in 2018-19.

The NCAA allows schools to have 13 student-athletes on scholarship for men's basketball. That puts Syracuse three scholarships under the NCAA limit this year. The team, which has signed letters of intent from Matthew Moyer and Tyus Battle in this year's recruiting class, will lose fifth-year seniors Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney after this season.