Kentucky finally sets John Calipari's record straight

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - This just in: Kentucky basketball is going to play by the rules.

Kentucky basketball is going to abide by the decisions of the NCAA Infractions Com­mittee.

Kentucky basketball is going to acknowl­edge a higher power than Kentucky basket­ball.

Henceforth, but better late than never.

Considering that Kentucky basketball may slip but never bows down, this has got to be the biggest upset in the history of the sport, at least in the month of June.

It took an overzealous and selective warning from the Infractions Committee chairman to get it done, but Kentucky fi­nally has agreed to set the record straight on John Calipari 's record.

Unedited, Calipari has 509 career victo­ries.

Adjusted, not for inflation, but for vaca­tion, he has 467.

Kentucky's belated but official statement on the matter is one sentence long, but it makes a number of statements all its own.

"After consulting with the NCAA, the Uni­versity of Kentucky has been informed that the honoring of our head men's basketball coach for his 500th career victory on Feb. 26, 2011, was in error, and that henceforth, we will reflect our head men's basketball coach's career record in our media guides, Internet sites and other publications con­sistent with the NCAA's official records and statistics."

Where to begin?

Did Kentucky really have to be informed that Calipari's 1996 UMass team had to vacate four victories because star player Marcus Camby was found guilty of receiving extra benefits?

Kentucky beat that UMass team in the Final Four.

Did Kentucky also have to be informed that Calipari's 2008 Memphis team had to vacate all 38 victories because the NCAA didn't believe that star player Derrick Rose had taken his own standardized test?

Kentucky hired Calipari from Memphis.

Did Kentucky really not understand that the Infractions Committee says what it means and means what it says?

Granted, the committee does a better job of handing out sanctions than enforcing them. Since the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader first reported the committee's displeasure at Kentucky's defiance, various media outlets and independent Internet detectives have discovered that other schools have failed to make the appropriate adjustments to their coaches' records.

Three of those schools happen to be members of the MEAC.

New basketball rules approved - Vanderbilt Official Athletic Site

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a number of rule changes that will impact men's and women's basketball for the 2011-12 season.

The panel announced the addition of a restricted-area arc for men's and women's basketball. The arc will be located three feet from the center of the basket and was put into place to limit the number of collisions near the basket.

Also changing is the naming of fouls. The term intentional foul has been eliminated and replaced with Flagrant 1. The current term of Flagrant foul will be replaced with the term Flagrant 2.

A foul involving elbow contact above the shoulders of an opponent and everything currently located under the intentional foul rule will be located under the term Flagrant 1. The penalty for a Flagrant 1 will be two free throws and the ball.

A Flagrant 2 foul will continue to carry a penalty of ejection and two free throws and the ball.

Also of note is a change to when a coach requests a monitor review for a flagrant foul. In the women's game, a coach can request a review for a Flagrant 1 or 2 foul. In the men's game, a coach can request a review for a Flagrant 2. However, if a coach requests a monitor review and no such foul occurred, the team will be charged a timeout. If no timeouts remain, the team will be assessed a technical foul.

Specific to women's basketball, the three-point line will move back to 20'9", which is an increase of one foot, and currently the same distance used by the men.

Women's basketball teams will also have an experimental 10-second half-court rule in closed scrimmages and exhibition games next season.

Official basketball rules

Official basketball rules

Official basketball rules for men and women, 1980-1984

Official basketball rules, as adopted by the Amateur Athletic Union and Young Men's Christian Association Athletic League of North America

Official basketball rules