Fansided

College basketball’s 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

By Mike Phillips

ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 23: Rick Pitino, Head Coach of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens react during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play Off game 3 between Panathinaikos Opap Athens v Real Madrid at Olympic Sports Center Athens on April 23, 2019 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images)
ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 23: Rick Pitino, Head Coach of Panathinaikos OPAP Athens react during the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Play Off game 3 between Panathinaikos Opap Athens v Real Madrid at Olympic Sports Center Athens on April 23, 2019 in Athens, Greece. (Photo by Panagiotis Moschandreou/EB via Getty Images) /
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UCLA HEAD COACH JIM HARRICK MAKES A POINT DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THEIR NCAA FINAL FOUR GAME VERSUS OKLAHOMA STATE AT THE KINGDOME IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. UCLA WON 74-61 TO ADVANCE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON MONDAY.
UCLA HEAD COACH JIM HARRICK MAKES A POINT DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THEIR NCAA FINAL FOUR GAME VERSUS OKLAHOMA STATE AT THE KINGDOME IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. UCLA WON 74-61 TO ADVANCE TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON MONDAY. /

There has been plenty of cheating throughout the history of college basketball, but who has become the biggest cheater in NCAA hoops history?

According to the dictionary definition, a cheater is a person who acts dishonestly to gain an advantage. That seems apropos for college sports, particularly college basketball, which has seen plenty of schools, coaches, and players cheat throughout history in order to try and get an edge.

Most of the time that edge is for trying to win at all costs, with programs and coaches taking shortcuts to try and get the best players to come to schools in pursuit of a national championship. Players can also get caught up cheating in terms of getting a bit of “extra” help academically or receiving financial benefits that violate the nature of amateur athletics.

We could sit here all day and list out all the various cheaters in the history of college basketball, but not everyone has that kind of time. We have gone through all of the major cheating scandals in college hoops history and have identified the top 30 cheaters, which you are about to find out about as you embark on this list.

As with any list, there is plenty of room for debate, which we encourage in our comments section. For now, however, let’s get it started with a look at our 30th biggest cheater in college basketball history, former St. John’s head coach Mike Jarvis.