College basketball's 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

College basketball’s 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

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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Nov 02, 2007 – Memphis, Tennessee, USA – University Of Memphis Basketball Player DERRICK ROSE. (Photo by Albert Dickson/Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images) /

4. Derrick Rose

It takes a very special kind of cheating to end up in the top five of this list, and what Derrick Rose pulled off certainly qualifies. Memphis gets an assist for overlooking Rose’s transgression, but let’s explain a little bit.

The Tigers were a dominant force in 2008, cruising to a no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after going 33-1 during the regular season. Memphis’ best player was Rose, who was the catalyst for an incredible offense that carried the Tigers all the way to the national championship game.

The Tigers ended up losing that game to Kansas in heartbreaking fashion, with a litany of missed free throws dooming Memphis to an overtime loss. Many assumed the story of Memphis would be one of promise unfulfilled, but things took a dramatic turn after the season.

Reports emerged questioning the eligibility of Rose, who had since departed for the NBA, over his SAT scores. It eventually came out that Rose did not actually take the SAT, having someone else take it in his name, which made him retroactively ineligible for any games Memphis played.

The NCAA forced Memphis to vacate the entire season, including their trip to the title game. The Tigers also had to give up all NCAA Tournament revenue from that year.