Extra satisfaction in beating Arizona amid FBI probe? For Colorado's Tad Boyle, 'absolutely'
Tad Boyle has beaten Sean Miller and Arizona before. Multiple times, in fact. And not too long ago, either. Colorado beat the Wildcats two seasons ago.
But Saturday’s upset of No. 14 Arizona was more special than past upsets for Boyle. Asked after the game whether there was extra satisfaction in beating Wildcats given the ongoing FBI probe in which Arizona is implicated, Boyle didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely,” he said. “Absolutely.”
“It’s ironic we’re playing Arizona,” he continued. “I’ve got great respect for Sean Miller and the type of coach he is. They recruit very, very well. USC has recruited very, very well. The two most talented teams in our league from top to bottom are USC and Arizona.
“So, hell yes there’s extra satisfaction. I’ve got great respect for Sean, helluva coach. I’ve got great respect for Andy Enfield. But to answer your question: hell yes.”
It’s not the first time Boyle has been outspoken with regards to the cheating scandal that has rocked college basketball. He spoke to Yahoo Sports back in October on the scandal:
Anytime a prospect’s family members or coaches imply that an under-the-table payment is required to become a serious contender in the recruitment, Boyle says he ends his pursuit right away. Boyle says he also typically stops recruiting a promising prospect if other schools with a reputation for cheating to obtain talent become involved.
“Every single year it happens multiple occasions, and it’s been that way for the seven-plus years I’ve been at Colorado,” Boyle said. “Every single year, multiple kids. We have to make those decisions pretty quickly because if you get too far down the line, you’re wasting a lot of time with a kid that’s not going to end up at Colorado.”
Boyle later continued:
“It comes down to the NCAA and our administrators,” Boyle said. “If those two things happen, this thing will have long-lasting implications. If they go back to the way it was, it will pass like a storm and the problems will come back.
“When you see coaches who have been fired for breaking NCAA rules and then rehired elsewhere, that sends a message loud and clear to coaches that if you win and you get caught cheating, there’s another chance down the road. if you lose and you’re clean on the other hand, you may not be hired again.”
Here’s more on the allegations against Miller’s Arizona program.
