Jim Boeheim's Suspension Upheld After Appeal: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

The NCAA has upheld the nine-game suspension for Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim after appeal and also ruled that the suspension can be served immediately rather than pushed back to the start of conference play. 

Mike Hopkins will take over as the interim head coach while Boeheim is suspended starting Saturday against Georgetown, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Daily Orange.

In March, the NCAA's Committee on Infractions determined that, over the course of a decade, Syracuse was noncompliant with NCAA rules and guilty of several violations, including "academic misconduct, extra benefits, the failure to follow its drug-testing policy and impermissible booster activity," along with "impermissible academic assistance and services."

While Syracuse self-reported several of these issues, the NCAA ruled that Boeheim failed to properly "monitor his program."

Boeheim discussed the decision with ESPN's Dana O'Neil:

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"They gave us two days' notice," Boeheim said, "If they were going to do this, why not six weeks ago? We'd been preparing to use the next few games and practices to prepare the coaching staff for what was going to happen. Now we have less than two days. It's less than ideal. The players are in class. I can't pull them out of class. They're going to know from the public before they hear it from me."

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"It'll be difficult, very difficult," Boeheim said. "I've missed three games in 40 years, and that's when I was being treated for cancer. That's it. It will be a very difficult process. We just have to work through it. The team will be alright. The coaches are prepared."

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The Syracuse coach also released an official statement on the decision, per Sam Blum of the Daily Orange:

The fact that he can begin his suspension immediately is a nice development for the Orange, however. While he'll miss games against Georgetown and Miami, he'll return for the team's contest against North Carolina on Jan. 9 and will also be able to coach against Duke on Jan. 18 and Virginia on Jan. 23. He previously would have missed all three of those games. 

Syracuse has been one of college basketball's pleasant surprises this year, winning six straight games to open the season before losing to Wisconsin in overtime Wednesday night. The Orange will be tested without Boeheim on the bench, though getting him back for all but three games of ACC play will be huge for the team.