The past week of college basketball has been one of the strangest I can remember. In the midst of a stellar season of on-court action that features an incredible degree of competitive parity between top programs, the news has been dominated by off-the-court scandals. The soap opera at the University of Georgia has finally ended - at least for this year’s team. In a shocking move, the University officials have ended the basketball season: there will be no SEC or NCAA tournament for the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs.

And what fate awaits head coach Jim Harrick? For now, a paid leave of absence from his position at UGA. The chances of him ever coaching again at Georgia are slim-to-none, but he has victimized an entire roster of student-athletes who were poised to make a run at the conference championship. After defeating #3 Florida last week in a thrilling shoot-out, it looked like Ezra Williams and the other talented Bulldogs would finally get a chance to go deep into the NCAA tournament. Instead, their season is over. Jarvis Hayes, one of the best players in the SEC, has already announced that he won’t be back for his senior season, and other such moves are sure to follow.

While there is no doubt a good deal of corruption and foul-play occurring at Georgia, the most egregious ethical violation seems to have been committed by an administration worried more about saving face than seeing justice prevail. The two players accused of academic fraud have already been suspended and Harrick’s son, who allegedly committed the majority of NCAA rules violations, has been fired. An interim head coach could have been appointed from outside the current staff, but the school instead decided to take the easy way out. In so doing, they have deprived a large number of responsible student-athletes of an opportunity-of-a-lifetime. For that, they ought to be ashamed.

To read more about the Georgia controversy, check out ESPN.com. Dick Vitale has posted an insightful note and John Feinstein has a great article on the Washington Post’s site.