Kyle Casey, Harvard Basketball Player, Leaves School in Wake of Cheating Scandal

The breadth of the cheating scandal at Harvard – “may have committed acts of academic dishonesty, ranging from inappropriate collaboration to outright plagiarism, on a take-home final exam,” the school said – is massive, and will impact the football team as well. SI’s Luke Winn tweeted that in addition to Casey, teammate Brandyn Curry may be involved.

Casey, a forward who would have been a senior this Fall, averaged 11.4 ppg for the Crimson last season, when they reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1946. With Casey, Harvard would have been the favorite to repeat as Ivy League champs (we ranked them 25th in our offseason poll). Curry started 31 games and led the team in assists (4.9 per game) and averaged 7.3 points per game. The loss of two starters would severely damage Harvard’s shot at winning the Ivy League.

According to SI, there’s a chance Casey could sit out the season and keep his final year of eligibility, and then play in 2013-2014.

Previously: 50 Best Players in College Basketball For the 2012-2013 Season
Previously: College Basketball Top 25 (Way too early)