In the wake of child molestation allegations directed at former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, longtime Syracuse assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine became the target of similar accusations. Fine, Jim Boeheim's top assistant since 1976, was fired by the university on Nov. 27, after a third accuser came forward with allegations that Fine molested him nine years ago. Fine, 65, has adamantly denied wrongdoing, but the reputations of all involved may never be the same.

The Dec. 10 renewal of the intense rivalry between Xavier and Cincinnati ended with a brawl that left at least one player bloodied and several more suspended for their roles in the melee. Xavier center Kenny Frease is pictured holding his eye after being punched by Cincinnati forward Yancy Gates, who drew a six-game suspension for his actions. Each school suspended four players over the incident, though some observers said the punishment wasn't severe enough under the circumstances.

Former Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl is seen leaving the court after his team's 74-45 loss to Michigan in the first round of the 2011 NCAA tournament. Pearl was fired three days later, dismissed for indiscretions that included lying to NCAA investigators about possible violations. Pearl coached for six seasons at Tennessee, leading the Volunteers to their first No. 1 ranking in 2008 and missing out on a trip to the 2010 Final Four by one point.

Several of the country's highest-profile current and former coaches were reported to have lost millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme allegedly engineered by former Houston-area AAU coach David Salinas. Texas Tech's Billy Gillispie (pictured here), formerly the coach at Kentucky, was reportedly the hardest hit, said to have lost more than $2 million. Others on the list of those impacted include former Arizona coach Lute Olson, Baylor's Scott Drew and Gonzaga's Mark Few. Salinas died of an apparent suicide in July in the midst of a United States Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into his business practices.

An otherwise entertaining and dramatic NCAA tournament ended with a thud ... or shall we say dud? UConn's 53-41 victory over Butler in the title game was widely viewed as an aesthetic and athletic disappointment. The winners missed 10 of 11 three-point tries and shot just 34.5 percent from the field. Butler, making its second consecutive Cinderella appearance in the final, shot an abysmal 18.8 percent (12 of 64), the worst shooting perfomance ever in an NCAA title game. Unless you were a UConn fan, it was painful to watch.