STILLWATER — Sitting at a podium in a black suit with an orange tie, Mike Boynton tried to hold back his emotions from the conclusion of a near five-year investigation.

It worked for all of 10 seconds.

Oklahoma State’s men’s basketball coach let it all out.

“I’m disappointed, disgusted, appalled,” Boynton said.

He paused to fight back the tears.

“Frustrated,” he added.

Boynton then choked up. Tears fell down his cheeks.

“But somewhere in Indianapolis is a group of people celebrating,” Boynton said, referring to NCAA headquarters.

Fifty seconds later, Boynton delivered a short sentence that could sum up the collective feelings of Cowboys everywhere.

“They won,” he said.

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OSU’s postseason hopes were dashed three days before it even played an exhibition basketball game. The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee upheld a one-year postseason ban and other penalties against the program on Wednesday.

The Cowboys will not play in the NCAA Tournament. They are, as of now, ineligible for the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

On a dreary day that seemed fitting for the occasion, Boynton and others expressed anger and disappointment.

They appear to be out of options, both with the NCAA and legally. OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg said no lawsuit is planned because similar efforts elsewhere have failed.

They believe the system is broken. Cooperation with NCAA investigators was not rewarded.

“I hope that we never have to go through anything like this again, obviously,” Weiberg said, “but if we do, we will do things different.”

The initial ruling was delivered 517 days ago, nearly ripping apart the program. Players could have transferred, including eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Cade Cunningham. Instead, only two players left before last season, Cunningham and the core remained, and the Cowboys made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Throughout that period, Boynton and others watched other programs caught in the same FBI probe into college basketball recruiting receive less punishment.

Alabama, for example, received a three-year probation and a $5,000 fine plus 1% of its operating budget after a former associate athletic director accepted bribes to facilitate a meeting between a player’s father and a financial adviser.

'This makes absolutely no sense': Fans livid at NCAA over Oklahoma State postseason ban

South Carolina, Boynton’s alma mater, received two years probation and self-imposed penalties of a $5,000 fine, reduction in official visits for a rolling two-year period, a prohibition of unofficial visits, a ban on telephone recruiting and a reduction of recruiting person days.

The culprit there? Lamont Evans, the associate coach who brought trouble to OSU. He became involved with the scheme at South Carolina and continued it in secret at OSU.

But the punishment was more severe for the Cowboys.

OSU received a one-year postseason ban, three-year probation and loss of three scholarships over three seasons along with several other recruiting penalties.

OSU officials believe it’s the first time in NCAA history a program was banned from the postseason despite no violations of institutional control, failure to monitor, recruiting, head coach accountability, participation of an ineligible athlete or academic fraud.

Evans spent one season in Stillwater — under Brad Underwood — and was fired after he received federal charges in September 2017. He accepted bribes to link top players with bribe-paying managers and financial advisers. He pleaded guilty to accepting $22,000 in bribes at both universities and was sentenced to three months in prison.

He also received a 10-year show cause twice from the NCAA, restricting him from any athletic-related duties.

“One would think logically, same person, same conduct, similar (punishment) and they weren’t close,” Boynton said of the Evans-related sanctions given to OSU and South Carolina. “That makes you scratch your head.”

OSU initially received the punishment in June 2020, but appealed 10 days later. Boynton last attended an appeal hearing over Zoom on Feb. 7, the day the Cowboys lost at Kansas.

It took nearly nine months for the final ruling.

“In its decision, the appeals committee agreed with the infractions panel, noting that NCAA members have established that control and responsibility for conduct in college sports rests with a school,” the NCAA ruling stated. “Additionally, the appeals committee stated that assessment of level is tied to the conduct that resulted in the violation, and not the specific circumstances of the parties.”

More: What Mike Boynton & Chad Weiberg had to say after NCAA rejected Oklahoma State's appeal

Boynton received the news Tuesday afternoon when he landed in Dallas on a recruiting trip. He called a late-evening team meeting when he returned. He informed the players of the news.

Isaac Likekele, a senior, won’t get a postseason opportunity in what is likely his final year. High-profile transfers like Moussa Cisse and Bryce Thompson had hopes of big moments in March, but not anymore.

But then something else happened. Freshman walk-on Brooks Manzer raised his hand. Boynton wasn’t sure what to expect.

Manzer’s family ties to OSU run as deep as any. He grew up in Edmond, his father played for Eddie Sutton at OSU and his grandfather has been on the basketball stat crew for decades. But Manzer had a simple question. What was Boynton even talking about?

It’s been that long since the investigation began.

“I thought to myself briefly, ‘Where have you been?’” Boynton said. “Then I thought, ‘Yeah, that makes sense that he wouldn’t know and he wouldn't imagine that this would affect him.’

“So, yeah, it’s hard to accept because it’s so far from what true justice would be.”

Now, Boynton is tasked with rallying his team in a short period.

The Cowboys host Division II Central Oklahoma on Friday in an exhibition game. They then begin a 31-game schedule Tuesday.

There are only two regular-season games in March.

No March Madness.

“I’d like to understand why those folks don’t have to come explain that,” Boynton said of the NCAA committee members. “They won’t, because weak leaders don’t answer questions.

“I’ve done this (news conference) five or six times now. And I’ve stood up and answered every question. I don’t know if I’ve gotten the answers right, but I hope people can feel like at least they can get answers.

“With them, we just say this committee named by these letters and we just go on. Move on. They sleep well. Some of them had a drink last night celebrating because they feel like they won. They really just screwed a bunch of kids. That’s all they did.”

Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

Read the NCAA's ruling on OSU

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball denied NCAA appeal, will miss postseason