This is just my opinion of the situation.
As far as my knowledge of the situation, they were creating sham courses to get athletes grades to keep them on the court. The NCAA should have came down on them hard.
But it appears ole Johnny Swofford pulled out all the stops and protected them. Additionally, as anyone with any sense can see, the NCAA has no teeth. The Penn State debacle was the greatest evidence of this.
There is a significant number of kids playing major sports at D1 schools that wouldn't be there if not for their athletic ability. No one expects them to be astrophysicists and that's ok. But I don't think it is too much to make them go to class and actually have to participate like any other student. Yes they have demands on their time other students don't but they also have resources that other students don't. At the end of the day, for the vast majority, these kids getting a degree will take them much further than playing ball will.