Athletic director Jim Paul cited a number of factors, principally the basketball team's poor performance in the classroom.

Despite McCarthy's success in building two regional powers, two major academic scandals forced his departure from the coaching profession.

In early 1995, it emerged that six players had received help from one of McCarthy's assistants on their work at correspondence courses, including answers on their exams.

It slapped him with a two-year "show-cause" order, meaning that if he ever left New Mexico State, any penalties imposed on him would have followed him to his new employer unless that school demonstrated that he had served his punishment.

[3] After the violations came to light, New Mexico State withdrew from postseason consideration for the 2000–01 season, and placed the basketball team on two years' probation.

The NCAA accepted New Mexico State's penalties, but imposed an additional four years' probation and forced the Aggies to vacate every game they played in 1996–97 and 1997–98.

Conference tournament champion * New Mexico State was forced to vacate its 1992, 1993 and 1994 NCAA appearances due to academic fraud.