The Horizon League has banned the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) from participating in the conference's winter and spring championshipsand school officials are very upset, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The ban came after UIC announced last month its decision to join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1.
The Horizon League's ruling affects sports such as the men's and women's basketball teams, which would need to earn at-large bids for their respective NCAA tournaments.
UIC athletic director Michael Lipitz said in a statement, "The League has chosen to punish our student-athletes as retribution for our decision to change conferences next academic year. The League is hiding behind its bylaws rather than prioritizing the welfare of students."
UIC has competed in the Horizon League since 1994. The Missouri Valley Conference currently has teams such as Loyola (Chicago), Drake, Southern Illinois and Illinois State, among others.