By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The NCAA needs to investigate the possibility that KU's Darrell Arthur didn't earn the grades needed in high school to let him play for the Jayhawks' 2008 national championship basketball team.

If Arthur wasn't on KU's team legitimately, the NCAA should strip KU of its national title.

That would send a strong message to high schools and to colleges that it truly matters whether athletes actually qualify for the teams they play on.

As The Star's story reports, Arthur wasn't eligible to even be playing on KU's national title team if the allegations are true.

So without Arthur, would KU have defeated Memphis in the 2008 NCAA title game -- much less a few other high-quality teams in the run to the championship?

The answer is simple: No.

The NCAA ought to clear up this question as soon as possible to determine whether the Jayhawks legitimately won the 2008 title.