Eligibility Chaos Leaves Opening Night and Future of College Basketball in Legal Limbo

The college basketball season tipped off in earnest Monday amid circumstances unseen in the game’s century-plus history — dozens of players across the country playing after winning court orders against the NCAA’s new eligibility rules.The result was an opening night shaped as much by courtrooms as coaches. Some teams suited up fifth-year players, including some who had played in the NBA’s summer league. Others had to adjust after players expected to be eligible were left in legal limbo following unfavorable rulings.“We have a court system in the U.S. that’s going to impact our game this year, and you wish cooler heads would prevail and give these kids the opportunity they deserve,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “These kids did nothing wrong and they’re missing out on a life-changing opportunity, not only experience-wise, but financially just because of the year they graduated from high school.”The legal maze is a result of the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility model adopted earlier this year that gives athletes five seasons to play within a five-year period beginning when they turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever comes first. The model did not apply to players from the high school class of 2022, who were completing four seasons of eligibility.Many of those players went to court seeking a fifth season, while others joined existing lawsuits challenging different aspects of the rules, including the age-based model and whether even limited participation with a professional American sports team should cost an athlete the chance to return to college sports.The NCAA reported last week that roughly 200 lawsuits had been filed since the eligibility model was approved in June. The lawsuits involve about 850 athletes across multiple sports, including 362 men’s basketball players and 62 women’s players. Nearly half — 171 men and 30 women — had received some form of judicial relief allowing them to play.“I think these cases are going to go well into the season,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer told reporters prior to his opener against Army. “I think no question you’re going to have cases where certain players get an injunction, they’re eligible for a certain period, and then they’re not.”Last Friday, a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge denied the NCAA’s request for an emergency injunction, making 30 athletes eligible for opening night. A day earlier, the Ohio Supreme Court confirmed a lower-court ruling allowing two dozen players to remain eligible.Not every athlete has prevailed. RJ Godfrey was unavailable for Arizona’s opener against UCLA on Monday. Mr. Godfrey withdrew from a case in Georgia and joined a Texas lawsuit in an effort to gain eligibility. But a Texas judge refused to issue a temporary restraining order in the case in which plaintiffs had sought injunctive relief in other states.Meanwhile, Minnesota forward Cade Tyson, who ranked sixth in the Big 10 in scoring last season, was in street clothes for the Gophers opener against North Dakota. He has been practicing with the team, but remains ineligible after a lawsuit filed in Colorado was halted by a temporary injunction.The Gophers play St. Thomas, where Kendall Blue has been granted eligibility, on Friday. Mr. Blue transferred from Nebraska which faces Cincinnati, where MJ Collins was granted eligibility, on November 9. “He’s got to sit and watch those guys play against us?” Minnesota coach Niko Medved said. “That’s got to be hard.”Newly eligible players made their imprint on opening night. At defending national champion Michigan, Roddy Gayle started against Oakland and scored 17 points in the Wolverines’ 84-68 win. Keyshawn Hall scored a game-high 26 points for No. 13 St. John’s in a 78-63 win over Monmouth. Darrion Williams played 24 minutes in Texas Tech’s 76-42 victory over Jackson State, and Javon Bennett scored five points in 13 minutes as No. 15 Gonzaga beat Purdue, 78-72. Elsewhere, Malik Reneau played 23 minutes in No. 14 Miami’s 77-67 loss to top-ranked Florida. Xavier’s Filip Borovicanin, the lead plaintiff in an Ohio case, had eight points, seven rebounds, and six assists in a 97-52 rout of Mount St. Mary’s.The instability is not expected to end with opening night and could continue well into the season. Coaches already contend with roster movement through the transfer portal. Now, a judge’s ruling can change a team’s personnel from one day to the next.“The NCAA screwed up on this deal,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “You’ve got to be fair and let these ‘22s in.”

Eligibility Chaos Leaves Opening Night and Future of College Basketball in Legal Limbo

Eligibility Chaos Leaves Opening Night and Future of College Basketball in Legal Limbo

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