The NCAA clearing 2023 NBA second-round decide James Nnaji to swimsuit up for Baylor lower than a month again turned a brilliant noisy headline that prompted a flood of response round college basketball. Nnaji is the primary former NBA selectee to reverse course and play college hoops.
Crucially, the NCAA and Baylor compliance vetted his case and located he by no means signed an NBA contract, which was the very important non-event that enabled him to be a (controversial) trailblazer. You can hate that he is taking part in within the Big 12 (although he is been a bit participant at greatest), however a precedent was set years prior that allowed him to do it.
There’s additionally been a precedent, a longstanding rule, that prohibited gamers who performed in college, then declared for the NBA and signed an expert contract, from returning to NCAA competitors.
Charles Bediako is trying to destroy that rule, one of many final logical and morally clear statutes that retains a line divided between college basketball and the NBA.
Unlike Nnaji, who was cleared by the NCAA and did not have to go to court docket, Bediako was turned down by the NCAA. So he went to a circuit decide in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and acquired a brief restraining order that’s lively for simply 10 days. That means he’s eligible to play Saturday in Alabama’s large residence recreation vs. Tennessee.
Oh, and: Bediako has been out of college basketball for 34 months. The subsequent 8-10 weeks symbolize the ultimate stage of his five-year eligibility clock (allegedly). The bare purpose right here for Alabama is to have a mid-January roster addition to keep away from drifting again within the SEC race. Bediako is searching for extra taking part in time and a probably greater payday years after making a miscalculation about his NBA inventory.
This is all a farce.
Bediako has signed a number of skilled contracts within the almost three years since he declared for the NBA. But he is by no means performed in an NBA recreation, solely within the G League, which is the central a part of his argument. The NCAA is not flinching, even when it is shedding within the courtroom.
“The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract),” NCAA president Charlie Baker mentioned in an announcement after the Nnaji case made nationwide headlines.
Almost no person desires this. Yet right here we’re once more. College basketball is within the midst of one among its greatest seasons in a decade or extra, however tales like this make a mockery of the game.
We’re going to have a burst of protection and response surrounding that Alabama recreation on Saturday evening, no matter whether or not or not Bediako takes the ground. But the day to circle is subsequent Tuesday, when an extended listening to is scheduled that may arbitrate the case in full and decide whether or not or not Bediako shall be allowed to swimsuit up for the rest of the season.
Playing him earlier than that listening to solely enflames the state of affairs. Alabama coach Nate Oats ought to rethink, as a result of if Bediako performs as soon as after which is yanked off the staff, this sideshow will look much more ludicrous.
That sequence of occasions would not be as dangerous as if he is in the end allowed to return again to college basketball, although. This is a crucial case. The NCAA put out an announcement on Wednesday in response to Bediako and his authorized illustration going for the workaround from its determination earlier this month: “These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students. A judge ordering the NCAA let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules.”
If an area decide can override one of the vital necessary longstanding bylaws, college basketball’s crumbling system of eligibility could collapse for good — and the fallout could be calamitous within the upcoming spring and summer season roster-building cycles. If there isn’t any restriction on who can come again and play college basketball in a five-year window of eligibility, then the NBA could have an issue on its fingers as effectively.
The case is taken into account so troubling and agitating, it took lower than two days for outstanding individuals in college hoops to talk out and implore the NCAA to think about punishing Alabama’s NCAA Tournament résumé, ought to Bediako play. Mark Pope mentioned it Wednesday evening and his opinion is completely within the majority.
Calls for the NCAA Tournament choice committee to behave as decide and jury is a Hail Mary transfer that doubles as damning commentary on simply how laughable issues have gotten. It’s additionally not going to occur. The court docket order from the Alabama decide particularly states the NCAA is “further restrained from threatening, imposing, attempting to impose, suggesting, or implying any penalties or sanctions on Mr. Bediako or the University of Alabama or its coaches or other student-athletes as a result of Mr. Bediako’s participation in Division I athletics.”
Then there’s this. The plot thickens by the hour, as a person on College Basketball Reddit found Thursday morning that the decide within the case, James H. Roberts, is an lively, six-figure donor to Alabama Athletics. No battle of curiosity there, proper?
What a large number.
Alabama did not need to pursue this. Bediako could have had sufficient satisfaction to personal his misguided determination to depart college behind in 2023 and stick it out within the G League. But right here we’re within the newest case that undermines the enterprise. Only this time, the stakes actually do appear to be larger than ever, a lot in order that the NBA could be compelled to behave if the courts make tinder of the NCAA rulebook another time.
New-look Virginia instantly thriving beneath Ryan Odom
Almost three months into the season, it is clear which of the 14 power-conference hirings from final yr’s carousel is the most effective out of the blocks.
Ryan Odom has instantly returned Virginia (16-2, No. 14 within the AP Top 25) to relevancy, and in doing so, helped nudge up the ACC’s status after the league had its worst season in historical past.
Let’s sharpen the lens and shortly refresh on the place the Wahoos have been earlier than they introduced on Odom 10 months in the past. Tony Bennett’s October 2024 retirement got here amid a downturn for this system. A stat each UVa diehard is aware of however the common college hoops fan won’t understand: The Cavaliers have not gained an NCAA Tournament recreation since they gained their greatest NCAA Tournament recreation, the 2019 nationwide championship over Texas Tech. Since then, Virginia is 0-3 within the Big Dance.
Bennett’s shock retirement got here after a nondescript 23-11 season, making manner for Ron Sanchez as interim coach. That induced Virginia’s worst yr (15-17) since both Bennett’s first (15-16 in 2010-11) or Dave Leitao’s final (10-18 in 2009-10). Getting the correct coach was crucial to protecting Virginia as a top-20 program within the again half of this decade. In comes Odom, by means of close by VCU, flipping the state of affairs shortly as a Tim Reynolds solo.
Last weekend, Virginia logged its sixth win away from residence by beating a sound SMU staff 72-68, giving the Hoos their greatest begin since that 2018-19 title-winning epic. These new-look Cavaliers can be 17-1 if not for a triple-overtime street loss on New Year’s Eve in opposition to rival Virginia Tech.
“The group of guys we assembled here, we couldn’t be more pleased with them,” Odom informed CBS Sports this week. “They’re connecting with the university and our fans. They come every day with a good attitude and are ready for work and a desire to improve. They compete to win. They compete with one another every day, which I think sets us up well for when we get into the games.”
Ryan Odom could effectively have the second-best staff within the ACC in his first yr in C’ville.
Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images
Getting to 16-2 in your first crack at operating a high-end program takes a whole lot of optimistic alchemy. Coaches have completely different blueprints — and people blueprints evolve yearly within the portal period — so I requested Odom what his precedence record was when constructing the roster late final March.
“Character was the first thing, the fit for the place,” he mentioned. “Second was shooting. We wanted guys that had proven at the college level they could shoot.”
Virginia, which labored within the neighborhood of $10 million in NIL funding for 2025-26 season, had the kitty to recruit one of many sharpest-shooting lessons within the nation. The items included names unfamiliar to some however coveted by loads of power-conference coaches amid the portal push final April:
Aside from the excessive win charge, Odom’s groups hardly resemble the Bennett-Ball squads. The Cavs have launched not less than 30 3-pointers in eight of their 18 video games, with 10 video games of not less than 11 made triples. Their 3-point charge (the variety of 3-point makes an attempt vs. general shot makes an attempt) ranks thirty eighth nationally. The staff would not have a deadly 3-point assault (37.1% is fairly good however nonetheless exterior the highest 30 nationally), it is nonetheless a fluid offense that is 3-point-happy. The Wahoos rank fifteenth in general effectivity, aided by having probably the greatest offensive rebounding groups within the sport. Virginia has grabbed 40.6% of its misses, which slots it third-best in offensive-rebound prowess in college basketball.
“Positional size” was precedence No. 3 for Odom in constructing the roster, adopted by shot-blocking. Guess what? Virginia ranks fourth within the sport in block charge on protection.
“And a dynamite freshman,” Odom mentioned.
No, not Thijs De Ridder. Though the 23-year-old brawny Belgian ahead might be Virginia’s MVP, he’s under no circumstances a freshman (regardless of the absurd official designation).
Chance Mallory is the aforementioned beginner and probably the greatest within the ACC. A hometown product, Mallory was a four-star child who dedicated to Virginia within the fall of 2024, solely to stroll that again after Bennett retired. When Odom acquired the job on March 21, 2025, Mallory was the primary to affix the staff — doing so lower than 24 hours later. A big benefit: Odom recruited Mallory whereas at VCU.
“We knew he’d have a chance to impact this team in a positive way,” Odom mentioned. “We held off on recruiting others because of how much confidence we had in him.”
A bodily 5-10 level guard, Mallory’s averaging 10.1 factors, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a couple of.0 steals. After Mallory was first on board, the commitments got here shortly final spring: Silas Barksdale, then Lewis, White, Thomas and Hall. But Odom had no concept he was constructing a staff of top-20 caliber. And he did not begin to really feel really assured issues could go effectively till De Ridder (whose professional expertise abroad made his eligibility case extra extensively investigated) was cleared in the summertime.
“We didn’t know how we’d mesh,” Odom mentioned. “We’ve created this environment where guys can be themselves, they’re OK sacrificing and they’re not all getting what they want, but they don’t care because they understand there’s something bigger out there potentially for them.”
At 16-2, Virginia (8-2 in Quads 1/2 and top-15 in most NCAA staff sheet metrics) is pacing towards a wonderful NCAA seed not simply due to the profitable proportion, but in addition attributable to a positive schedule. The ACC is certainly higher this season vs. final, however it’s nonetheless not a gauntlet. Check out what awaits for UVa within the three weeks forward:
It’s fairly attainable the Cavs are 20-4, if not 21-3 or 22-2, heading into the non-con Valentine’s Day recreation in opposition to Ohio State. At that time it could be be a top-10 staff in each the human polls and a majority of superior metrics. Tony Bennett remains to be dearly missed on the sideline, however that is shortly trying like the very best end result so quickly after his departure.
We may’ve simply witnessed Bill Self’s successor in motion
Bill Self’s sudden journey to the hospital on Monday — shortly earlier than the staff was set to depart for its recreation in opposition to Colorado — wound up offering Kansas followers a possible glimpse into the longer term. Thankfully, Self is doing OK after receiving some IV fluids after experiencing chest discomfort. But the compelled absence meant that Self must select who would coach in his stead. That determination provided a peek into some palace intrigue, as Kansas followers awaited to see which man acquired the nod.
Kansas has quite a lot of succesful coaches who could’ve dealt with the duty in what wound up being a 75-69 win in Boulder.
Jeremy Case is the one affiliate head coach on the workers — however he did not get picked to be performing coach. Joe Dooley has earlier expertise as a head coach; he wasn’t chosen both. Longtime assistant Kurtis Townsend, who has coached in emergency conditions for Self beforehand, additionally wasn’t elevated for the night.
The decide was the assistant whose tenure in Lawrence started simply final spring: Jacque Vaughn. The KU alum spent 14 years teaching within the NBA, together with as the pinnacle coach of the Orlando Magic (2012-15) and Brooklyn Nets (2022-24). His hiring turned heads, because it gave the impression to be a possible succession plan quietly being put in place for each time Self decides to step away.
Jacque Vaughn is the speculated-on favourite to be Self’s successor.
Getty Images
In speaking to sources over the previous few months, Vaughn is taken into account the favourite to ultimately get this job, however it’s no assure, after all. However, if he does in the end get it, then Tuesday evening was the unofficial preliminary audition.
As for that timeline, Self’s newest well being occasion has some Kansas followers nervous that this may wind up being his final season. Remember, he is had different well being/coronary heart points lately. I do not assume that is Self’s swan tune. I sniffed round on this again in October, and even in speaking to Bill, it positive appeared like he was reinvigorated and prepared for just a few extra years on the bench. Let’s definitely hope so.
One extra Kansas word: Darryn Peterson has one other harm he is coping with. He twisted his ankle in Tuesday’s win, so whereas he is nonetheless seeking to be on the ground for Kansas’ large rivalry recreation at Ok-State on Saturday, he’ll probably have a restricted function if he can provide it a go.
The sudden participant catalyzing Florida again atop the SEC
It appears the reigning champs have developed one of the vital under-appreciated bigs in basketball. Florida ahead Thomas Haugh is a borderline All-American, however there’s one other man within the froncourt who’s been taking part in at that stage for the previous two weeks.
Florida gained straightforward Tuesday evening vs. LSU, 79-61. The as soon as 5-4 Gators are 14-5, their lone loss since Dec. 9 coming by two at Missouri. A significant factor within the resurgence has been the junior large man, Rueben Chinyelu. Against LSU he had 21 (!) rebounds for the second time this season. In his final 4 video games Chinyelu’s averaging 17.8 factors, 14.8 rebounds and taking pictures 67.5% from the sphere. For the season Chinyelu is at 12.0 factors and 11.2 rebounds.
Here’s a stunner: No Florida participant has averaged 10.0 or extra rebounds since Bob Smyth’s 12.7 in 1975-76. I feel Chinyelu’s going to get there.
He’s additionally chasing Al Horford for essentially the most double-doubles in a season by any Gator in not less than the final 20 years. Horford had 16 within the title-winning season of 2006-07. Chinyelu’s at 11 — together with 4 in a row, marking the primary time a Florida participant’s accomplished that since David Lee in 2005 — and figures to catch Horford earlier than March.
“Rueben has been a huge part of our success over the past two years,” UF coach Todd Golden informed me. “He has always impacted winning, but early on, it was in ways that aren’t captured by the box score. Screen assists offensively, his ball-screen defense, covering up for his teammates in the paint defensively. He was a winning player that was underrated. Now, because of the jump in production offensively both from a usage and efficiency standpoint, people are beginning to take notice on truly how good he is.”
Chinyelu is the man most accountable for vaulting the Gators again to the highest of the SEC this month. And he may be the important thing piece to getting UF again to Final Four functionality. Florida’s subsequent recreation is Saturday at residence vs. the staff it final met within the Final Four, Auburn.
Rueben Chinyelu is rising into one of many hardest forwards in college basketball.
Getty Images
Norlander’s information + nuggets
• The Court Report sometimes publishes on Wednesdays, however it acquired bumped again a day as a result of Miami (Ohio) acquired the primary stage remedy as a substitute. You can learn my profile on the RedHawks right here.
• I’m glad HoopsHQ’s Alex Squadron took the time to write down a narrative in honor of Bill Courtney. The Temple assistant — who was Miami’s interim head coach final season and, previous to his time with the Hurricanes, head coach at Cornell — instantly died final week at 55. I had nothing however nice interactions with Bill. Lots of people within the teaching fraternity are in shock and nonetheless mourning. The Owls shall be sporting a patch in Courtney’s honor for the remainder of the season as effectively.
• ICYMI: Marvin Menzies was the primary teaching change announcement of 2026, and it positive appears Air Force’s Joe Scott shall be subsequent. The faculty suspended Scott over the weekend for alleged inappropriate teaching conduct. Air Force is a bottom-two job within the Mountain West, however nonetheless: The Falcons are simply 46-121 in 5 and a half seasons since Scott got here again (he beforehand coached there 1999-04).
• There was a little bit noise final week with Sens. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) sending a joint letter to Big East commissioner Val Ackerman to foyer for Dayton and Saint Louis to (ultimately) be a part of the Big East. I reached out to sources and so they mentioned there may be no momentum in any respect at this level for Big East enlargement. One supply even provided that the mere act of doing this, and letting the letter leak, could damage SLU and UD’s causee greater than assist it.
• Few gamers took as circuitous a path to their final touchdown spot in final yr’s portal cycle as Desmond Claude. What’d he get for it? An enormous paycheck, for one, but in addition simply 12 video games taking part in damage (and clearly coming again too quickly after hurting his ankle within the preseason) for a mean staff. The 10-9 Huskies cannot get out of the muck in Year 2 beneath Danny Sprinkle.
• Gonzaga gained at Seattle over the weekend to get to 19-1, doing so with out its two greatest gamers, Graham Ike and Braden Huff. Ike’s ankle subject is not severe; I anticipate him to return Saturday vs. San Francisco. Huff is a special deal. His knee harm was introduced as a 4-8 week restoration, however my sources indicated a four- or five-week return is just not the expectation at this stage. Keep in thoughts, in a loaded subject of groups combating for No. 1 seeds, GU probably will not be capable to have greater than three losses on Selection Sunday to be able to discover the highest line.
• Kentucky’s residence win over Texas on Wednesday was its fourth straight within the SEC, one thing the Wildcats did not do final yr in a way more loaded league. At 13-6, issues are nonetheless uneasy as a result of UK misplaced ahead Kam Williams to a damaged foot. Williams had moved into the beginning lineup this month, which means Mark Pope is now down three gamers who’d be starters if absolutely wholesome (Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance). I’ll be on the Vandy recreation subsequent Tuesday. Should be an necessary one for either side.
• Kylan Boswell’s damaged hand harm goes to wind up dinging Illinois’ NCAA Tournament seed, I feel. The two-way backcourt pressure goes to be unavailable for the Illini’s upcoming street video games in opposition to Purdue, Nebraska and Michigan State. They query is: Will he be again in time for the LA journey on Feb. 18 and 21? Might be too quickly. Isaac Trotter evaluated the general influence right here.
• Refusing to take Cameron Boozer’s casually dominant performances with no consideration. In Duke’s 30-point win at Stanford on Saturday, Boozer had 30 factors, 14 rebounds and three steals. In the final 25 years, the one freshman to go for not less than 30/14/3 vs. a power-conference staff are: Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony (2X). I actually wish to see a giant race for NPOY, however Boozer (23.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.8 spg) won’t let it occur.
• USC thought it had reinforcements arriving final evening within the type of freshman Alijah Arenas, who made his Trojans debut. Unfortunately, it fell flat. Arenas completed with eight factors on 3-of-15 taking pictures. USC misplaced at residence 74-68 to a meh Northwestern staff to fall to 14-5. I’m wondering if Arenas can develop right into a difference-maker in a month’s time. He was the Tenth-ranked man within the loaded 2025 class and possibly must be a key piece to getting USC to the NCAAs now that lead guard Rodney Rice is out for the yr.
• If you are a manner greater college hoops fan than NBA fan, chances are high you’ve got barely considered Drew Timme since he left GU in 2023. (I wrote a enjoyable longform piece on his time with the Zags within the closing month of his senior yr.) Anyway, Timme’s nonetheless pushing his strategy to staying on an NBA roster. I’ve lengthy felt he had the ball IQ, taking pictures knack and likability within the locker room to stay for not less than five-plus years within the league. Loved this bit from him from over the weekend. And as a lot as he liked his time in college, he will not be attempting to drag a Bediako.
