Judge Gives Temporary Restraining Order for Transfer Eligibility

Federal judge John Preston Bailey issued a temporary restraining order in Ohio vs. NCAA, granting immediate eligibility to student-athletes previously denied as a multi-time transfer, per Justin Williams of The Athletic.

This news comes out of nowhere, leaving college basketball at another baffling crossroads. It will be madness in December across the country, with newly eligible players taking advantage across three or even four games within the next two weeks. With confusing inconsistencies across the board when it comes to waiver decisions across the offseason, this makes the overall situation murkier in college hoops.

There has been plenty of outrage on X from talking heads across the sport pleading with the NCAA to provide eligibility to everyone this season to avoid a potential mess. In a hypothetical scenario, a player who will no longer be eligible come March could be a part of a winning effort in the next two weeks in a game that boosts their resumé enough to help that team reach the NCAA Tournament. Would that cloud the selection committee’s judgment of whether that team is good enough to make the field?

Notable players that will now be eligible include West Virginia’s RaeQuan Battle, Ole Miss’s Brandon Murray, and Southern Mississippi’s Andre Curbelo. Including all of these players over the next two weeks could significantly impact their teams and potentially their resumés down the road.

Williams also reported that the NCAA is expected to appeal the court’s ruling, and a hearing is scheduled for December 27.

Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports reported that an NCAA spokesperson clarified that if the ruling is overturned in two weeks, ineligible transfers who took advantage of their new eligibility will not burn a year of eligibility.

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