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The NCAA clearing 2023 NBA second-round pick James Nnaji to suit up for Baylor less than a month back became a super noisy headline that prompted a flood of reaction around college basketball. Nnaji is the first former NBA selectee to reverse course and play college hoops. 

Crucially, the NCAA and Baylor compliance vetted his case and found he never signed an NBA contract, which was the vital non-event that enabled him to be a (controversial) trailblazer. You can hate that he's playing in the Big 12 (though he's been a bit player at best), but a precedent was set years prior that allowed him to do it. 

There's also been a precedent, a longstanding rule, that prohibited players who played in college, then declared for the NBA and signed a professional contract, from returning to NCAA competition.

Charles Bediako is attempting to destroy that rule, one of the last logical and morally clear statutes that keeps a line divided between college basketball and the NBA.

Unlike Nnaji, who was cleared by the NCAA and didn't need to go to court, Bediako was turned down by the NCAA. So he went to a circuit judge in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and received a temporary restraining order that is active for just 10 days. That means he is eligible to play Saturday in Alabama's big home game vs. Tennessee. 

Oh, and: Bediako has been out of college basketball for 34 months. The next 8-10 weeks represent the final stage of his five-year eligibility clock (allegedly). The naked goal here for Alabama is to have a mid-January roster addition to avoid drifting back in the SEC race. Bediako is seeking more playing time and a potentially bigger payday years after making a miscalculation about his NBA stock.

This is all a farce. 

Bediako has signed multiple professional contracts in the nearly three years since he declared for the NBA. But he's never played in an NBA game, only in the G League, which is the central part of his argument. The NCAA isn't flinching, even if it's losing in 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 said in a statement after the Nnaji case made national headlines.

Almost nobody wants this. Yet here we are again. College basketball is in the midst of one of its best seasons in a decade or more, but stories like this make a mockery of the sport. 

We're going to have a burst of coverage and reaction surrounding that Alabama game on Saturday night, regardless of whether or not Bediako takes the floor. But the day to circle is next Tuesday, when a longer hearing is scheduled that will arbitrate the case in full and determine whether or not Bediako will be allowed to suit up for the remainder of the season. 

Playing him before that hearing only enflames the situation. Alabama coach Nate Oats should reconsider, because if Bediako plays once and then is yanked off the team, this sideshow will look even more ludicrous.

That sequence of events wouldn't be as bad as if he's ultimately allowed to come back to college basketball, though. This is a critical case. The NCAA put out a statement on Wednesday in response to Bediako and his legal representation going for the workaround from its decision 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 a local judge can override one of the most important longstanding bylaws, college basketball's crumbling system of eligibility could collapse for good — and the fallout could be calamitous in the upcoming spring and summer roster-building cycles. If there is no restriction on who can come back and play college basketball in a five-year window of eligibility, then the NBA will have a problem on its hands as well.

The case is considered so troubling and agitating, it took less than two days for prominent people in college hoops to speak out and implore the NCAA to consider punishing Alabama's NCAA Tournament résumé, should Bediako play. Mark Pope said it Wednesday night and his opinion is absolutely in the majority.

Calls for the NCAA Tournament selection committee to act as judge and jury is a Hail Mary move that doubles as damning commentary on just how laughable things have gotten. It's also not going to happen. The court order from the Alabama judge specifically 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 user on College Basketball Reddit discovered Thursday morning that the judge in the case, James H. Roberts, is an active, six-figure donor to Alabama Athletics. No conflict of interest there, right?

What a mess.

Alabama didn't have to pursue this. Bediako could have had enough pride to own his misguided decision to leave college behind in 2023 and stick it out in the G League. But here we are in the latest case that undermines the enterprise. Only this time, the stakes really do seem to be higher than ever, so much so that the NBA could be forced to act if the courts make tinder of the NCAA rulebook one more time.

New-look Virginia immediately thriving under Ryan Odom

Almost three months into the season, it's clear which of the 14 power-conference hirings from last year's carousel is the best out of the blocks. 

Ryan Odom has immediately returned Virginia (16-2, No. 14 in the AP Top 25) to relevancy, and in doing so, helped nudge up the ACC's reputation after the league had its worst season in history. 

Let's sharpen the lens and quickly refresh on where the Wahoos were before they brought on Odom 10 months ago. Tony Bennett's October 2024 retirement came amid a downturn for the program. A stat every UVa diehard knows but the average college hoops fan might not realize: The Cavaliers haven't won an NCAA Tournament game since they won their biggest NCAA Tournament game, the 2019 national championship over Texas Tech. Since then, Virginia is 0-3 in the Big Dance.

Bennett's surprise retirement came after a nondescript 23-11 season, making way for Ron Sanchez as interim coach. That induced Virginia's worst year (15-17) since either Bennett's first (15-16 in 2010-11) or Dave Leitao's last (10-18 in 2009-10). Getting the right coach was critical to keeping Virginia as a top-20 program in the back half of this decade. In comes Odom, by way of nearby VCU, flipping the situation quickly as a Tim Reynolds solo. 

Last weekend, Virginia logged its sixth win away from home by beating a sound SMU team 72-68, giving the Hoos their best start since that 2018-19 title-winning epic. These new-look Cavaliers would be 17-1 if not for a triple-overtime road loss on New Year's Eve against rival Virginia Tech. 

"The group of guys we assembled here, we couldn't be more pleased with them," Odom told 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."

Rider v Virginia
Ryan Odom may well have the second-best team in the ACC in his first year in C'ville. Ryan M. Kelly / Getty Images

Getting to 16-2 in your first crack at running a high-end program takes a lot of positive alchemy. Coaches have different blueprints -- and those blueprints evolve yearly in the portal era -- so I asked Odom what his priority list was when building the roster late last March. 

"Character was the first thing, the fit for the place," he said. "Second was shooting. We wanted guys that had proven at the college level they could shoot." 

Virginia, which worked in the vicinity of $10 million in NIL funding for 2025-26 season, had the kitty to recruit one of the sharpest-shooting classes in the country. The pieces included names unfamiliar to some but coveted by plenty of power-conference coaches amid the portal push last April:

Aside from the high win rate, Odom's teams hardly resemble the Bennett-Ball squads. The Cavs have launched at least 30 3-pointers in eight of their 18 games, with 10 games of at least 11 made triples. Their 3-point rate (the number of 3-point attempts vs. overall shot attempts) ranks 38th nationally. The team doesn't have a lethal 3-point attack (37.1% is pretty good but still outside the top 30 nationally), it's still a fluid offense that's 3-point-happy. The Wahoos rank 15th in overall efficiency, aided by having one of the best offensive rebounding teams in 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 priority No. 3 for Odom in building the roster, followed by shot-blocking. Guess what? Virginia ranks fourth in the sport in block rate on defense.

"And a dynamite freshman," Odom said.

No, not Thijs De Ridder. Though the 23-year-old brawny Belgian forward is probably Virginia's MVP, he is by no means a freshman (despite the absurd official designation). 

Chance Mallory is the aforementioned newbie and one of the best in the ACC. A hometown product, Mallory was a four-star kid who committed to Virginia in the fall of 2024, only to walk that back after Bennett retired. When Odom got the job on March 21, 2025, Mallory was the first to join the team -- doing so less than 24 hours later. A significant advantage: Odom recruited Mallory while at VCU. 

"We knew he'd have a chance to impact this team in a positive way," Odom said. "We held off on recruiting others because of how much confidence we had in him."

A physical 5-10 point guard, Mallory's averaging 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals. After Mallory was first on board, the commitments came quickly last spring: Silas Barksdale, then Lewis, White, Thomas and Hall. But Odom had no idea he was building a team of top-20 caliber. And he didn't start to feel truly confident things could go well until De Ridder (whose pro experience overseas made his eligibility case more extensively investigated) was cleared in the summer. 

"We didn't know how we'd mesh," Odom said. "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 team sheet metrics) is pacing toward an excellent NCAA seed not just because of the winning percentage, but also due to a favorable schedule. The ACC is definitely better this season vs. last, but it's still not a gauntlet. Check out what awaits for UVa in the three weeks ahead:

It's quite possible the Cavs are 20-4, if not 21-3 or 22-2, heading into the non-con Valentine's Day game against Ohio State. At that point it could be be a top-10 team in both the human polls and a majority of advanced metrics. Tony Bennett is still dearly missed on the sideline, but this is quickly looking like the best possible outcome so soon after his departure. 

We might've just witnessed Bill Self's successor in action

Bill Self's unexpected trip to the hospital on Monday — shortly before the team was set to depart for its game against Colorado — wound up providing Kansas fans a potential glimpse into the future. Thankfully, Self is doing OK after receiving some IV fluids after experiencing chest discomfort. But the forced absence meant that Self would have to choose who would coach in his stead. That decision offered a peek into some palace intrigue, as Kansas fans awaited to see which guy got the nod.

Kansas has a variety of capable coaches who could've handled the responsibility in what wound up being a 75-69 win in Boulder. 

Jeremy Case is the only associate head coach on the staff — but he didn't get picked to be acting coach. Joe Dooley has previous experience as a head coach; he wasn't chosen either. Longtime assistant Kurtis Townsend, who has coached in emergency situations for Self previously, also wasn't elevated for the evening.

The pick was the assistant whose tenure in Lawrence began just last spring: Jacque Vaughn. The KU alum spent 14 years coaching in the NBA, including as the head coach of the Orlando Magic (2012-15) and Brooklyn Nets (2022-24). His hiring turned heads, as it appeared to be a potential succession plan quietly being put in place for whenever Self decides to step away.

Kansas v Colorado
Jacque Vaughn is the speculated-on favorite to be Self's successor. Getty Images

In talking to sources over the past few months, Vaughn is considered the favorite to eventually get this job, but it's no guarantee, of course. However, if he does ultimately get it, then Tuesday night was the unofficial initial audition. 

As for that timeline, Self's latest health event has some Kansas fans worried that this will wind up being his last season. Remember, he's had other health/heart issues in recent years. I don't think this is Self's swan song. I sniffed around on this back in October, and even in talking to Bill, it sure seemed like he was reinvigorated and ready for a few more years on the bench. Let's certainly hope so. 

One more Kansas note: Darryn Peterson has another injury he's dealing with. He twisted his ankle in Tuesday's win, so while he's still looking to be on the floor for Kansas' big rivalry game at K-State on Saturday, he'll likely have a limited role if he can give it a go.

The unexpected player catalyzing Florida back atop the SEC

It seems the reigning champs have developed one of the most under-appreciated bigs in basketball. Florida forward Thomas Haugh is a borderline All-American, but there's another guy in the froncourt who's been playing at that level for the past two weeks.

Florida won easy Tuesday night vs. LSU, 79-61. The once 5-4 Gators are 14-5, their lone loss since Dec. 9 coming by two at Missouri. A major factor in the resurgence has been the junior big man, Rueben Chinyelu. Against LSU he had 21 (!) rebounds for the second time this season. In his last four games Chinyelu's averaging 17.8 points, 14.8 rebounds and shooting 67.5% from the field. For the season Chinyelu is at 12.0 points and 11.2 rebounds. 

Here's a stunner: No Florida player has averaged 10.0 or more rebounds since Bob Smyth's 12.7 in 1975-76. I think Chinyelu's going to get there.

He's also chasing Al Horford for the most double-doubles in a season by any Gator in at least the last 20 years. Horford had 16 in the title-winning season of 2006-07. Chinyelu's at 11 — including four in a row, marking the first time a Florida player's done that since David Lee in 2005 — and figures to catch Horford before March.

"Rueben has been a huge part of our success over the past two years," UF coach Todd Golden told 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 guy most responsible for vaulting the Gators back to the top of the SEC this month. And he might be the key piece to getting UF back to Final Four capability. Florida's next game is Saturday at home vs. the team it last met in the Final Four, Auburn.

Florida v Vanderbilt
Rueben Chinyelu is growing into one of the toughest forwards in college basketball. Getty Images

Norlander's news + nuggets

• The Court Report typically publishes on Wednesdays, but it got bumped back a day because Miami (Ohio) got the main stage treatment instead. You can read my profile on the RedHawks here. 
• I'm glad HoopsHQ's Alex Squadron took the time to write a story in honor of Bill Courtney. The Temple assistant — who was Miami's interim head coach last season and, prior to his time with the Hurricanes, head coach at Cornell — suddenly died last week at 55. I had nothing but great interactions with Bill. A lot of people in the coaching fraternity are in shock and still mourning. The Owls will be wearing a patch in Courtney's honor for the rest of the season as well. 
• ICYMI: Marvin Menzies was the first coaching change announcement of 2026, and it sure seems Air Force's Joe Scott will be next. The school suspended Scott over the weekend for alleged inappropriate coaching conduct. Air Force is a bottom-two job in the Mountain West, but still: The Falcons are just 46-121 in five and a half seasons since Scott came back (he previously coached there 1999-04).
• There was a little noise last week with Sens. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) sending a joint letter to Big East commissioner Val Ackerman to lobby for Dayton and Saint Louis to (eventually) join the Big East. I reached out to sources and they said there is no momentum at all at this point for Big East expansion. One source even offered that the mere act of doing this, and letting the letter leak, could hurt SLU and UD's causee more than help it.
• Few players took as circuitous a route to their ultimate landing spot in last year's portal cycle as Desmond Claude. What'd he get for it? A big paycheck, for one, but also just 12 games playing hurt (and clearly coming back too soon after hurting his ankle in the preseason) for an average team. The 10-9 Huskies can't get out of the muck in Year 2 under Danny Sprinkle.
• Gonzaga won at Seattle over the weekend to get to 19-1, doing so without its two best players, Graham Ike and Braden Huff. Ike's ankle issue isn't serious; I expect him to return Saturday vs. San Francisco. Huff is a different deal. His knee injury was announced as a 4-8 week recovery, but my sources indicated a four- or five-week return is not the expectation at this stage. Keep in mind, in a loaded field of teams fighting for No. 1 seeds, GU likely won't be able to have more than three losses on Selection Sunday in order to find the top line. 
• Kentucky's home win over Texas on Wednesday was its fourth straight in the SEC, something the Wildcats didn't do last year in a much more loaded league. At 13-6, things are still uneasy because UK lost forward Kam Williams to a broken foot. Williams had moved into the starting lineup this month, meaning Mark Pope is now down three players who'd be starters if fully healthy (Jaland Lowe and Jayden Quaintance). I'll be at the Vandy game next Tuesday. Should be an important one for both sides. 
• Kylan Boswell's broken hand injury is going to wind up dinging Illinois' NCAA Tournament seed, I think. The two-way backcourt force is going to be unavailable for the Illini's upcoming road games against Purdue, Nebraska and Michigan State. They question is: Will he be back in time for the LA trip on Feb. 18 and 21? Might be too soon. Isaac Trotter evaluated the overall impact here.
• Refusing to take Cameron Boozer's casually dominant performances for granted. In Duke's 30-point win at Stanford on Saturday, Boozer had 30 points, 14 rebounds and three steals. In the last 25 years, the only freshman to go for at least 30/14/3 vs. a power-conference team are: Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony (2X). I really want to see a big race for NPOY, but Boozer (23.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.8 spg) might not let it happen. 
• USC thought it had reinforcements arriving last night in the form of freshman Alijah Arenas, who made his Trojans debut. Unfortunately, it fell flat. Arenas finished with eight points on 3-of-15 shooting. USC lost at home 74-68 to a meh Northwestern team to fall to 14-5. I wonder if Arenas can grow into a difference-maker in a month's time. He was the 10th-ranked guy in the loaded 2025 class and probably needs to be a key piece to getting USC to the NCAAs now that lead guard Rodney Rice is out for the year. 
• If you're a way bigger college hoops fan than NBA fan, chances are you've barely thought about Drew Timme since he left GU in 2023. (I wrote a fun longform piece on his time with the Zags in the closing month of his senior year.) Anyway, Timme's still pushing his way to staying on an NBA roster. I've long felt he had the ball IQ, shooting knack and likability in the locker room to stick for at least five-plus years in the league. Loved this bit from him from over the weekend. And as much as he loved his time in college, he won't be trying to pull a Bediako.