The Memphis men's basketball program is withholding senior forward Malcolm Dandridge from competition indefinitely as it gathers information regarding a potential issue that could affect his eligibility. The school announced the news Saturday morning ahead of a big home game for the Tigers set for Sunday vs. FAU.
CBS Sports' Gary Parrish confirmed a report by the Commercial Appeal that the university is looking into a possible "academic misconduct issue" for Dandridge.
Memphis did not reveal the reason Dandridge was being held out.
"The University of Memphis is currently gathering and reviewing information regarding a potential issue impacting Malcolm Dandridge's eligibility and is withholding him from competition until further notice," Memphis said in a statement. "To protect the integrity of that process, we are unable to comment further at this time."
Dandridge signed with Memphis and coach Penny Hardaway in 2019 out of East High as one of Hardaway's former players at the Memphis-area high school. He is in his fifth and final season with the Tigers where he is averaging 8.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in his best season for the Tigers.
Memphis is in the middle of a three-year probationary period imposed in September 2022 stemming from an IARP decision after it found NCAA violations in the recruitment of former No. 1 recruit James Wiseman and subsequent mishandling of Wiseman's eligibility. The IARP hit Memphis with several violations and accused Hardaway of failing to establish a culture of compliance. Four of the violations were Level I, the most severe in the NCAA rulebook.
Hardaway was suspended the first three games of the 2023-24 season and the school was ordered to vacate two wins from when Wiseman played after subsequently being ruled ineligible. The basketball program is under probation until December 2025 as part of the case.
Memphis has struggled this season in Hardaway's sixth season leading his alma mater with a 19-8 overall record and 8-6 record in AAC play as it enters Sunday's game vs. the Owls. After starting the season 15-2, the Tigers have slipped out of the projected NCAA Tournament picture for the time being after a miserable stretch the last month in which it has gone 4-6 in league action.
