Memphis star gets ruling to play
James Wiseman had 17 points and nine rebounds hours after getting a temporary restraining order to play amid an NCAA ineligibility ruling, leading No. 14-ranked Memphis past Illinois-Chicago, 92-46.
Memphis said Wiseman — the potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft — was declared eligible by the NCAA in May but further details and investigation by the university and the NCAA found coach Penny Hardaway gave $11,500 in moving expenses to help Wiseman’s family move from Nashville to Memphis in the summer of 2017. The university said Wiseman didn’t know about the money given to his family.
At the time, Hardaway was the coach of East High School. Wiseman was a standout junior, helping Hardaway win his third consecutive Tennessee Class 3A title before being hired by Memphis as in March 2018. Wiseman committed to Memphis and Hardaway again in November 2018.
There were several hours of drama prior to tipoff. Two hours before the game, Wiseman’s attorney, Leslie Ballin, said the NCAA had ruled Wiseman ineligible. The lower court ruling reinstating him came a short time later.
“I’m sure he was a little nervous, but he went out there and played his heart out, had five blocks in the first half ...,” Hardaway said.
Duquesne
The Dukes women trailed by just three points at halftime, but host Temple outscored the Dukes, 48-38, in the second half to defeat Duquesne, 85-72. Four Dukes reached double figures in scoring for the second contest in a row. Libby Bazelak led the squad with 16 points and Laia Solé added 14 points.
West Virginia
Derek Culver and Jermaine Haley scored 16 points apiece to lead West Virginia past visiting Akron, 94-84. Emmitt Matthews Jr. added 13 points and Miles McBride scored 11 points for WVU.
Auburn
Coach Bruce Pearl had just finished dissecting the host No. 24 Tigers’ workmanlike 76-66 win against Davidson when someone asked how he and his players enjoyed their visit to the Naval Academy as the featured team of the Veterans Classic. “To hear you say we’re the featured team, I have to smile because we’ve come a long way,” said Pearl, who took Auburn to the Final Four last season. “It was an honor to come here. We should be standing in line to come to this tournament and give our kids this kind of experience,” Pearl said.
Elsewhere
Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., cancelled its men’s season. Spokesperson Sharon Lynett said it holds studentathletes to “high standards both inside and outside the classroom.” She added school officials had “no choice but to cancel the season.” The school will focus on rebuilding the program for next year and won’t reveal any more details.