Eligibility Litigation Clouds 32 Conference POY Picks — SkimNews
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- NCAA implemented a fifth-year eligibility rule for all athletes but excluded players from the 2022 class; related court decisions could add new names and stars to every conference.
- Tyran Stokes was named the Big 12 pick after dominating the fourth quarter of the McDonald's All American game; he is also discussed as a potential No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA draft.
- Jeremy Fears Jr. was named the Big Ten pick after leading the country with 9.4 assists per game; he is the Wooden Award preseason favorite and has a chance to become MSU's first AP first-team All-American since Magic Johnson.
- Flory Bidunga was named the ACC pick after averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks for Kansas and anchoring a defense ranked ninth in adjusted efficiency; opponents missed 54 of 85 shots around him.
- Mark Mitchell Jr. was held out of the preseason POY conversation alongside St. John's Keyshawn Hall, Miami's Malik Reneau and LSU's Donovan Dent while the four players' fifth-year eligibility remains unresolved.
- Robbie Avila, the reigning Atlantic 10 player of the year, is seeking a fifth year through the court system; the Atlantic 10 projection assumes he remains sidelined and gives Green more touches.
- Alton Hamilton IV was named the Big Sky pick after averaging 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds, posting double figures against UCLA, Colorado, Utah and BYU, and leading the league's most efficient conference offense.
Why it matters: Missouri, St. John's, Miami and LSU each have a candidate held out of the preseason POY conversation while fifth-year eligibility remains unresolved. The source says court decisions could add names and stars to every conference, making all 32 selections provisional rather than a settled awards map.
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