Memphis holds out Dandridge over eligibility issue

Memphis senior Malcolm Dandridge will be held out of competition indefinitely during an investigation into his eligibility, the school announced Saturday morning.

The Tigers will host Florida Atlantic on Sunday afternoon.

“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,” the school said in a statement. “To protect the integrity of that process, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

Dandridge, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, was coach Penny Hardaway’s first commitment in the Tigers’ 2019 recruiting class that ultimately finished as the No. 1 class in the country. This is his fifth year in the Tigers’ program. Dandridge briefly entered the transfer portal last spring but opted to return to Memphis and has started 19 games this season.

He is averaging 8.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in 2023-24.

Memphis’ game against FAU on Sunday is essentially a must-win for the Tigers’ postseason hopes. Memphis opened the season with a 15-2 record, rising as high as No. 10 in the Associated Press poll, but has since lost six of 10 games to plummet out of most projected NCAA tournament brackets.

Since Hardaway took over at Memphis in 2018, the Tigers have been the subject of multiple NCAA investigations. There was an 18-month NCAA investigation due to alleged violations involving James Wiseman and other recruits. The independent accountability resolution process adjudicated that case, concluding that Hardaway didn’t violate NCAA rules because of his long-standing philanthropy in Memphis.

Last summer, Hardaway was suspended three games by the NCAA for recruiting violations and violating head-coach responsibility rules in a separate investigation.