MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota coach Niko Medved spent more than seven minutes after the Thursday exhibition ripping the NCAA for how it rolled out a five-seasons-in-five-years eligibility model, saying the timing and legal fallout have left hundreds of players and coaches in limbo.
Medved said he backed the broader five-for-five idea when it passed in June but felt blindsided when the association applied it to the 2026-27 calendar in a way that shut out the high school class of 2022. He estimated about 300 college basketball players from that group are on rosters this season, with more than 100 currently cleared and others waiting on courts.
Gophers wing Cade Tyson, last season’s scoring leader, is enrolled, practicing and stuck awaiting a federal appeals ruling. A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit heard arguments Tuesday and has not issued a decision. Medved called it embarrassing that tournament hopes can hinge on which judge hears a case and said the association should either have anticipated the lawsuits or own the chaos it created.
Tyson averaged 19.6 points in his first Minnesota season after stops at Belmont and North Carolina. The university earlier this week confirmed he had rejoined the program for classes and practice while clearance is pending. Regular-season tipoff is Nov. 2 against North Dakota.
Medved also flagged uneven state moves, pointing to an Ohio executive order that could clear class-of-2022 athletes at Ohio schools — including Cincinnati guard MJ Collins — before Minnesota visits Cincinnati on Nov. 9. He argued the cleanest fix in a bad spot is to let the affected players compete.
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