Memphis Odds to Win National Championship Plummet After James Wiseman Ruled Ineligible by NCAA

Not even a week into the college basketball season and we have already seen some terrific games played. However, not all things have been great for Memphis Tigers fans, as the No. 1 overall recruit and their star player James Wiseman has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA, causing the Tigers' odds to win the National Championship to plummet from +1300 to +2500, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

The NCAA has ruled Memphis F/C James Wiseman -- the possible No. 1 overall pick in 2020 NBA Draft -- ineligible, his lawyers said in Memphis.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 8, 2019

The situation surrounding Wiseman is a complex one that will be hard for the University of Memphis to fight, but they will do just that.

Before Penny Hardaway was the head coach at Memphis, he was a Memphis booster. Back in 2018, he reportedly provided the family of Wiseman $11,500 to move from Nashville to Memphis to play basketball at the prep school East High, where Hardaway had coached. Certainly, this would have been a big perk in the recruiting process for Hardaway and Memphis.

James Wiseman scored 28 points in his Memphis debut, the 2nd-most in a debut by a No. 1 recruit in the ESPN 100 since its inception in 2007, trailing only RJ Barrett's 33 last season.

That looks likely to be the only game Wiseman plays in college basketball. pic.twitter.com/NzS9F1pxSG
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 8, 2019

Losing Wiseman is a big blow to a Memphis team that looked set to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. He is widely regarded as the top NBA prospect in college basketball, and losing his him for the season hurts both the school and the NCAA as a whole.

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