Memphis senior Malcolm Dandridge will be sidelined 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 affecting Malcolm Dandridge's eligibility and is holding him from competition until further notice,” the school said in a statement. “To protect the integrity of that process, we cannot 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 nation's No. 1 class. This is her 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 averages 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, ranking as high as No. 10 in the Associated Press poll, but has since lost six of 10 games to miss most of the projected NCAA tournaments.
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 into alleged violations involving James Wiseman and other recruits. The independent liability resolution process resolved that case and concluded that Hardaway did not 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 for violating head coach accountability rules in a separate investigation.
