The NCAA just threw a victory parade for a stay that does not even sit the guys it wanted to sit.
Monday the Ohio First District Court of Appeals granted the association’s motion to freeze Judge Christopher Wagner’s July 9 injunction in Borovicanin v. NCAA. Filip Borovicanin at Xavier, MJ Collins headed to Cincinnati, and the rest of that plaintiff group lost their Ohio path to a 2026-27 fifth year. The NCAA sprinted to the microphones like it had just saved civilization.
I am not buying the aura. Those same players remain eligible under the separate Wisne class injunction out of Colorado. Nationwide. Still live. Ohio paused one order. Colorado is still the actual roster rule until the 10th Circuit moves. So the big “win” is a press release and a temporary map redraw. Nothing more.
The NCAA Is Glazing a Paper Victory
The court said the quiet part clean: “The appellants have presented a substantial case on the merits and have demonstrated irreparable harm. While the appellees will also suffer harm, the public interest considerations do not decisively favor either party.”
That is not a knockout. That is a referee separating two guys who both look cooked.
The NCAA’s own statement tried to turn it into gospel. “The NCAA argued and the Ohio Court of Appeals agreed the injunction harms the thousands of college athletes and member schools across Division I who are playing by the rules,” it read. Then the usual sermon about the new age-based model ensuring “college sports are played by college students” and protecting “future generations.”
I have heard this speech before. It always arrives right after the association draws an arbitrary line and then acts shocked when the line gets sued.
The new five-year, age-based clock got approved in late June. Class of 2022 kids who already burned four seasons without the right redshirt paper got locked out of 2026-27. Earlier classes ate COVID extras. Later classes get the automatic fifth. Pros can dip in under certain conditions. But this specific group of 15 basketball players? Door slammed. Wagner called that arbitrary and capricious on a limited record and handed them the injunction, plus portal access outside the window. The NCAA lost the stay request at the trial level, screamed about a century of precedent, and finally got the appeals court to hit pause.
None of that changes the Colorado reality. Eligibility right now is a jurisdiction lottery.
Class of 2022 Got Designated the Sacrificial Year
I know what the comments are already typing. “They already got four years.” “NIL paid them.” “Somebody has to make room for the freshmen.”
Cool. Then say the quiet part with your chest: the NCAA needed a blood sacrifice to make the new model look clean, and the Class of 2022 drew the short straw. That is not governance. That is PR with bylaws attached.
Wagner saw it. The Colorado judge saw it broader. The Ohio appeals court just decided the harm to “thousands of college athletes and member schools” outweighed the named plaintiffs for now. Fine. Process exists. But do not stand there and pretend this is some noble defense of amateur purity while revenue sharing, NIL collectives, and portal chaos already turned the whole enterprise into a free-agent league with textbooks in the background.
Collins committed to Cincinnati after Wagner’s order. Rosters got built on the assumption these guys could play. Now Ohio says wait, Colorado says go, and the NCAA pretends the adults are back in charge. That is not stability. That is three different clocks running in the same gym.
The association loves to talk about “playing by the rules.” The rules are whatever the last judge who ruled has not stayed yet. That is the actual product.
Stop Pretending the Governing Body Still Governs
I watched this sport spend years pretending the transfer portal was the chaos. Cute. Eligibility is now multi-state litigation with bonds, class actions, and dueling stays. Coaches are building rotations off court documents. Recruits are reading docket numbers. And the NCAA is out here claiming moral high ground because one intermediate court in Ohio hit the brakes on fifteen names while a federal injunction still covers the class.
This is not a win for “schools playing by the rules.” This is the association surviving another news cycle and hoping Congress eventually writes them a permission slip.
The merits fight continues. The Colorado stay request is still pending. Rosters for 2026-27 are already half-fiction. And every traditional media desk that leads with “NCAA scores courtroom victory” without mentioning Wisne is doing free PR work.
If you still think the age-based model fixed anything, explain why the same kids the NCAA just “stopped” can still lace them up tomorrow under a different caption. I will wait. Or just admit the whole system is held together by temporary restraining orders and vibes.
Who actually runs college basketball right now, the NCAA or whichever federal judge has the least patience that week?
