Memphis’ Malcolm Dandridge out as Tigers review eligibility

Memphis senior Malcolm Danridge will be held out of competition for an indefinite period while his eligibility is investigated, the school announced Saturday morning.

The Tigers will host Florida Atlantic Sunday afternoon.

“The University of Memphis is currently gathering and reviewing information regarding a potential issue impacting Malcolm Dandridge’s eligibility and is excluding him from competition until further notice,” the school said in a statement. “To protect the integrity of this process, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

Sunday, after a victory 78-74 against Florida Atlantic, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said he didn’t know how long Dandridge would be out.

“I’m waiting like you,” he said. “So I don’t know anything about when he’ll come back. I’ll just learn like you guys.”

Dandridge, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, was Hardaway’s first commit in the Tigers’ 2019 recruiting class that ultimately finished as the No. 1 class in the nation. This is his fifth year in the Tigers program. Dandridge briefly entered the transfer portal last spring, but opted to return to Memphis and 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’ playoff hopes. Memphis opened the season with a 15-2 record, reaching No. 10 in the Associated Press poll, but has since lost six of 10 games to fall out of most projected NCAA tournament brackets.

Since Hardaway took over at Memphis in 2018, the Tigers have been the subject of several NCAA investigations. The NCAA conducted an 18-month investigation due to alleged violations involving James Wiseman and other recruits. The independent accountability process adjudicated the case, finding that Hardaway did not violate NCAA rules because of his longtime philanthropy at Memphis.

Last summer, Hardaway was suspended three games by the NCAA for recruiting violations and violations of head coach accountability rules as part of a separate investigation.