Two of Cincinnati’s top college basketball players will remain sidelined after an Ohio appeals court ruled against them Friday. The Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals decided Oct. 2 that University of Cincinnati guard MJ Collins and Xavier forward Filip Borovicanin remain ineligible for the coming season.
The ruling reversed a Hamilton County Common Pleas judge’s July 9 preliminary injunction that had temporarily allowed the players — members of the high school class of 2022 — to compete under the NCAA’s new fifth-year eligibility rules, which cover athletes graduating in 2023 and later but exclude most 2022 graduates.
Collins transferred from Utah State to reunite with Bearcats coach Jerrod Calhoun after averaging 17.5 points per game and helping the Aggies win their regular-season and conference tournament titles. Borovicanin is a returning starter for Xavier’s Musketeers under coach Richard Pitino.
The appeals court said the trial court abused its discretion and sent the case back for further proceedings, leaving the door open to additional evidence and future rulings. The Oct. 2 decision was the first appellate ruling among the nation’s wave of fifth-year eligibility cases and could set a precedent for players elsewhere.
