Alabama Crimson Tide won’t be punished by selection committee for playing Charles Bediako

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Selection Committee will not penalize Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball for playing center Charles Bediako during his brief period of court-approved eligibility, according to committee chair Keith Gill.

Bediako appeared in five games after filing a lawsuit against the NCAA on Jan. 20 and receiving a temporary restraining order (TRO) the following day from an Alabama judge. The TRO allowed him to compete against Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, Texas A&M, and Auburn. Alabama posted a 3-2 record in those contests. However, a different judge, Daniel Pruet, later denied Bediako’s request for a preliminary injunction following a Feb. 6 hearing, ending his eligibility.

“Those games do count,” said Gill, per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. “You have to decide how you’re going to count them. The committee will apply our normal player availability process.”

NCAA senior vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt reiterated that eligibility matters fall outside the committee’s jurisdiction, stressing that its responsibility is to assess teams on competitive merit and construct the bracket based on that evaluation.

“That’s not the basketball committee’s role,” Gavitt said, via CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. “The role is to evaluate these teams form a competitive standpoint and bracket and seed accordingly.”

In his five appearances, Bediako averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 77.3% from the field. The Ontario native previously earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2022. Before rejoining Alabama, he spent three seasons in the NBA G League (2023–26) and, after going undrafted in 2023, signed Exhibit-10 deals with the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and Detroit Pistons.

The court determined that his prior professional career weighed against granting the injunction, observing that he was uniquely positioned as the only professional athlete seeking reinstatement to college basketball. Although currently ineligible, Bediako remains enrolled at the University of Alabama.

The Crimson Tide, ranked No. 25, has won two straight games since the ruling, defeating South Carolina 89–75 and No. 20 Arkansas 117–115 in double overtime. Alabama is projected as a No. 4 or No. 5 seed in most BracketMatrix forecasts. The program has secured a top-four seed in each of the past three tournaments and reached at least the Sweet 16 in each of those seasons. Prediction market Kalshi gives the Crimson Tide a 67% chance of advancing to the Sweet 16 this year.

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