Fifteen college basketball players from the high school Class of 2022 filed a lawsuit in Ohio state court challenging the NCAA Division I Cabinet's new age-based eligibility rule. The rule, approved less than 24 hours before the suit, allows five seasons of competition over five years beginning with full-time enrollment or the academic year following an athlete's 19th birthday.

The plaintiffs argue the rule unfairly shuts them out of competition while granting extra eligibility to older athletes whose careers were extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also point to the NCAA allowing 2022 graduates to play professional seasons before enrolling in 2023. A judge denied their temporary restraining order request and scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing for next Wednesday.

The lawsuit claims the rule unjustifiably restricts athletes' ability to earn NIL money and creates inconsistent treatment based on graduation year. Attorneys argue the NCAA compounded the issue by allowing former professional players a fifth year while denying the same opportunity to plaintiffs.

The NCAA Division I Cabinet stated it will not change course, emphasizing that applying the rule retroactively would disrupt roster expectations and playing time for incoming athletes. The organization maintains that student-athletes who exhausted eligibility by spring 2026 received the full period permitted under previous NCAA bylaws.