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We’ve had a rather newsy start to the week. Let’s get right to it.

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1. Another fifth-year commit

We still have no clue if the players involved in the Colorado lawsuit will be eligible after transferring (more on that later), but teams are operating as if they are.

The most recent example is Syracuse hauling in former Quinnipiac star Amarri Monroe. New Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara got a taste of Monroe's dominance during his two seasons as Siena's head man.

Last year, Monroe averaged 15.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg, earning All-MAAC first-team and all-defense honors. Monroe's best season at Quinnipiac came in 2024-25, when he averaged 18.3 ppg, 9.1 rpg and snagged MAAC POTY.

We'll see if Monroe is eligible -- and if he is, the size of this Syracuse team really stands out. Everyone on Cuse's roster is 6-5 or taller, except freshman PG Ryan Moesch, who is 6-foot. Garwey Dual will likely start at PG; he's 6-5, and his backcourt mate, Aidan Tobiason, is also 6-5.

Now, as for eligibility, it still seems up in the air and differs depending on which court is viewing a certain case. SI's Kevin Sweeney provided a comprehensive outlook on the situation. And honestly, the NCAA might have no choice but to allow the Class of 2022 players an extra year.

But for now, it’s still holding on.

2. David Mirkovic undergoes foot surgery

The most difficult news to swallow in August as a college hoops fan is injury news. And one of the sport's brightest stars could be sidelined for a bit.

Illinois forward David Mirkovic suffered a foot injury in practice last Friday and underwent surgery on Tuesday. The good news? Mirkovic seems to have dodged a big bullet, as his expected timetable is 6-8 weeks, per Jeff Goodman. A full breakdown of the injury situation is below.

Mirkovic was a key cog for Illinois as a freshman, averaging 13.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 2.6 apg. Brad Underwood has done nothing but praise Mirkovic this summer, and it seems like he could be more of a jumbo playmaker for Illinois.

The Illini begin their season against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 2 in Champaign. We'll see if Mirkovic is ready to play by then, but Illinois will likely be cautious and look at the bigger picture. The first two big games the Illini will play are on Nov. 10 at Texas Tech and Nov. 17 at Duke. It would be nice for Mirkovic to return for one of those.

3. Georgia Tech lands four-star recruit

Scott Cross hauled in three four-star recruits in his first class at Georgia Tech. He's already adding more four-stars to the fold for 2027.

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