Trimble twist

North Carolina fifth-year transfer guard Seth Trimble committed to Louisville. How much does he elevate the Cardinals? Plus: More fifth-year commits and news, Kansas loses a five-star commit, and more.

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Good morning! It was another busy day on the fifth-year eligibility front (go figure). Let’s get right to it.

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1. More fifth-year madness

Around this time of year, the college basketball world usually has some time to relax. That hasn’t been the case this August because of the fifth-year eligibility saga.

We had more news on that front on Wednesday with four notable players choosing high-major schools. But perhaps the biggest and most shocking move? North Carolina guard Seth Trimble committing to ACC rival Louisville.

As Rob Dauster pointed out on the show, it’s hard to see Trimble, a North Carolina for-lifer, have to move on from the program after four seasons.

“I have tremendous empathy for Seth because the timing of the court decision put him and our program in a difficult position as we constructed our roster,” head coach Mike Malone said via a statement. “None of that changes how we feel about Seth. He has represented Carolina the right way… Even though he will be playing elsewhere for one year, he will always be a Tarheel.”

For Louisville, Trimble gives the Cardinals not just a great on-ball defender, but incredible depth and one of the 10 most talented rosters in the country. Their roster features three former five-stars (Bidunga, Shelstad, Knox), a former top-30 HS player/Blue Blood starter (Trimble), an All A-10 guard (Montgomery), an Elite Eight team’s sixth-man (Flogueiras), a high school five-star (Ekezie), a former First Team All-CUSA selection (Wooley), and then someone who’s 7-foot-5 (Dynes).

The kicker for Trimble right now: he’s relying on the Colorado case for a fifth year and hasn’t been named in a state-specific case. He’ll likely pursue that avenue to have a better chance of actually being eligible.

And speaking of those eligibility cases, some more names have hit the proverbial transfer portal market after 24 players were added as plaintiffs to the California eligibility lawsuit. Some of the most notable include Oziyah Sellers (St. John’s), Moe Odum (Arizona State), Tre Holloman (NC State), Keba Keita (BYU), Xaivian Lee (Florida), Chisom Okpara (Stanford), Reed Bailey (Indiana), Jamarques Lawrence (Nebraska), Desmond Claude (Washington) and JJ Starling (Syracuse).

More fifth-year happenings from Wednesday:

  • Oakland transfer guard Brody Robinson (17.6 ppg, 6.7 apg) committed to Creighton, further strengthening the Bluejays’ back court. Alan Huss now has Robinson, Wes Enis, Austin Swartz, Jasen Green, BJ Davis, Kayden Edwards and Katrelle Harmon at his disposal. It’s a deep, versatile group.

  • Will Wade finally has a starting five, picking up UCLA transfer guard Skyy Clark (11.5 ppg, 2.0 apg). He joins Michigan State transfer Divine Ugochukwu, Kansas State transfer Abdi Bashir Jr., UTSA guard Austin Nunez and Kentucky forward Mo Dioubate.

  • Eastern Michigan transfer Christian Henry chose Kent State.

  • Radford transfer guard Jaylon Johnson picked UNC Asheville.

  • Missouri forward Mark Mitchell filed an eligibility lawsuit in the state of Kentucky.

2. How good can WVU be with Brenen Lorient?

Thought we were done with the fifth-year news? Think again. The other move to discuss is West Virginia forward Brenen Lorient announcing a return to the Mountaineers.

He will also be relying on the Colorado ruling, but if, and more likely when Lorient plays, how big will it be for West Virginia?

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