In a recent development, U.S. District Judge Preston Bailey issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, allowing two-time transfers to play immediately. This decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by West Virginia and six other states, alleging that the NCAA's waiver process for multi-time transfers violated federal antitrust laws.

Previously, the NCAA permitted underclassmen to transfer once without sitting out a year. However, a second transfer as an underclassman required a waiver for immediate eligibility, which was granted on a case-by-case basis. The recent ruling by Judge Bailey effectively suspended the year in residency requirement for multi-time transfers.

Responding to the order, the NCAA released a statement announcing that they will not enforce the year in residency requirement for multi-time transfers. This decision will have a significant impact on Division I student-athletes, offering them the opportunity to compete immediately upon transferring to a new institution.

With the lifting of the eligibility restriction, several players were able to hit the court for their new teams. Keylan Boone, who started his career at Oklahoma State before transferring to Pacific for a year and then to UNLV, made an instant impact in his debut for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Boone scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench, contributing to UNLV's impressive 79-64 upset win over No. 8 Creighton.

Despite the ruling, many programs showed caution and kept their newly eligible players on the bench. LSU's star guard Jalen Cook, who transferred from Tulane after starting his career in Baton Rouge, was held out of the Tigers' win over Alabama State. Similarly, UTSA, McNeese, Little Rock, and Southern Miss also decided to keep certain players out of competition, despite their potential eligibility.

While the temporary restraining order has provided a window of opportunity for multi-time transfer athletes, the future of the year in residency requirement remains uncertain. It is still unclear how the NCAA will respond to the lawsuit and what ramifications this ruling may have in the long term.

In the meantime, student-athletes who meet the criteria for multi-time transfers can take advantage of the temporary suspension of the year in residency requirement, offering them increased flexibility in pursuing their athletic careers at different institutions.