A federal judge on Thursday denied Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler’s request for a preliminary injunction allowing him to play a fifth season of Division I basketball in five years.

U.S. District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer listened to arguments in a hearing June 6 in Knoxville and entered her denial Thursday morning. She wrote that Zeigler failed to demonstrate he would likely succeed in his argument that the NCAA keeping him from playing a fifth season of Division I basketball is a violation under the Sherman Act.

“This Court is a court of law, not policy,” Crytzer wrote in her order denying the injunction. “What the NCAA should do as a policy matter to benefit student athletes is beyond the reach of the Sherman Act and TTPA and by extension, this Court.”

The two-time Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year asked for an injunction when he sued the NCAA on May 20 over its rules limiting him to four seasons in a five-year window as an unlawful restraint of trade under both federal and Tennessee laws.

His lawsuit argues he could earn between $2 million and as much as $4 million with another season. His attorneys made clear this is just a first step in this legal fight.

“We are disappointed the Court declined to grant a preliminary injunction on the basis that the NCAA does not directly control NIL compensation, just days after the House settlement confirmed they would do exactly that,” according to a statement from Litson PLLC and the Garza Law Firm.

“This ruling is just the first chapter of what we believe will ultimately be a successful challenge. We intend to press forward and are evaluating the best path ahead for Zakai.”

The judge wrote that the harms Zeigler argues he would suffer can be addressed with a future damages award.

She also noted the “fixed number of roster spots” for each Division I basketball team and that “an injunction would run the risk of harming currently enrolled players committed to a university and current high school seniors being recruited.”

The NCAA argued in its brief before the hearing that Zeigler’s injunction request should be denied because he is asking the court to make him the first athlete in history to play a fifth season in Division I “as a matter of right.”

During the hearing, the judge asked Zeigler’s attorneys to file a quick brief answering whether or not Zeigler is an “intercollegiate athlete” as defined under state law and what legal standard applies to Zeigler’s claim under the Tennessee Trade Practices Act.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The names on the Jim Patterson Stadium left-center field wall are familiar.

They’re etched in College World Series history: 2007, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019 — the five times Louisville baseball reached Omaha.

Now they’re adding 2025. But this one feels different.

“This time last summer, our program could have just crashed,” Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell said Thursday to reporters in Charles Schwab Field. “We were low. We were in the valley.”

Instead, this team climbed out.

The Cardinals open play Friday night at 7 p.m. against Oregon State, a storied program with a chip on its shoulder — much like Louisville. A year removed from missing the NCAA Tournament, the Cards return with a group that’s not only still standing, but has grown stronger.

McDonnell’s teams have long been known for offense and energy. But it’s the pitching staff that’s carried Louisville through the postseason — with a 2.04 ERA, tops in the NCAA Tournament, and just 12 earned runs allowed in 53 innings.

It helps when you get back a captain.

Catcher Matt Klein missed two months after being hit by a pitch in February. He returned for the postseason and has made an immediate impact — both behind the plate and in the batter’s box.

“Everybody feels comfortable throwing to Matt,” said Friday starter Patrick Forbes. “We know he’s going to give it 100 percent when he’s back there. That’s all you can ask for. It’s great to have him back. I think it’s a big reason why the pitching staff has had a lot of success in the postseason.”

McDonnell added: “We had such high hopes for Matt… clearly looked like our best all-around hitter, team captain, a catcher back there with a reputation we have for success with our catchers. I give Matt a lot of credit… Probably, in the long run, is probably going to be a better baseball player for it because he had to lean over the railing. He really got to kind of see it more as a coach, probably. … I think he was better prepared when he came back.”

But what’s gotten Louisville back to Omaha isn’t just health. It’s loyalty.

In an era of college baseball defined by transfers and NIL deals, McDonnell knows this run doesn’t happen if veterans like Forbes, Eddie King Jr., Zion Rose and others don’t stay put.

It’s here that McDonnell’s voice kicks up a notch. This time a year ago, the departures from the program were a bit breathtaking. A dozen players in a month. All-ACC shortstop Gavin Kilen, eventually ranked the top transfer in the SEC, went to Tennessee. Third baseman Brandon Anderson went to Purdue. Right-hander Carson Liggett was among the top pitchers who left.

“As I said, we were in the valley, but that’s why I have so much appreciation for those kids who could have taken more money,” McDonnell said. “They could have taken schools that were selling, I guess you say, more than us. But you can only sell more money than us, I’m sorry. … If you’re chasing more money, good luck. But you want to list the other 25 qualities, let’s go toe-to-toe and let’s see whose resumé stacks up.”

Louisville will open the series with one who stayed. Forbes, a junior from Bowling Green, has been a strikeout machine, with 102 Ks in 66 innings. He’ll be backed by a bullpen that’s allowed just one run in 18.2 postseason innings. Offensively, King leads the team with 17 home runs and is hitting .556 over the last 10 games.

Louisville’s opponent, Oregon State, brings its own pedigree to the stage.

The Beavers have won three national championships and are making their ninth CWS appearance since 2005. The last time these teams met was on this stage — a 2013 College World Series matchup that Oregon State won 11-4. This is a program that lost its conference, simply watched the Pac-12 pick up and leave, and had to navigate 35 road games to get back to Omaha.

“I’m impressed by the adversity and what they had to go through,” McDonnell said. “Being on the road and traveling… it doesn’t surprise anybody in college baseball as to why they’re here and how good and dangerous they are.”

But as Louisville has shown over the past couple of weeks, there’s a little danger on its roster, too. And there’s also connection — forged through last year’s frustration, through months of injury setbacks, through a culture McDonnell has built over nearly two decades, that spread rapidly to the transfers and young players he added.

“This group has been very close,” McDonnell said. “Either way, no matter what happened in the postseason, this group got us back on track, and it’s been a lot of fun. I like where we’re at. I’ve talked about schools that have won a national championship that really don’t have much experience being out here. Experience is a coin flip. I think there’s good and bad with it. My job is to feed off of these kids and what makes them go and where they’re at and just support them in that. … We’re going to have fun. We’re going to throw the ball, catch the ball, hit the ball — and let the scoreboard kind of take care of itself.”

More Louisville Baseball Coverage:

How to Watch | Louisville vs. Oregon State; time, matchups, CWS odds

CRAWFORD | The Cardinals are chasing a title. Knox is chasing childhood. They’re in it together.

Coffee with Crawford | Louisville’s Eddie King didn’t try to be a hero — he just moved the ball

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As the football season approaches, Georgia football continues to adapt to the evolving landscape shaped by NIL and the transfer portal. While the Bulldogs saw the departure of key players this offseason, they also capitalized on the chance to add talented players at critical positions. With a revamped roster, all eyes will be on Athens in the fall to see if they can return to the top of the SEC and the College Football Playoff.

The Bulldogs lost a handful of players to the transfer portal this spring, including some key players on the offensive side of the ball.

Running back Branson Robinson stayed in state as he transferred to Georgia State. Robinson appeared in 18 games for the Bulldogs, running for 403 yards and six touchdowns. 

Wide receivers Michael Jackson III and Nitro Tuggle both transferred to Purdue, along with interior offensive lineman Marques Easley. Quarterback Jaden Rashada transferred to Sacramento State and defensive back Chris Peal committed to Syracuse. 

Despite all of these losses, Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs added plenty of players who could fill the void of players who left in the spring portal. 

Robinson’s departure left a hole at running back, so Georgia went out and got the commitment of Illinois’ Josh McCray. Last season, McCray ran for over 600 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Fighting Illini. 

To help bolster the offensive line, the Bulldogs brought in Waltclaire Flynn Jr. from UCF. Flynn Jr., with four years of eligibility left, provides depth to the offensive line unit. 

Georgia bolstered their defensive front by signing defensive tackle Joshua Horton from Miami and outside linebacker Elo Modozie from Army. Modozie led Army in sacks a season ago with 6.5, so look for him to make an immediate impact off the edge.

Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork speaks to the media Thursday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor

Over the past five years, college athletics has undergone a massive transformation, shifting from amateur ideals to a new era defined by athlete empowerment, NIL deals, and legal reckonings.

On Friday, that evolution reached a historic milestone: a federal judge officially approved the House v. NCAA settlement, a groundbreaking antitrust agreement that will reshape the financial and operational structure of college sports for decades to come. Under Judge Claudia Wilken’s newly approved agreement, schools can begin directly distributing up to $20.5 million in revenue to student-athletes starting July 1, in what’s termed “revenue sharing.”

At Ohio State, the change is immediate. Athletic Director Ross Bjork announced that the university will distribute $18 million in institutional NIL funds this upcoming season. But that money won’t be spread across the athletic department—it will be concentrated in just four sports: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball.

“For us, we will allocate the $18 million starting in four sports: women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, and of course our football program,” Bjork said in a press conference Thursday. “Those are the four sports that we will start with. We hope we can grow that.”

The remaining $2.5 million of Ohio State’s $20.5 million NIL cap will be used for scholarships.

“Any time you add a new scholarship in any sport, that has to count against the $20.5 million,” Bjork said.

Bjork declined to provide a breakdown of how the $18 million will be split among the four sports, explaining that “numbers create narratives.”

“We really try to use metrics in a formula, while also balancing some Title IX approach in this as well,” Bjork said while explaining how those four sports got chosen.

Many expect universities nationwide to devote the bulk of their new NIL funds to high-revenue sports like football and men’s basketball, raising questions about the future of non-revenue programs. Bjork, however, stressed that Ohio State remains committed to maintaining all 36 of its teams.

“We will maintain all 36 sports,” Bjork said. “[We] have an obligation to the young people in those programs. There’s a lot of historical programs that compete here.”

Though athletic departments everywhere are preparing to adjust to a dramatically different model, Bjork sees the settlement as bringing something the industry has long needed: clarity.

“The main thing is clarity,” Bjork said when answering what he likes about the new model. “It’s not perfect, but it’s progress that we’ve never had before. It’s transformational progress.”

For all the financial restructuring and operational uncertainties, Bjork emphasized that some core values of college sports remain unchanged, opening with a grounding reminder: “We’re still going to class and we’re still going to play the games.”

The Murray State Racers left behind their 800-seat home stadium in Kentucky for the national spotlight in Omaha, Nebraska. As the biggest underdog in the College World Series, the Racers are set to begin play on Saturday, June 14, on college baseball’s biggest stage.

Who are the Murray State Racers?

The Racers were just the fourth team from the regionals to make it all the way to Omaha as a No. 4 seed. The school, with an enrollment of just over 10,000 students in Murray, Kentucky, was known primarily for its basketball program, which boasts 18 NCAA tournament appearances to its credit.

This is the first trip to the College World Series for the baseball team. Impressive enough to earn a shout-out on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky Congressman James Comer.

“This is a historic achievement for a small school,” Comer said. “Murray State defied the odds in the era of NIL and big contracts and players getting paid. This is a group of baseball players that want to play ball. They play hard every game, they weren’t highly recruited, and they win.”

How did they make it to the College World Series?

They can also hit. The Racers ranked 11th in the nation in scoring and generated 70 runs in seven regional tournament games. They beat both Ole Miss and Duke twice during their run to Omaha.

A post by a local reporter on X that went viral may have summed it up best. It’s an image of the Racers’ 800 800-seat stadium, with a caption that says that Coach Dan Skirka mows the grass himself. It’s just one of the duties a head coach at a small school has to do.

“A lot goes into it. We’re trying to prepare to win baseball games,” Skirka said. “But at the same time, we’re trying to prepare future husbands, dads, and future bosses and trying to do it the right way. A byproduct of that is winning some baseball games and getting to do something cool like this.” 

What about being the biggest underdogs in the tournament?

The Racers also embraced the underdog role as they’ve done the entire postseason. It is a big deal back home, but Jonathan Hogart, who smashed a pair of home runs in the decisive game of the Durham Super Regional to send the Racers to Omaha, said he won’t be distracted.

“We don’t want to buy into any of the hype or the underdog story. We just want to focus on what we do best,” Hogart said. “The community support has been phenomenal back in Murray. We come home, there’s hundreds of people waiting for us. My hometown, personally, is going crazy right now. They’ve made drinks, shirts, huge watch party Saturday for us.”

Fresno State was the only regional four seed to make a Cinderella run all the way to a national championship. The Bulldogs won it all in 2008. The last team to give it a shot was Oral Roberts in 2023.

Which teams are the big favorites in Omaha?

SEC powers Arkansas and LSU are practically co-favorites, according to FanDuel and other sportsbooks. However, the favorite has won the tournament just once in the last 10 years. So, keep an eye out for a team like Coastal Carolina. This is their first trip back to the tournament since they won it all in 2016. Head coach Kevin Schnall made the case for the Chanticleers, who had quite the streak going. 

“It’s an honor to be back,” Schnall said. “This team deserves to be back. We’re 53 and 11. We’ve won 23 straight games in a row. They’re one of eight teams in the country still playing, and again, they deserve that opportunity. They play so relentlessly and consistently all year.”  

And there are three former Pac-12 teams to consider. UCLA and Arizona could make a run, but Oregon State, playing as an independent for the first time, is hoping to add to its three national titles. Outfielder Gavin Turley, who led the team with 19 home runs, believes it’s all about the team’s attitude.

“Going into the postseason, it’s kinda just like, ‘hey, we’re going to leave it all out there,’” Turley said. “Win or lose, there’s going to be no regrets. When you play like that, it’s easy to go out there and play free and perform at your best.”  

The eight-team double-elimination tournament runs for 10 days and begins Friday afternoon, June 13, when Arizona takes on Coastal Carolina. Cinderella Murray State plays its first game on Saturday, June 14, against UCLA.