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NCAA Basketball Betting News: USC's Mayo in Ticket Flap
USC freshman O.J. Mayo is in hot water over accepting free Lakers tickets from Carmelo Anthony. (AP Images)
NCAA infractions are a dangerous deal. Just ask USC basketball coach Tim Floyd and his prized freshman, O.J. Mayo.
The spotlight has been thrust upon the pair after Mayo accepted courtside seats from Carmelo Anthony for a Lakers-Nuggets game earlier this month. Since Mayo knew Anthony from high school and asked Floyd beforehand if accepting the tickets was okay, the freshman phenom attended the contest unaware that he might've broken a NCAA rule. Floyd is now admitting he might've goofed in not investigating the ticket exchange more closely.
According to one of the (approximately) 67 million rules and sanctions set forth by college athletics' governing body, accepting free tickets to a professional sports event violates one of the NCAA's bylaws on "extra benefits."
The case will likely come down to grey matter and interpretation of the rules. If the NCAA views Anthony as a high school friend who gave Mayo the tickets as a "buddy," the acceptance of said tickets could be okay. However, if the NCAA sees Anthony as giving Mayo the tickets as a representative of the Denver Nuggets, well...that could be a problem.
Mayo is putting up 19.7 points per game this year and is the Trojans' leading scorer.