After a chaotic Wednesday in the courtroom in which Missouri coach Dennis Gates was among many testifiers supporting a Kentucky lawsuit against the NCAA in support of athletes from the Class of 2022 receiving a fifth season of eligibility, the Plaintiffs were granted a temporary injunction to be temporarily eligible for the 2026-27 season.
This includes Missouri forward Mark Mitchell.
The order reads "Defendant NCAA, and its officers, agents, employees, representatives, successors, assigns, and all persons acting in concert or participation with it, are hereby temporarily enjoied from enforcing NCAA Bylaw 12.6, or any other NCAA bylaw, to preclude Plaintiffs from competing in NCAA Division I athletics during the 2026-2027 season on the basis that Plaintiffs have already competed in four seasons of competition."
The order also blocks the NCAA from prohibiting players from being eligible due to a failure to enter the transfer portal in the original spring window or on the basis that the plaintiffs signed a professional contract that was later terminated. The lawsuit also states that the NCAA is "temporarily enjoined from enforcing" the ghost transfer rule against Plaintiffs, any NCAA member institution or coach that a Plaintiff competes for or against.
Based on previous cases, it's likely that the NCAA will appeal the decision.
Gates appeared at SEC Tipoff '27 a day early so he could support Mitchell at the hearing Wednesday.
"I'll always be there for Mark Mitchell, man. Without a doubt," Gates said Tuesday. "And that's what it's about. It's not about using these young people. It's about stepping foot lockstep with them every step of the way so they can know they're supported."
Mitchell led the Tigers in scoring in each of the last two seasons and will play a crucial role on the upcoming team, should he eventually receive permanent eligibility.
Gates also vocalized his support for Mitchell and fellow fifth-year Tiger C.J. Gunn, who received a temporary injunction from a Boone County court on Wednesday that expires the morning of Oct. 24.
"We're just going to support them as they go through their processes and their appeals and different things like that," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said Sunday. "So we got to honor the court system. We got to honor where my stance is, and that's supporting student athletes. I think when you're looking at our game. These student athletes need to be supported."
Missouri has its media day set for 11 a.m. Monday at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers begin their season with exhibitions against Kansas State on Oct. 23 and against UNLV on Oct. 29, both contests on the road. Their regular season begins at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 against Cleveland State at Mizzou Arena.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/missouri as Mizzou forward Mark Mitchell granted temporary injunction for 2026-27 season .
