Matt Compton

NCAA president Myles Brand and NBA commissioner David Stern have apparently reached a deal that will require most players to stay in school through the end of their sophomore years. If the rumor is true, college basketball players now must be 20-years-old before they will be eligible to declare for the NBA draft. The age limit currently stands at 19-years-old. No word yet on whether or not the players’ union supports this change.

This will have a dramatic impact on the college game. On the balance, teams that stand to benefit the most are those that are currently strong. Mid-major programs which have achieved a level of parity (both through the diffusion of talent and by the cultivation of that talent over the course of four years, rather than one or two) will now face a new challenge.

The details of this deal will be interesting. Particularly, when the new age-limit takes effect. As those on the basketball boards will tell you, the recruitment of Derrick Favors might have just taken on a whole new dynamic.