NCAA Basketball: 3 most significant active players in Yahoo! report

1. Miles Bridges, Michigan State

The great irony for Miles Bridges is that he could’ve left the school and become a lottery pick in the NBA Draft last year. These allegations wouldn’t sting so badly if he had done that.

According to the Yahoo! report, Bridges’ mother received “hundreds of dollars in advances, according to Dawkins’ expense reports.” Specific payments allegedly include a $70 lunch and a $400 cash payment, withdrawn from an ATM.

These allegations don’t specifically tie the Michigan State star to the money. Tom Izzo, for one, denies any wrongdoing, although his credibility sustained irreparable damage in the sexual assault scandal plaguing Michigan State.

The sophomore guard is averaging 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season, building a case for Big Ten Player of the Year. The Spartans are 27-3, ranked No. 2 in the AP poll and generating buzz as a national championship contender.

Judging from Izzo’s proclamation, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll sideline Bridges while the investigation runs its course, as some other schools are doing with their players. Without the star, the Spartans’ ceiling for this season becomes vastly limited, with Michigan State falling to Elite Eight or even Sweet Sixteen status.

Sunday’s game at Wisconsin is the regular season finale for Michigan State.