Arizona Wildcats Basketball

The University of Arizona Board of Regents will meet Thursday afternoon to discuss the contract status of basketball coach Sean Miller.

Per ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf, the school released a statement Wednesday saying the board would have a meeting for "legal advice and discussion regarding University of Arizona men's basketball and the multiple-year employment contract for the head men's basketball coach."

Miller, 49, did not coach Arizona's last game against Oregon after ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reported he was caught on a wiretap as part of the FBI probe into college basketball corruption. It's alleged Miller had discussions about paying forward Deandre Ayton $100,000 to attend the program with a third party.

Miller has denied all allegations but stepped away for the time being "in the best interest of the team."

"I believe it is in the best interest of our team that I not coach the game tonight," Miller said in a statement. "I continue to fully support the University's efforts to fully investigate this matter and am confident that I will be vindicated. For now, my thoughts are with our team. They are a great group of young men that will support each other and continue their pursuit of winning a Pac-12 championship."

An attorney representing Ayton said his family is "outraged" and "disgusted" by the report in a statement sent to Schlabach. The statement said Ayton told FBI investigators six months ago he never received payment from anyone at Arizona, nor was the matter discussed.

Arizona could choose to fire Miller for cause, which in most cases would absolve the university of any financial commitment. However, ESPN's Darren Rovell reported $10.3 million of the $12 million remaining on Miller's contract is guaranteed to him even in a for-cause firing.

Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller had a meeting Monday with his attorneys and administrators from the University of Arizona to discuss his future with the school, 247Sports' Evan Daniels and Josh Gershon reported Tuesday. 

Miller didn't coach Arizona in the team's 98-93 overtime loss to the Oregon Ducks last Saturday after ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported Miller had been recorded on an FBI wiretap allegedly discussing a $100,000 payment to guarantee freshman center Deandre Ayton would sign with the Wildcats.

Daniels, Gershon and Brian Snow, however, provided a different retelling of events in a report for 247Sports on Monday. They reported the FBI wiretaps focused on calls between June 19, 2017, and Sept. 25, 2017.

Ayton had already signed with Arizona well before then, putting pen to paper in November 2016. 

According to Daniels, Gershon and Snow, Ayton also didn't have a relationship with Christian Dawkins, the former employee of ASM Sports Group who was allegedly on the other end of the call where Miller was discussing the $100,000 payment.

Daniels and Gershon reported Tuesday it's unclear whether Arizona will allow Miller to continue coaching the Wildcats or fire him in the wake of the allegations.

ESPN's Darren Rovell reported Miller would collect $10.3 million of the $12 million he's owed over the remainder of his contract if Arizona were to fire him for just cause.

The Arizona Wildcats lost in overtime to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday night, 98-93, despite 28 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks from superstar freshman DeAndre Ayton.

The loss came with head coach Sean Miller absent amid an FBI investigation into the coach after "FBI wiretaps intercepted telephone conversations [between Miller] and Christian Dawkins, a key figure in the FBI's investigation into college basketball corruption, in which Miller discussed paying $100,000" to guarantee that Ayton joined the Wildcats, per Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com.

The school cited the "best interests of the University and the basketball program" in its decision to keep Miller out of Saturday's game, per Schlabach.

However, Ayton—considered one of the top prospects, if not the top player overall, in the 2018 NBA draft class—was cleared to play and dominated. He couldn't do enough to lead the Wildcats to a win, however, as Elijah Brown (30 points) and MiKyle McIntosh (20 points, five rebounds, four steals) were superb for the Ducks.

With associate head coach Lorenzo Romar serving as head coach Saturday, the Wildcats came out strong. They led by as many as 12 in the first half and 43-37 at halftime, but Oregon roared back.

Ayton, who was unstoppable for much of the game, went scoreless over the final 11.5 minutes, though the Wildcats didn't play through him down the stretch: 

All things considered, however, Ayton handled himself well. Arizona senior guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright agreed, per the Associated Press: "I think he's handled it like a professional. I think the last 24 hours has been quite difficult for him, but he's handled it like a professional, and it's really good to see."

The FBI probe has left the future for both Miller and Ayton cloudy.

"We have to wait and see," Romar said of the situation after the overtime loss. "We dealt with it the way we dealt with it tonight, and tomorrow we'll see what happens."

It's been a tumultuous week in general for Arizona basketball, as guard Allonzo Trier was also out of action Saturday after the NCAA ruled him ineligible for testing positive for a banned substance, per Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. Arizona is appealing the NCAA's decision, citing a "minuscule" amount of the substance in Trier's system.

"The amount detected was minuscule by scientific standards and appears to be a remnant of a substance, which the NCAA agreed, Allonzo had unknowingly ingested in 2016," the school said in a statement.

Trier was ineligible to play last season until Jan. 20, 2017, after testing positive for the substance. 

The attorney for Arizona Wildcats basketball star Deandre Ayton is seeking assistance from the FBI and NCAA to clear his client's name in the FBI corruption investigation. 

ESPN's Mark Schlabach passed along the statement from Ayton's attorney:

Schlabach reported on Friday that Arizona head coach Sean Miller was heard on FBI wiretaps discussing a $100,000 payout to ensure Ayton would play basketball for the Wildcats. 

Following that report, Miller didn't coach Arizona during Saturday's game against Oregon. Ayton was in the lineup, with the school saying in a statement he remains eligible to play. 

Per Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde and Pete Thamel, documents and bank records obtained by the FBI during a probe into college basketball recruiting revealed potential NCAA violations for at least 20 Division I basketball programs and more than 25 players. 

Ayton leads Arizona with 19.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game this season.

The University of Arizona and head coach Sean Miller both released statements Saturday after ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reported Fridayan FBI wiretap discovered Miller discussing a $100,000 payment to DeAndre Ayton with agent Christian Dawkins. 

In its statement, forwarded by CBSSports.com's Matt Norlander, Arizona announced Miller would not coach Saturday against Oregon. Furthermore, the school confirmed Ayton is still eligible and will be in the lineup for the Pac-12 showdown. 

Miller, meanwhile, denied any wrongdoing. 

"I believe it is in the best interest of our team that I not coach the game tonight," he wrote. "I continue to fully support the University's efforts to fully investigate this matter and am confident that I will be vindicated. For now, my thoughts are with our team. They are a great group of young men that will support each other and continue their pursuit of winning a Pac-12 championship."

According to Schlabach, "Miller discussed paying $100,000 to ensure star freshman Deandre Ayton signed with the Wildcats" and "told Dawkins he should deal directly with him when it came to money."

Wildcats assistant Lorenzo Romar, who spent the previous 15 seasons as the head coach of the Washington Huskies, will coach Arizona in Miller's absence. 

Arizona star Deandre Ayton will play in Saturday's Pac-12 game against Oregon. 

In a statement issued by the school, per Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star, Ayton is eligible to play and will be in the Wildcats' lineup. 

Included in the school's message is a statement from head coach Sean Miller saying, "I believe it is in the best interest of our team that I not coach the game tonight."

Per CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson, NCAA president Mark Emmert said Saturday it was Arizona's decision whether or not to let Ayton play. 

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported Friday that FBI wiretaps intercepted phone conversations between Miller and Christian Dawkins about paying Ayton $100,000 to get him to play for the Wildcats. 

Anny Ryman of the Arizona Republic reported Arizona's Board of Regents met in an executive emergency session Saturday to discuss the latest developments.

Dawkins was one of 10 people arrested in September after a three-year FBI probe into corruption in college basketball.  

Ayton is averaging a double-double for Arizona this season. The freshman sensation leads the team with 10.9 rebounds per game and is tied for the team lead with 19.6 points per game. 

Arizona enters Saturday's matchup against Oregon with a 22-6 record overall and leads the Pac-12 with a 12-3 conference record. 

Arizona has lost one of its 2018 recruits as a result of the school's reported involvement in the FBI probe into corruption throughout college basketball. 

Shareef O'Neal, son of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, announced on Twitter he was opening up his commitment:

At this time I'm am opening up my recruitment due to the current events with the UofA Bball team.I would like to thank all the coaches for recruiting me. At the time my family and I think it's in my best interest to look at other options to assure my play in the NCAA next year.

— Shareef O’Neal (@SSJreef) February 24, 2018

On Friday, ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reported FBI wiretaps discovered Wildcats head coach Sean Miller discussing a $100,000 payment with Christian Dawkins to ensure Deandre Ayton would sign with the school. 

Dawkins is a former associate of Andy Miller, who founded the ASM Sports agency. The two are key figures in the FBI investigation into fraud and corruption in the sport, and Dawkins was arrested in September.

Arizona's reported involvement in the FBI probe has had a significant impact on recruiting.

Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, Nassir Little said in October before he committed to North Carolina that he took the Wildcats out of consideration because he "didn't want to be mixed in a situation where any of the accusations seemed like it was true."

O'Neal gave Arizona a verbal commitment in April 2017 during his junior year at Crossroads High School in Santa Monica, California. He's rated as a 4-star prospect and No. 33 overall player in the 2018 class, per 247Sports. 

Arizona head coach Sean Miller will not lead the team against Oregon after ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach reported FBI wiretaps discovered he discussed paying star recruit Deandre Ayton $100,000 to sign with the team.

Per Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star, Arizona players have been told Miller won't be on the bench for Saturday's game. 

Miller reportedly discussed the possibility of making a payment with Christian Dawkins, a former associate of NBA agent Andy Miller with ASM Sports.

Andy Miller's computer was taken when the FBI raided ASM Sports in September as part of the probe into bribery and fraud across college basketball, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN. 

Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde and Pete Thamel reported Friday the FBI investigation includes documents and bank records showing various expenditures by ASM Sports, Miller and Dawkins involving at least 25 players and more than 20 programs. 

Miller has been at Arizona since the 2009-10 season. He has led the program to a 242-72 record over the past nine seasons, including a 22-6 mark this season. 

Arizona Wildcats head basketball coach Sean Miller was reportedly recorded by FBI wiretaps speaking to Christian Dawkins, an associate of former NBA agent Andy Miller, about facilitating a $100,000 payment to prized prospect Deandre Ayton so he would commit to the school. 

According to ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach, Miller "had multiple conversations about Ayton" with Dawkins, and he told Dawkins to "deal directly with him when it came to money" rather than with assistant coach Emanuel Richardson.

Richardson was among the four assistant coaches arrested by the FBI in September. 

Ayton, a 5-star recruit and the fourth-ranked player in the class of 2017, committed to Arizona on Sept. 6, 2016. 

The freshman center is averaging 19.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 60.6 percent from the field through his first 28 collegiate appearances. Ayton has also canned 33.3 percent of his three-point attempts and 42.5 percent of his two-point jumpers, per Hoop-Math. 

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman currently has Ayton penciled in as the No. 1 overall player on his big board ahead of the 2018 NBA draft. 

News of Miller's alleged discussions with Dawkins comes on the same day Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel and Pat Forde reported documents obtained during the FBI investigation show Andy Miller, Dawkins and ASM Sports helped funnel money to some of the sport's biggest programs and players. 

"With these latest allegations, it's clear this work is more important now than ever," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement, per Thamel and Forde. "The Board and I are completely committed to making transformational changes to the game and ensuring all involved in college basketball do so with integrity. We also will continue to cooperate with the efforts of federal prosecutors to identify and punish the unscrupulous parties seeking to exploit the system through criminal acts."

Arizona star Allonzo Trier has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for a failed drug test, though the school is appealing the decision. 

In a statement released by the University of Arizona (via Brian Hamilton of the Big Ten Network), Trier's test revealed "a trace amount of a banned substance."

"It’s devastating," Arizona coach Sean Miller said, per Matt Moreno of GOAZCATS.com. "We've been at this for a long, long time ... game 28. My hope is that it can be resolved as soon as tomorrow."

Trier's mother Marcie released a statement defending her son, per ESPN's Jeff Goodman:

The NCAA previously suspended Trier at the start of the 2016-17 season after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He won his appeal of the decision, but the NCAA kept him on suspension until the drug was out of his system.

Trier returned after 19 games when he passed a follow-up drug test. He was named to the All-Pac-12 second team as a sophomore despite playing in just 15 games during the regular season and conference tournament. 

In 27 games this season, Trier ranks second on the Wildcats with 19.6 points and 3.2 assists per game. Arizona has four games remaining in the regular season, including Thursday's matchup against Oregon State.