NCAA denies Dez Wells' immediate eligibility request

Dez Wells hopes to play with Maryland this season.

Dez Wells Officially Admitted To University Of Maryland

Dez Wells has been officially admitted to the University of Maryland on Friday. Wells has signed a financial aid agreement with Maryland and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining. Maryland will petition the NCAA for a waiver to allow Wells to play immediately, according to The Washington Post's Alex Prewitt.

Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon said about Wells:

"I have followed Dez for the past three years and I know he will be a good student-athlete and teammate. [Assistant coach] Bino Ranson was very active in his recruitment at Xavier and has also built a strong relationship with Dez over the past several years. This is a new beginning and a fresh start for Dez at Maryland and were looking forward to him joining us on campus."

Before Wells was expelled from Xavier, the guard-forward started 32 games, averaging 9.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game en route to being named the 2012 Sporting News A-10 Freshman of the Year. Wells was also on the 2012 A-10 All-Rookie team.

For more on Maryland basketball, head over to Testudo Times and continue to check out SB Nation DC.

Maryland Seeking Immediate Eligibility For Xavier Transfer Dez Wells

Maryland "plans to aggressively pursue" options to make former Xavier forward Dez Wells eligible for the 2012-2013 basketball season, The Washington Post reported.

Normally transfers are required to sit out a year by NCAA rules, but Maryland will file a waiver to forgo that period of ineligibility. The hope is that the NCAA finds that Xavier, who expelled Wells in August, did so unjustly. Wells was kicked out after suspicion of sexual assault, but there was not enough evidence to charge him, with a prosecutor calling the expulsion "fundamentally unfair" and "seriously flawed." Testudo Times explained the situation in detail, including how many feel Wells was a scapegoat to help the university cover for a larger inquiry into the schools' handling of sexual assault cases.The blog explains why it seems unlikely that Wells will play immediately.

That seems unlikely to NCAA experts, particularly as it would require admitting that Xavier - one of its member institutions - made a mistake in expelling Wells, but stranger things have certainly happened coming from that four-letter organization.

Jeff Goodman of CBS also tweeted that sources said Maryland's waiver would likely not be successful. If that's the case, Wells would sit out and be eligible to play in 2013-2014.

For more on Maryland basketball, head over to Testudo Times and continue to check out SB Nation DC.

Xavier Transfer Dez Wells Chooses Maryland Over Oregon

After being expelled from Xavier, 6'5" forward Dez Wells has chosen Maryland as his next basketball home.