Southern Mississippi basketball players Rasham Suarez and Jeremiah Eason have been ruled ineligible, according to ESPN .
Both players were excused from practice on Tuesday when NCAA investigators arrived in Hattiesburg. The NCAA is reportedly investigating whether the program committed academic violations during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons when current Tennessee head coach Donnie Tyndall held the same position at Southern Miss.
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Both players were junior college transfers from the College of Central Florida. Suarez, a junior guard who is averaging 7.4 points per game in 30 minutes of action, and Eason, a senior forward averaging about three points in 25 minutes, were both recruited by Tyndall, now in his first season with the Volunteers.
Southern Miss (6-12, 1-6 C-USA) is also being investigated for improper financial aid to three players. Those players are reportedly leading scorer Matt Bingaya, Shadell Millinghaus and Davon Hayes. The school self-imposed a postseason ban less than two weeks ago in the hopes of earning some favor in the eyes of the NCAA's investigators.