Missouri star forward Mark Mitchell won't be joining Kentucky basketball, after all.
The two-time First Team All-SEC selection at Missouri went undrafted this past offseason and played in NBA Summer League with the Denver Nuggets. He never signed a contract, however, and he was granted a temporary restraining order earlier this month that gave him a fifth year of eligibility and allowed him to enter the transfer portal.
Though he committed to play for Mark Pope's squad, he will not enroll at Kentucky and now plans to return to Missouri. The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman was the first to report the news.
BREAKING: Mark Mitchell has enrolled at Missouri, source told @TheFieldOf68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 31, 2026
Mitchell faced an uphill battle to play at Kentucky this season. Not only
has the SEC recently imposed harsh penalties on schools that add players who declared for the draft, but the move would also have violated conference rules prohibiting transfers within the league outside the standard transfer window in January.
He will still require a courtroom victory to play this season in Columbia, but he has opted not to continue the fight with the league over the intraconference transfer policy.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Mark Mitchell won't join Kentucky, returning to Missouri
