Former Syracuse Orange men's basketball target Nerlens Noel is getting an expanded inquiry from the NCAA, a report from SI.com's Pete Thamel said Wednesday. Noel, a top-3 recruit for the Class of 2012, chose to attend the University of Kentucky in April after narrowing down the field to Syracuse, the Georgetown Hoyas and the Providence Friars.
↵According to Thamel, the new in-depth look into Noel revolves around, "the cast of characters that surrounded Noel's recruitment and how Noel paid for his unofficial visits," -- a topic Thamel wrote a highly-critical piece about in March for the New York Times.
↵The report also states that during the NCAA's initial inquiry in May -- a process common for highly-recruited players -- something must have popped up for the NCAA to take another look.
↵↵↵↵↵↵The presence of two NCAA enforcement officials and Bell gives the appearance that this case has gone beyond the routine checking of top prospects, according to one former NCAA investigator.
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