USC's Mayo May Have Violated NCAA Rules

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Southern California freshman guard O.J. Mayo have have violated NCAA rules by accepting tickets to a Los Angeles Lakers game. Mayo told the Los Angeles Times that Carmelo Anthony of the NBA's Denver Nuggets gave him a pair of complimentary tickets to Monday's game contest against the Lakers. A spokesman for the NCAA told the Times that the organization does not comment on pending investigations.

USC sports information Tim Tessalone also declined to comment. NCAA by-law 16.11.2.2.3 states that student-athletes may not receive "free or reduced-cost admission to professional athletics competitions from professional sports organizations, unless such services are also available to the student body in general." According to the Times, Mayo received courtside seats with a face value of $230 each. Mayo is USC's leading scorer, averaging 19.7 points in 17 games.