Allonzo Trier Declared Ineligible by NCAA; Arizona Appealing Decision

Arizona star Allonzo Trier has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for a failed drug test, though the school is appealing the decision. 

In a statement released by the University of Arizona (via Brian Hamilton of the Big Ten Network), Trier's test revealed "a trace amount of a banned substance."

"It’s devastating," Arizona coach Sean Miller said, per Matt Moreno of GOAZCATS.com. "We've been at this for a long, long time ... game 28. My hope is that it can be resolved as soon as tomorrow."

Trier's mother Marcie released a statement defending her son, per ESPN's Jeff Goodman:

The NCAA previously suspended Trier at the start of the 2016-17 season after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He won his appeal of the decision, but the NCAA kept him on suspension until the drug was out of his system.

Trier returned after 19 games when he passed a follow-up drug test. He was named to the All-Pac-12 second team as a sophomore despite playing in just 15 games during the regular season and conference tournament. 

In 27 games this season, Trier ranks second on the Wildcats with 19.6 points and 3.2 assists per game. Arizona has four games remaining in the regular season, including Thursday's matchup against Oregon State.