Rule Change Prompts a Game of Musical Chairs in College Hoops

Under a plan tentatively approved Wednesday, Division I players who transfer will not need to sit out a year before they can play.

When Tyson Walker, a 6-foot point guard from Westbury, N.Y., transferred to Michigan State from Northeastern this month, he had one goal in mind. After a breakout season in which he averaged 18.8 points per game and was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, given to the top men’s basketball player from a mid-major conference, Walker was ready to play for a team with a shot at making the Final Four next year in New Orleans. He made his announcement in late March in a Twitter post portraying him in a Michigan State uniform. “My whole decision was based off just trying to play at the highest level,” Walker said.