Stephenson to Cincy

Lance Stephenson intends to play for the University of Cincinnati, the New York Daily News reports. An unnamed family member told reporters:

"Unless something out of their control happens, he's going to Cincinnati."

Of course... there's a whole lot of "out of their control" still to come. The biggest factor, of course, is the sexual assault charge still hanging over Stephenson's head. A criminal trial is set to begin on July 15th. There's also the matter of his amateur status -- there's enough suspicion that Stephenson received improper benefits, possibly stemming from his online reality show "Born Ready" and a much-publicized trip to meet with representatives of the Under Armour sneaker company -- that several schools stopped recruiting him altogether.

Several sources told ESPN's Andy Katz they expect the NCAA to launch an investigation into Stephenson's eligibility.

Stephenson has signed a financial aid agreement with the Bearcats, which essentially takes the place of his letter of intent -- the deadline to sign a formal LOI is long gone. That basically seals the deal...

But I won't believe Lance Stephenson is really joining the Bearcats until I see him check in at the scorer's table.