At least for the fall semester, the final element of a heralded University of Missouri men's basketball recruiting class officially failed to fall into place as of Wednesday when Mizzou acknowledged that prized prospect Tony Mitchell is not enrolled and not eligible for the first semester.

In a statement, Mizzou coach Mike Anderson said that "we remain hopeful Tony will be able to join us at a point later in the season," suggesting the second semester was a possibility.

The case of Mitchell remains under review by the NCAA Eligibility Center "as has been the case for quite some time," Anderson noted.

That's because there apparently is plenty to process on Mitchell, a forward from Dallas whose five-star status helped account for MU having the nation's sixth-best recruiting class as ranked by Rivals.com in May.

For starters, Mitchell did not graduate with his high school class in the spring because he did not score high enough on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exam. He said he would retake the test in July and is believed to have graduated. However, he also needed to post a standardized test score that combined with his grade-point average to meet NCAA standards.

Earlier this summer, Mitchell's high school credits were reported by a Texas TV station to be under investigation by local athletics authorities.

According to station WFAA, at issue were 14 credits that did not transfer from Center of Life Academy in Florida to Pinkston High in Dallas. Mitchell reportedly took the equivalent of nine course make-up exams in two days, including five in a two-hour period.

The station later reported that Mitchell had 102 unexcused absences last year, most after his basketball season ended in March.

Even if Mitchell does not ultimately qualify, Mizzou's class will be considered potent. Forward Ricardo Ratliffe, who enrolled last week after finishing an online course, was one of the most coveted junior-college players in the nation.

Guard Phil Pressey is considered a major recruit, and his brother Matt, a junior college transfer, and Columbia native Ricky Kreklow give MU more backcourt options. Forward Kadeem Green rounds out a class that Rivals.com ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 with Mitchell.