I asked if the possibly of UConn being ineligible for the 2013 tournament played into it, and he said, "It was kind of part of it. ... I do want to play in the tournament, and when I heard that I kind of fell back on them."
Regardless of whether it changes in the coming months (and for the love all things holy I hope it freaking changes), as it stands now right now UConn will not be playing in the 2013 NCAA tournament. And that fact is definitely affecting recruiting in a negative way.
Makes me like Omar that much more.