MILWAUKEE — Oregon men’s basketball coach Dana Altman said the status of 6-foot-6 forward Brandon Austin is unchanged for now after The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the Oregon freshman was being investigated by Providence (R.I) police for sexual assault.

Altman said he was not aware of new developments in Austin’s case until he read the story that said a woman made the accusation against Austin and another man “a couple of weeks ago”

“I found out yesterday,” Altman said outside Oregon’s locker room at the Bradley Center on Wednesday afternoon as the Ducks prepared to face BYU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 12:10 p.m. today. “Until that, I didn’t know anything.”

Altman said he will meet with athletic director Rob Mullens regarding Austin’s situation when he returns to Eugene. Mullens is in Milwaukee with the Ducks.

“I haven’t talked to Rob, but until we have some new information, otherwise his status is the same,” Altman said, adding that “I don’t have any more information than I did earlier”.

Austin was considered one of the top 50 recruits in the nation when he signed with the Friars out of Philadelphia last year. He never played a game at Providence because he and a teammate were suspended for the season in November for “not upholding their responsibilities as student-athletes.”

Two months later, Austin transferred to Oregon where he is ineligible to play until December due to NCAA transfer rules. Altman said he talked with Providence coach Ed Cooley before he agreed to sign Austin in January.

“We talked, but specifics we didn’t go into,” Altman said.

Altman said one reason he felt comfortable signing Austin was because Providence wanted him to stay there and play next year.

“We felt comfortable in December and January,” Altman said. “I’m sure Providence was very careful with what they told us because of the laws, but we took some comfort in knowing they wanted him to stay. We knew they had done an investigation and felt comfortable because they wanted him to stay.”