One of the minor offseason subplots worth following is the Renardo Sidney investigation. After USC withdrew its scholarship offer for Sidney (perhaps the most talented big man in the 2009 recruiting class), Sidney took an offer from Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury. It didn't take long for the NCAA to initiate an investigation of just how Sidney's parents supported themselves during their recruiting sojourn to Southern California, where they were allegedly living in a house that might have been beyond their means. None of this is particularly pretty or fun.

That investigation continues, and we have officially reached another notch of mess, as the NCAA has asked for more information from Renardo's family. Specifically, the NCAA wants Sidney's parents' and grandparents' tax returns. So Sidney's representative, Alabama attorney Don Jackson, dropped the lawyer's version of an thermonuclear warhead: the race card.

Jackson said the latest request "represents an illegal intrusion" into the family's right to privacy and that the investigation has "troubling racial overtones." "In effect, this investigation has required that two generations of an African-American family prove to the NCAA that they have the financial ability to support themselves," Jackson said.

Eesh. Jackson might have a point on the invasion of privacy bit; it is disconcerting that the NCAA can prevent Sidney from playing for MSU this season unless his extended family turns over their tax returns, which the NCAA has threatened. But it is equally troubling that Jackson's first recourse here has to do with race.

It's obvious what the NCAA is trying to do. They're trying to figure out whether Sidney's parents could have supported their stay in California during Sidney's recruitment to USC. If they're unable, they want to see if maybe Sidney's grandparents footed the bill. It's transparent enough. The NCAA doubtless cares little for whether the Sidneys can support themselves, and surely they can. Investigators want to know if the Sidneys can support living in million-dollar homes, which a source told the Los Angeles Times was the case, without obvious means of financial income.

So, yeah, is it a little bit of an invasion of privacy? Maybe. Is it racially based? Hardly. And if the Sidneys have nothing to hide here, they ought to go ahead and turn over their tax returns. Until then, investigators -- and college basketball fans -- will be right to wonder.

Related: SEC Basketball, NCAA Rules and Regs, Recruiting