The deadline to enter the college basketball transfer portal has finally, cruelly passed.
Players had until May 1 to enter the country, but players whose coaches left for other jobs were given an additional 30 days. There are still some strong players, but most have settled down.
even deeper
Ranking the best players in the NCAA men's basketball transfer portal
That's why we put out a call for college basketball mailbags last week. We tried to answer as many questions as we could…but there were enough questions to make this a two-part mailbag. In the second part, we'll discuss NIL and rebalancing in more detail. This is strictly a space for a hoop.
(Note: Questions have been lightly edited for length and grammar.)
Which 5 teams have the most talent on their roster? And which 5 teams will rank No. 1 in the preseason poll? — Ilya H.
What are your top five picks: Kansas State, Houston, North Carolina, Baylor, and Alabama? The Jayhawks, Cougars, and Tar Heels all have returning star power and quality additions. And I'd like to add a nod to Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide's staying power. If Bama gets Mark Sears back, they'll be joined by the return of Latrell Lightsell Jr. and Grant Nelson, as well as the long-awaited transfers of Aiden Holloway (Auburn) and Chris Youngblood. (South Florida) and Cliff Omoruyi (Rutgers) — the tide is once again a good Final Four. — Kyle Tucker
In no particular order: Kansas State, Baylor, Duke, Alabama, Iowa State. Kansas would be my early preseason No. 1 pick because of how much talent they have back in Lawrence, plus a ridiculous portal class in signing Bill Self. Hunter Dickinson, Darjuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams all return, while offseason imports Rylan Griffen (Alabama), AJ Store (Wisconsin) and Zeke Mayo (South Dakota) State) and Riley Kugel (Florida State) are reinforcing. Who will Self start? Baylor and Alabama have also been transfer portal winners so far. Baylor's combination of Jeremy Roach (Duke) and Norchad Omie (Miami) would fit perfectly in Scott Drew's system, and the recent addition of Omoruyi from Alabama gives Oats a new Final Four. – You will be given a caliber team. Iowa State added St. Mary's graduate Joshua Jefferson to its perimeter trio of Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and Keshon Gilbert. He's one of my favorite under-the-radar players this offseason. And finally, Duke rebuilt its roster this offseason around No. 1 recruit Cooper Flagg — and yes, he's a really good player. Can Flagg and the rest of Duke University's top-ranked freshmen succeed in the sport's oldest era? I'm cautiously optimistic. — Brendan Marks
Is it in random order? Marks, what a cop! We'll go to Alabama, Houston, Gonzaga, Duke, and Kansas. If Sears returns, Alabama will have the richest and best roster. Houston lost a big player in Jamal Shihed but gained a solid replacement in Milos Uzan, leaving the Cougars without Jojo Tagler and Terrence Arsenault, two likely pro prospects, for the second half of the year. was playing at a top-five level.
Did you know that the Zags are now the 9th best team in college hoops after Gonzaga University added Ben Gregg to the starting lineup on January 18th, according to Bart Torbic? We only lost one rotation player (Anton Watson), gained a healthy Steele Venters (the Big Sky's 2023 Player of the Year, which had a guy named Dalton Knecht), and added All-WCC wing Michael・Ajay was also added. Khalif Battle is the second leading scorer at the University of Arkansas. I'm going to follow the flag hype. If he really is one of the best prospects of the last decade, Duke should be in the top five. I'm a victim of groupthink and have PTSD from being ranked No. 1 in Kansas in the preseason last year, but Self has a deep roster and a much-needed shot. Added. And he's still Bill Self. Iowa State, UW and Tennessee are also being considered. Other rosters that could be in the top-five discussion include Baylor (in terms of top-end talent) and Michigan (depth). — CJ Moore
Who did better in their first season at their new home: John Calipari of Arkansas, Mark Pope of Kentucky, Dusty May of Michigan, and Josh Schertz of St. Louis? — Jesse K. .
It depends on how you define “better”. Compared to the expected value, I would go for Mr. Schertz. St. Louis has only been ranked in one of his four weeks in the past 10 seasons. I'm betting Schatz can outperform that and make it to the NCAA Tournament. No player below the major conference level has had a portal season like Schertz. He acquired two of his former players, Robbie Avila and Isaiah Swope, both of whom could be promoted to the high majors. He convinced Gibson Jimerson, No. 39 in the transfer rankings, to stay at SLU. Jimerson, who has made 312 3-pointers in his career, is a perfect fit for Schertz's system. That's three commitments from three top-50 transfers from Atlantic 10 schools, and Schertz also acquired two senior-level players in Miami's AJ Casey and Creighton's Josiah Dotzler.
Now, if “better” means NCAA Tournament success, that's probably a different answer. I'd lean toward Maye, but I might reevaluate once Pope finishes the roster. May has three top-50 players and a fourth top-100 player in Sam Walters. Sam Walters has a lot of upside and fits the way I want to play. I'll be interested to see how he makes the combination of Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin work, both of whom are really good players in college. The man who might decide whether the University of Michigan is the right answer is Roddy Gale Jr. From a pure talent standpoint, he is one of the best wings in the portal, but he has yet to play consistently in his two years at Ohio State. He's a player who could take Michigan from a top-25 team to a top-10 team. But overall, I really like the mix of talent on Maye's roster and the fact that he was able to convince Nimari Barnett to return. He gives Michigan a defensive stopper. A starting lineup of Goldin, Wolfe, Gayle, and Barnett, plus either Tre Donaldson or Rubin Jones, have great position size and some shooting and defense. And Maye could bring in two big shooters off the bench in Walters and Will Tschetter. — moore
Will Bill Self be happy to have so many wings to play with now? — Chad D.
KU's perimeter players are: Harris, Elmarco Jackson, Kugel, Griffen, Mayo, Storr, Jamari McDowell, and LaKeith Passmore. In four-man play, KU has both Adams and Zach Clemens. It's possible that Storr, Griffen, and perhaps Kugel could play as many as four in a smaller lineup, but how many minutes per game would that be? Maybe about 5? 10. Tops? So for 8 players, that's about 130 minutes.
The rotating lock in my head is Harris, Jackson, Mayo, Griffen, Storr, Adams, Dickinson, and at least one of Clemens and Flory Bidunga. Self rarely plays with more than eight turnovers. He'll probably be a challenge on this roster, especially early on. But at least two, maybe even three, players on the perimeter have been shut out. So if happiness is tied to playing time, I doubt he can make everyone happy. And one more thing to keep in mind…
We're currently in the second wave of the portal season, recruiting players who have already committed to their new teams, but the roster outlook has completely changed since that commitment. KU has already lost freshman LaBaron Fillon, who committed to the University of Alabama. It's also possible that not every wing currently scheduled to be on the roster ends up with the Jayhawks, with Kugel the most likely to end up elsewhere. — moore
Can Adrian Autry get Syracuse back into the tournament? — Chris A.
absolutely. Is it this season? That may be an exaggeration. Let's not forget that Syracuse missed the NCAA Tournament in both of coach Jim Boeheim's last two seasons.Autry took over. that Getting back to being a regular top-25 team required, and still requires, some retooling. That process began with Autry implementing a man-to-man defense last season, a necessary but painstaking step. Now he's joining the actual roster…and that weeding will take more than an offseason.
Take Judah Mintz, for example. good player. Productive. But will a star need as much oxygen as he did last season? No, not especially for his team aiming to make the NCAA Tournament. Losing Malik Brown and Quadir Copeland hurt, but the 'Cuse have two productive returning ACC-caliber starters to rely on in J.J. Sterling and Chris Bell. Freshman forward Donnie Freeman, ranked No. 23 in the 2024 freshman class, has really impressed on the grassroots circuit and should compete for a starting spot. But it will likely take another season and another shooter for Autry to fully restore Syracuse to a tournament team. But based on a limited sample size from last season, I trust him as a coach. — mark
Really, what should we expect from West Virginia's new coach? — Josh H.
We've consistently put together a roster that's better than you think. Darian DeVries was one of the best talent evaluators at the mid-major level, both for high school and transfers during his time at Drake. He stole some bases, but it wasn't just his son. I love what he has done in the portal so far at West Virginia University. Tucker DeVries, who is No. 1 in the portal rankings, was a good start, but I also like Javon Small, and I also like Amani Hansberry. Hansberry is one of those hidden gems that DeVries found and won. He didn't get to play much as he was behind two older bigs as a freshman at the University of Illinois, but he was one of my favorite players in the 2023 class. He is a skilled big player who can play inside and outside and is a good passer, the type of modern center that can be the focal point of an attack. He's going to be a really great college player.
This is a tough task, especially considering the Big 12 is a monster and the roster is in tatters, but I'd bet on DeVries. Remember, athletic director Len Baker once hired Grant McCasland at North Texas. He knows the ball well and took a year to evaluate potential hires. — moore
What will the market cap be next year? — Zack G.
It was an All-America season for Cam Jones, who finished as a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament. Shaka Smart has shown that his commitment to development and roster continuity is working. Jones proved he could be the focal point of the offense when Tyler Kolek left at the end of the year. Chase Ross has star potential. The loss of Oso Ighodalo will be difficult for both sides to replace, but Ben Gold has improved Ighodalo's role in some of Marquette's two-man games, and his shooting has been a real plus. David Joplin will be plenty motivated after a disastrous season finale. The roster is still solid. It's still old. Depth is also good. It feels like the floor is high because we've already seen them win together. — moore
(Top photo of Kansas' Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams: Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)