Busting Brackets
Fansided

Xavier Basketball: Jared Ridder transfers, Missouri State favorites

By Taylor Sturm

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 25: Head coach Chris Mack of the Xavier Musketeers reacts against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at SAP Center on March 25, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 25: Head coach Chris Mack of the Xavier Musketeers reacts against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament West Regional at SAP Center on March 25, 2017 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Former four-star recruit Jared Ridder will transfer from the Xavier Musketeers. The Missouri State Bears are the heavy favorites to land the talented small forward.

The Xavier Musketeers finished the 2016-17 college basketball season with a loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Elite Eight and will, unfortunately, head into the 2017-18 without one of their top recruits from the Class of 2017.

Jared Ridder, a 6’7, 180-pound small forward out of Missouri, announced that he would transfer away from the program.

Ridder was ranked as a four-star recruit by some sites and a three-star recruit by others, but 247 Sports had him ranked as the No. 2 player coming out of Missouri and a top 200 player overall in the Class of 2017.

Ridder has yet to commit to a transfer location. However, it has been reported that the Missouri State Bears are the favorites to land Ridder. This is likely because of the location (Ridder hails from Missouri), and it helps that he will likely earn significant minutes almost immediately on this team.

The Bears continue to rack up top-level transfers, so this move would make sense if Ridder wants to win, too. Grant Gelon, a former Indiana Hoosiers guard who will spend next season in community college, has announced that, once he returns to Division I, it will be with Missouri State.

Ridder‘s addition would add to an already talented roster and potentially help this team win a Wichita State-free MVC and potentially earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Next: Ranking top coaching moves of the offseason

That being said, Missouri State is only a favorite at the moment and it remains to be seen where Ridder will transfer to after leaving the Musketeers.