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NCAA Basketball: Biggest winners of the early 2020 offseason

By Lukas Harkins

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - JANUARY 15: Detail view of a basketball goes through the basketball net during warmups before a game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bud Walton Arena on January 15, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - JANUARY 15: Detail view of a basketball goes through the basketball net during warmups before a game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bud Walton Arena on January 15, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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COLLEGE PARK, MD – DECEMBER 29: Jones of Radford handles. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD – DECEMBER 29: Jones of Radford handles. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

Louisville Cardinals

Louisville received some tough news when top-rated JUCO commit Jay Scrubb elected to forgo his time with the program and immediately head to the professional ranks. Nonetheless, that decision did not stop head coach Chris Mack from going out and improving his roster through the first two months of the offseason. He absolutely dominated the transfer market right away as he snagged two of the top graduate transfers in the nation to bolster his backcourt.

Leading the way for this duo is Carlik Jones. An electrifying all-around guard from Radford, Jones is fresh off a season in which he averaged 20.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Those are absolutely awesome numbers and he did so on incredibly efficient shooting splits of .488/.409/.814.

Jones was arguably the nation’s top available transfer this offseason and fills a huge need for the Cardinals. There might not be a better transfer-to-school fit than this one.

Additionally, Louisville also managed to secure a commitment from Charles Minlend despite not being mentioned in his prior list cut. A well-built 6-foot-4 wing with strong scoring ability and multipositional versatility, Minlend can come in and fill it up in spurts for the Cardinals. He was the leading scorer for a solid San Francisco team last season while averaging 14.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Adding these two guards significantly boosts Louisville’s talent and experience level for this coming season. Both are very proven talents that should excel in the ACC. Jones is rightfully the headliner but Minlend is an underrated addition as well.

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