NCAA Basketball: Biggest winners of the early 2020 offseason

Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas’s offseason will partially hinge on the NBA Draft decision of Isaiah Joe. If he chooses to return (Mason Jones elected to leave), then the Razorbacks will own one of the nation’s most successful offseasons. Head coach Eric Musselman put together a Top 10 incoming recruiting class in the fall and has followed that up with a high level of success in the transfer portal as well. Considering his reputation with transfers, though, that shouldn’t be a surprise.

Over the course of the offseason so far, the Razorbacks have been able to secure two transfer commitments and both will be eligible to play right away. Vance Jackson (New Mexico) and Jalen Tate (Northern Kentucky) are both graduate transfers and should provide valuable minutes and experience to a roster with a fair amount of youth considering its four-man recruiting class.

Jackson is heading to the program after back-to-back double-digit scoring seasons with New Mexico. He previously had started his collegiate career at UConn. The 6-foot-9 combo forward averaged 11.1 points (.414/.342/.714), 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season. His ability to space the floor at his size could prove to be quite valuable in Coach Musselman’s system.

Tate fits the mold of a do-it-all guard that excels on both ends of the floor. He brings excellent size at 6-foot-6 and is well-known for his defensive effort. Tate was a two-time All-Defensive Team performer with Northern Kentucky, including an HL DPOY award during this past season. In addition to his lockdown defense, he also averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on the campaign.