NCAA Basketball: Analyzing 6 team finalists for UMass transfer Tre Mitchell

Georgia Bulldogs

The SEC has loaded up on talent this offseason everywhere, except Georgia. But this presents a great opportunity for Mitchell to compete against the top players in the country, including several future 1st round NBADraft picks. If Mitchell can average around 18 ppg and seven rebounds in the SEC, his own draft stock would soar. He’d certainly have the ball in his hands a ton with the Bulldogs and could even get 20 shots a game.

The pros for Georgia for Mitchell are all individual because there are next to none from a team standpoint. The Bulldogs lost just about every rotation player from this past season and while they landed several JUCO and power conference transfers, none of them are currently viewed as All-SEC caliber.

Even if they landed the former UMass big, this program likely wouldn’t finish higher than 12th in the standings. Mitchell would have a better chance at an at-large bid with the Minutemen than he would with the Bulldogs.

Illinois Fighting Illini

While the backcourt for the Illini is in strong shape for next season, the losses of both Kofi Cockburn and Giorgi Bezhanishvili have left the frontcourt with just Florida transfer center Omar Payne. The good news is that not only is the team in the mix for Mitchell, Illinois also is in play for All-ACC forward Quincy Guerrier from Syracuse, who’ll likely make his decision before this player in particular.

Landing both would make the Illini a top-10 program for next season and Mitchell would be able to play in the Big Ten as well. Mitchell is a different player than Cockburn offensively but the UMass transfer is better rounded and can space the floor. That’s an element that can wreak havoc in a league where the bigs aren’t fully comfortable defending outside of the paint.