Ohio State Buckeyes
Considering who the Buckeyes could have lost, this offseason was a pretty good one for the team. Sure, they saw the departures of Duane Washington Jr. (declared for the NBA Draft) and Musa Jallow (transferred), but they were able to retain both E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young, which was quite shocking to many. Adding transfers Jamari Wheeler and Joey Brunk will certainly help their chances to go deep, too.
However, the team still lacks the necessary combination of talent and experience at the guard position, as Wheeler is the only player on the roster who fits that category. Right now one could argue freshman guard Malaki Branham would be starting at the two-spot, which would not be ideal for a team of their talent. Adding Russell to a veteran lineup that already includes Wheeler, Liddell, and Young will be fantastic for the Buckeyes, giving them legitimate title hopes.
Marquette Golden Eagles
While Russell is certainly one of the best players left in the transfer portal, the Marquette Golden Eagles are losing a debatably better one to the portal in big man Dawson Garcia. In addition to Garcia, the Golden Eagles are also losing their co-leading scorer in D.J. Carton (declared for the NBA Draft). With the team losing that much scoring, the Golden Eagles will be looking for an assertive player with no fear of shooting to help make up for their losses on the offensive end. Insert Russell.
If Russell is looking for a solid, young team that will allow him to completely control the offense, the former Ragin’ Cajun might see his best chance of personal success and/or growth being with the Golden Eagles simply due to the number of shots he’ll get.