NCAA Basketball: 10 biggest winners and losers from 2021 NBA Draft decisions

6. Winner – Texas Tech Red Raiders

Once head coach Chris Beard departed for rival Texas, it looked as if the Red Raiders was going to lose all of their main rotation players to either the transfer portal or the NBA Draft. They did lose a couple of outgoing transfers such as Kyler Edwards, along with leading scorer Mac McClung to the draft. All eyes were on sophomore forward Terrence Shannon Jr., second on the team with 12.9 ppg this past season.

As a projected top-40 pick and with a new head coach, it would’ve made sense for Shannon to depart. Instead, he returns, giving Texas Tech a proven and clear-cut go-to scorer for next season, along with several transfers and fellow starters, Kevin McCullar and Marcus Santos-Silva. This team won’t be going through a full rebuild and if the transfers can produce in the Big 12, the Red Raiders won’t be missing Coach Beard too much going forward.

6. Loser – Virginia Cavaliers

The Cavaliers knew early in the offseason that frontcourt starters Jay Huff and Sam Hauser were moving on after graduating. But what hurt just as much was starting wing Trey Murphy recently leaving, third on the team with 11.3 ppg while shooting 43% from three-point range, good for No. 1on the team.

Losing a 6’9 forward that can shoot and defend is a big blow for a team that can’t replace him this late in the offseason. Virginia does have transfers Jayden Gardner and Armaan Franklin to help replace the offseason production but Murphy was nearly perfect for Coach Tony Bennett’s system, which isn’t for everybody.