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

5. Winner – Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines had a pair of big decisions in the past week in Devante Jones and Hunter Dickinson, two projected starters on the roster. Jones is a transfer from Coastal Carolina and reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, while Dickinson was Big Ten Rookie of the Year and an All-American as a freshman. While both of them were viewed as likely to come back all along, both of them did well at the combine, leaving open the possibility of them staying in.

Instead, two stars will be around for the Wolverines, establishing them as a preseason favorite in the Big Ten and a definite Final Four contender for next season. With the No. 1 incoming recruiting class, they’ll also have some experienced veterans to provide leadership in what is always a tough conference.

5. Loser – Providence Friars

The Friars had two star players this past season in David Duke and Nate Watson, who each averaged around 17.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg. On one hand, the big man Watson came back for an extra senior year, but the junior guard Duke, who also led the team with 4.8 apg, opted to enter the NBA Draft.

It’s a brutal blow for a program that didn’t have much production outside of this duo and unless incoming transfers Justin Minaya and Aljami Durham have a big impact, Providence likely will remain in the lower half of the Big East for next season. Had Duke, currently projected around the 40-60 range of the draft, came back, things would be viewed much differently for the program.