NCAA Basketball: 8 teams that should target Utah Valley transfer Fardaws Aimaq

Florida State Seminoles

Last season, Florida State was reportedly looking for a transfer center that could give them something offensively. They failed and it cost them this past season. Starter Tanor Ngom wasn’t awful but they should be looking to upgrade from 5.7 ppg and 2.8 rpg worth of production.

Aimaq’s production would certainly take a dip but Coach Leonard Hamilton is one of the best with utilizing big men and the former Wolverine would play a big role in the Seminoles not only getting back to the NCAA Tournament but making a potential deep run. Assuming Matthew Cleveland and John Butler Jr. both come back, they’d have all the pieces to do, just need a center that can produce offensively.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have a long recent history of great big men, including current All-American center Drew Timme. He’s a junior but last year, he entered the NBA Draft process. If he and Gonzaga win the national championship, he’s very likely moving on. That could happen either way so expect them to be in the transfer looking for a veteran big man that can offset the projected youth on the 2022-23 roster. Plus, freshman big man Kaden Perry was dealing with a back injury this year and won’t be ready for 30 mpg at the center spot next year.

Aimaq has yet to make the NCAA Tournament and if that’s a selling point, there’s no better program to transfer to than Gonzaga, who has made 23 straight appearances and now seven consecutive Sweet 16s. And while the WCC is better than the WAC, it’s not too big a leap so the big man could realistically continue to put up big stats, while being on a much bigger stage and get to participate in March Madness. Of course, that’s dependent on what happens with Timme.