NCAA Basketball: Top 10 takeaways from first week of 2022 offseason
1. Arkansas and Eric Musselman once again scores in the transfer portal
It’s become a running joke among NCAA Basketball fans and analysts that if a player enters the transfer portal, expect Arkansas to be in the running for them or at least, reach out. That’s been the M.O. of head coach Eric Musselman, dating back to his days at Nevada. And considering that the Razorbacks are coming off of back-to-back appearances in the Elite 8, it looks like that strategy has been working.
After pulling off landing five-star guard Anthony Black, Arkansas now has the No. 2 overall recruiting class, joining five-star guards, Nick Smith, and Jordan Walsh. But while the backcourt is set, the frontcourt could use a boost, which is what happened in the past week.
Arkansas has the number two overall recruiting class and the number one overall transfer class. Wow.
— Josh Teeter (@joshteeter01) April 7, 2022
The first pickup was within the SEC, landing former Missouri forward Trevon Brazile. He started 23 games this past season and averaged 6.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg but is viewed as a long-term NBA Draft prospect, due to his measurables and skillset that could break out now at Arkansas.
The next two commitments came in the package duo of Makhi and Makhel Mitchell. They were arguably the best players on Rhode Island this past season, combining to average 20.6 ppg and 12.9 rpg in 27 starts. They’re solid defenders and rebounders but when they play together on the court, it can be an issue offensively, especially in the SEC now. But as likely backups off the bench, Arkansas can certainly do worst than having some veteran big bodies that can defend all the talented frontcourt players in the conference.
The last pickup for the Razorbacks was Jalen Graham, one of the few brightspots at Arizona State this past season. He averaged a career-high 9.9 ppg and 4.6 rpg in 23 starts and made an All-Pac 12 team at the end. The 6’9 forward now is another frontcourt option for Arizona State and could start in place of Au’Diese Toney, who is off to the pros.
Next. Way-too-early top-25 power rankings for 2022-23. dark
After adding four frontcourt players, the only thing left to wonder is what star center Jaylin Williams does, as he’s entered the draft process but could come back. If he returns to Arkansas, they very well could be the preseason frontrunner to win the 2023 NCAA Basketball championship. But even if he doesn’t, there’s now plenty of depth inside for the Razorbacks to work with.