NCAA Basketball: Duke, Kentucky among the 8 finalists for transfer Johni Broome

The Cougars had a very underrated starting frontcourt this past season in seniors Fabian White Jr. and Josh Carlton, who played big roles in the team’s Elite 8 run despite losing 30 ppg of production from injured guards.

Both of them will be gone and the good news is that Houston has the likely power forward replacement in Jarace Walker, a five-star incoming freshman prospect. But unless they’re good with Reggie Chaney getting 30 mpg as the undersized center next season, they’re going to be targeting a big man. And so far, they’ve been linked to not only Broome but also Kenneth Lofton Jr. of Louisiana Tech and Fardaws Aimaq of Utah Valley.

Of the three, Broome would fit Houston’s system the best. It’s a defense-oriented program whose bigs are known for toughness and interior physicality. His shot-blocking ability would be something new previous Cougar bigs haven’t had and his offense also would be a boost.

With Broome on board, Houston would likely be the preseason No. 1 team for the 2022-23 season. That’s assuming guards Marcus Sasser, Tramon Mark, Jamal Shead and Kyler Edwards all return. The only issue here is that the offense would be so guard heavy that Broome would end up seeing his offensive usage dwindle and be primarily used as a rim protector.