NCAA Basketball: Top 10 storylines of second week of 2022 offseason

3. Providence cleans up in the portal

So far, there would probably be a consensus that the Arkansas Razorbacks have been the early winners in the transfer portal, landing four high-major caliber players. But after this weekend, the No. 2 team would have to be Providence Friars after their big haul.

It started with landing Louisville transfer Noah Locke, a four-year double-digit scorer at both Florida and Louisville. While he’s not a prolific scorer overall, the 6’3 guard is a good three-point shooter who fills a needed role for a team that lost two of its better shooters in Noah Horchler and AJ Reeves.

The next pickup was another guard in Devin Carter, an All-SEC freshman at South Carolina. The 6’3 guard averaged 9.0 ppg in 18 mpg off the bench and has three years of eligibility and plenty of promise longterm. The best-case scenario is that he replaces Justin Minaya on the perimeter.

Speaking of “best case” replacement plans, Providence is hoping that they found the next starting center in Clifton Moore, a 6’10 forward that had a breakout campaign as a 5th-year senior at La Salle. He averaged a career-high 12.9 ppg and 6.1 rpg and just under three blocks a game. The hope is that he can be just as good a post scorer as Nate Watson while also providing interior defense alongside Ed Croswell.

And the Friars are reportedly done yet, as they could be landing Kentucky transfer forward, Bryce Hopkins sometime this week. After making the Sweet 16, Providence is reaping the success currently in the portal and reloading to have another team that can compete for a top-tier spot in the Big East next season.