NCAA Basketball: Top 26 team transfer winners from 2022 offseason
There have been around 1,500 total D-I NCAA Basketball transfers this offseason, impacting just about every single team in the sport. Many teams got at least one and several teams got a number of incoming transfers for next season.
But which teams did the best when it comes to the transfer portal? This piece will look at the 26 (and some honorable mentions) programs that had the most success in the portal this offseason when it comes to building a roster that can contend for NCAA Tournament success and beyond. Who they lost as well from their roster will also be taken into account, so overall, it’ll be about who had the most “net positive” from the portal.
Honorable Mention: West Virginia Mountaineers
It’s been a complete roster turnover for the Mountaineers, losing Isaiah Cottrell, Jalen Bridges, and Sean McNeil. But they were able to make up for it with multiple newcomers, including Texas scoring big man Tre Mitchell, Iowa guard Joe Toussaint, and South Carolina transfer Erik Stevenson. It’s an offensive boost to West Virginia but there may be some growing pains defensively.
HM: Seton Hall Pirates
The biggest win for the Pirates this offseason was probably that they got Saint Peter’s head coach Shaheen Halloway to lead them for the foreseeable future. He’s done a solid job of getting players for this upcoming season, including getting multi-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year KC Ndefo to follow him to Seton Hall. Clemson guard Al-Amir Dawes and Femi Odukale from Pittsburgh also bolster the backcourt depth.
HM: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
After losing stars Alondes Williams and Jake LaRavia to the NBA, the Deacons landed several newcomers to try and offset the lost production. Former Florida starting guard Tyree Appleby and Marist guard Jao Ituka will be a solid set of rational guards, while Delaware sharpshooting wing Andrew Carr can fill in for LaRavia.
HM: NC State Wolfpack
This is a case where the Wolfpack didn’t land a star transfer this offseason but several solid pieces that should help them bounce back from an awful season. The frontcourt newcomers include Big South Player of the Year DJ Burns of Winthrop, along with 6’11 center Dušan Mahorčič from Utah. And with newcomers Jarkel Joiner and Jack Clark alongside Terquavion Smith in the backcourt, NC State did a good job in the portal.
HM: Wyoming Cowboys
Because it happened so early in the offseason, some may have forgotten when the Cowboys got three Pac-12 transfers in one weekend. Point guard Ethan Anderson and forward Max Agbonkpolo comes from USC while shooting wing Jake Lyman is from UCLA. All three could start next to returning stars, Hunter Maldonado and Graham Ike to former arguably the best starting lineup in the Mountain West.
HM: Creighton Bluejays
The Bluejays returned a ton of talent for another year but landed the Summit League Player of the Year this offseason in Baylor Scheierman, who averaged 16.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, and 4.5 apg on 51% shooting and 47% from three-point range. He’s a quality wing scorer and is the missing piece on their roster, in what should be a top-10 caliber team. I’m not sure if his numbers will be in the same area as when he was at South Dakota State but he’ll have an impact as a starter.