NCAA Basketball: 10 biggest offseason losers from 2022 transfer portal
2. Washington State Cougars
It looked as if head coach Kyle Smith was making progress in year 3 at Wazzu, finishing with 22 wins and a run in the NIT Tournament. Unfortunately, he lost multiple key players from the roster, including guards Noah Williams and Tyrell Roberts, as well as Efe Abogidi to the NBA G League. It almost became a complete disaster when Mouhamed Gueye entered the portal but he did opt to come back.
The replacement is 6’6 Saint Mary’s backup wing Jabe Mullins, as well as Tennessee guard transfer, Justin Powell. He struggled last season with the Vols but looked good in 11 games at Auburn the year prior. The Cougars need that version of him to have any hope of winning next season because the backcourt depth is already thin.
1. Louisville Cardinals
New head coach Kenny Payne landed former five-star forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield as his first move with the Cardinals. It was a good start and turned out to be the final move to this point in the offseason. They were reportedly in the mix for transfers such as Tyrese Hunter and Emoni Bates but neither worked out.
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At this point, Louisville has just one true guard on the roster in El Ellis. With hundreds of guards available in the portal, not landing a single one on scholarship is a big issue. It’s hard to envision Ellis playing 40 minutes a game so this program will have to scramble to field a rotation that makes sense, or else face a bottom-tier finish in the ACC next season.