NCAA Basketball: 10 teams that should target Baylor Bears transfer LJ Cryer

Illinois

Last season, Brad Underwood added two big pieces in Terrence Shannon Jr. and Matthew Mayer through the Transfer Portal. This season, the Fighting Illini are hemorrhaging players and could really use another couple of big offseason additions. With sophomore guard RJ Melendez the most recent addition, it’s fair to say that the Illini could use quite the boost.

Underwood added both Mayer and Dain Dainja from Baylor last season and adding a third Bears piece in two years wouldn’t be the wildest idea. Not only would Cryer have an instantly important role in the Fighting Illini offense, but this is another team that shot the ball poorly from beyond the arc, depending on a lot of younger guards, some (like Melendez) who may not be back next season. This would become Cryer’s team, but could he and a few other additions lead Illinois to another Big Dance?

Kansas State

A big part in Cryer’s decision to land at Baylor was the coaching staff, and Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang spearheaded that effort three years ago on the Bears’ staff. There isn’t another head coach out here who knows Cryer as well as Tang, and that connection could help build another really talented lineup for the Wildcats.

Markquis Nowell was a star early in the NCAA Tournament, but his likely departure leaves a massive hole in the backcourt. Tang did great work to rebuild the Kansas State program in his first season but needs another big swing to keep the Wildcats competitive in a new-look Big 12 next season. Cryer knows his system and his scoring ability and shooting touch would be monumental for the Wildcats, who might be trying to build an even more powerful backcourt.