NCAA Basketball: Top 10 remaining 2023 offseason battles to watch

2. Arthur Kaluma – Creighton Bluejays

2022-23 season stats: 11.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg

Recruiting battle: Alabama vs Kentucky vs Kansas State vs Texas Tech

Kaluma is a 6’7 forward that has a great deal of offensive potential. He was the 5th-leading scorer on the Bluejays this past season but still had some big games and showed the ability to be the focal point of an offense. After opting to return from the NBA Draft, his recruitment is starting to get into full gear.

It’s not unexpected at all to see both Bama and Kentucky in the mix. For those who don’t know, it was rumored that star Missouri forward Kobe Brown would enter the portal this offseason and both programs wanted him. But since he stayed in the draft, Kaluma took his place as the priority frontcourt target.

The Crimson Tide don’t have much in the frontcourt but can sell giving Kaluma a ton of minutes and a leading role in the offense. What’s interesting is that there’s a chance that the Wildcats don’t even get a visit with the Creighton frontcourt player, which would be another blow for them.

As for the Big 12 schools, it’ll be interesting to see if either can benefit from Alabama potentially landing other talents. Kansas State has been in the mix for other talents but hasn’t gotten anyone that can fully replace Keyontae Johnson. Kaluma would be that guy but right now, the feeling seems to be towards the SEC.