NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 10 contenders for Rutgers transfer Paul Mulcahy

4. Pittsburgh Panthers

There are a couple of things going for the Panthers in their quest to finally land a ball-handler this offseason. The first is that they’re the closest option to where Mulcahy comes from in New Jersey, while also being able to offer him the clear lead guard role in the starting lineup. And Dior Johnson, the redshirt freshman and former top-40 prospect, is capable of playing off-the-ball alongside him.

The concern with this option is whether will Pittsburgh be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, even with Mulcahy. Leading scorer Blake Hinson is back but the team is without the two other key pieces from last season in Jamarius Burton and Nelly Cummings. There are a couple of “safer” options for the former Scarlet Knight star but Pitt makes more sense than some of the big names in contention.

3. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan has been trying to land another ball-handler to pair with Dug McDaniel, especially once it became clear that former commit Caleb Love had to part ways. It’s a roster that has both flaws and potential after landing Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua a week ago.

With Alabama transfer Nimari Burnett also in the backcourt, this is a roster that with Mulcahy, could compete for an NCAA Tournament bid. And what makes this a really appealing option is that the former Rutgers guard could be the best player on paper. So if he wanted to have a large role offensively, this could be the landing spot, creating a whole bunch of Big Ten-related storylines.