It’s been a long five months for those that have been following the transfer portal this offseason in NCAA Basketball. Between the new rules and the ability for players to move around, the number of players that have switched teams has reached an all-time high, with over 1,500 D-I Men’s players moving around alone.
At this point in the offseason, just about all of the top players in the transfer portal have picked new teams, including those that have switched multiple times in the past few months. We now can take an expansive look at which teams did the best when it comes to landing transfers.
For this piece, I’ll be ranking the top-25 team winners when it comes to the transfer portal action. It’s not just about landing the most but rather the most impactful for teams looking to win at the highest levels. What makes it difficult is that some teams brought in a lot of transfers, though some will have to take smaller roles. Plus, there are a few former mid-major Conference Player of the Year players that are moving up and it’s always a struggle to know which of them will play well.
Here are a couple of honorable mentions to start out.
*This piece will include those looking for a waiver since it’s too difficult to determine who’ll be eligible for the 2023-24 campaign.
Honorable Mentions
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Illini brings back its star duo of Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins and has revamped the supporting cast with a few transfers. Marcus Domask is a 6’6 wing that averaged 16.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg at Southern Illinois, while Justin Harmon (14.0 ppg) was the leading scorer for a 28-win Utah Valley squad. Forward Quincy Guerrier is the x-factor, as he looks to get back to his Syracuse form after a couple of below-average years at Oregon.
Oklahoma Sooners
Guard Javian McCullom is the big name of the group, coming off averaging 15.9 ppg and 3.9 apg at Siena. He’ll be tasked with the lead guard role for the Sooners. John Hugley averaged around 15 ppg and 8.0 rpg at Pitt two years ago but missed most of last season with a knee injury. And forward Jalon Moore should provide some depth in the frontcourt, coming over from Georgia Tech.
Baylor Bears
Just two names for the Bears joining the revamped backcourt but one is the MAC Player of the Year, Rayj Dennis. He averaged 19.5 ppg and 5.8 apg at Toledo and could be a star in the Big 12. VCU transfer Jayden Nunn doesn’t get as much attention but he’s a good two-way athlete that can shoot the ball well.
VCU Rams
New head coach Ryan Odom was able to bring with him a pair of double-digit scoring guards from Utah State in Max Shulga and Sean Bairstow. In the frontcourt, former Cal forward Kuany Kuany and top-100 recruit from Louisville Roosevelt Wheeler should get key roles. The Rams are hoping that Oklahoma transfer Joe Bamisile looks more like he did at GW in his first go-around in the A-10.
25. Tennessee Volunteers
Incoming transfers: Dalton Knecht, Jordan Gainey
Tennessee actually had a third member of its transfer class for a while this offseason in Chris Ledlum. However, he de-committed and went elsewhere but more on him later. Still, the Vols are in good shape roster-wise. Guards Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler are back and are joined by some great firepower.
Knecht is a 6’6 wing from Northern Colorado and is one of the best scorers in NCAA Basketball. He averaged 20.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg last season, including a 34-point effort against Idaho. The veteran guard shot 48% from the field and 38% from three-point range and can score anywhere on the court.
Gainey isn’t as prolific a scorer as Knecht but he was pretty effective at USC Upstate last season. The 6’4 junior guard averaged 15.2 ppg last season as an All-Big South performer, shooting 41% from three-point range in two years. He somehow that adds scoring depth for the Vols as a potential 6th Man.
Tennessee always has a great defense under Coach Rick Barnes but the offense has been a concern at times. If Knecht and Gainey can give them an offensive boost, this team could finally make that deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
24. Washington Huskies
Incoming transfers: Moses Wood, Wilheim Breidenbach, Anthony Holland, Nate Calmese, Sahvir Wheeler, and Paul Mulcahy
The Huskies lost a ton of role players on the roster outside of star forward Keion Brooks. Besides adding top-40 incoming freshman guard Wesley Yates, the team was able to land a number of transfers from the portal to get them out of the bottom tier of the league.
In the frontcourt is Breidenbach, a transfer center and former top-100 prospect from Nebraska. Wood is a 6’8 forward from Portland, coming off averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.8 rpg as an All-WCC performer. The 6th-year senior also shot 40% from three-point range on over six attempts a game.
All eyes will be on the revamped backcourt for Washington. Holland and Calmese combined to average over 21 ppg at their previous spots, while Wheeler reunites with his former Kentucky teammate Brooks. He has a career average of over 6.0 apg at both Kentucky and Georgia and is a two-time All-SEC performer.
How Wheeler fits with Rutgers transfer Mulcahy will be interesting. Both are very good defenders and passers but aren’t great shooters or average double figures. The spacing questions will need to be answered before believing that they’re a true NCAA Tournament contender.
23. Clemson Tigers
Incoming transfers: Joe Girard, Jack Clark, Jake Heidbreder, Bas Leyte
Despite having three All-ACC caliber players and being in 1st place in the standings most of last season, Clemson still found a way to miss the NCAA Tournament. Coach Brad Brownell is on the hot seat again but he does return two key pieces (PJ Hall and Chase Hunter), along with a few key transfers from the portal.
The big name is Joe Girard, who is very familiar with the Tigers. He was a 4-year starter at Syracuse, coming off averaging 16.4 ppg and 3.0 apg. Few NCAA Basketball players can create their own shots like Girard can and he’ll be a starter alongside Hunter.
Heidbreder is another prolific scoring guard joining the Tigers, a traditional 6’5 shooting guard from Air Force. He was one of the top scorers in the Mountain West last season, averaging 15.1 ppg while making 40% of his three-point shots at six a game. Clemson was already one of the better shooting teams in the country last season and could be even better in 2024.
Leyte averaged 7.6 ppg and 4.3 rpg at UNC Greensboro and is a 6’10 big man that’ll replace Ben Middlebrooks in the frontcourt rotation. And look for Clark, a 6’8 forward that led NC State in rebounding last season (6.9 rpg), to be the starting four-man in the frontcourt next to Hall.
22. TCU Horned Frogs
Incoming transfers: Ernest Udeh Jr., Essam Mostafa, Jameer Nelson Jr., Trey Tennyson, Avery Anderson
The Frogs lost three starters this offseason, including the key duo of Damian Baugh and Mike Miles, who led them in scoring last season. For them to be successful in the Big 12 next season, they’ll have to hope that both Nelson and Anderson can replace their production.
Anderson is a proven Big 12 commodity, coming over from Oklahoma State. He started for the Cowboys in each of the last three years, averaging over 11.0 ppg. He’s also coming off a career-high 3.4 apg in the past year. The scoring load could be coming from Nelson, a transfer from Delaware that produced 20.6 ppg and 3.6 apg. He also was an All-CAA defender, something that TCU has been good at in the past few years.
Tennyson is another capable combo guard, averaging 15.7 ppg for Texas A&M Corpus-Christie on over 40% shooting from deep. But the potential could come from the frontcourt, with former Kansas five-star prospect Udeh joining the ranks. He didn’t play much behind KJ Adams and Jalen Wilson but in a new environment, could be a breakout star.
And Mostafa is a 6’9 center that averaged a double-double at Coastal Carolina and should push to be a starter in his own right. There are a lot of unknowns on this roster outside of the returning Emanuel Miller but the ceiling is high for this roster.
21. Loyola Chicago Ramblers
Incoming transfers: Greg Dolan, Desmond Watson, Patrick Mwamba, Dame Adelekun
It was a very humbling first year for the Ramblers in the Atlantic 10 Conference. They went from powerhouses in the Missouri Valley to a shocking last-place finish. But the team was able to add a few very good pieces to join returning starters Phillip Alston and Braden Norris for a bounce-back campaign.
Adelekun is a 6’8 skilled forward that was an All-Ivy League performer at Dartmouth. He not only averaged 13.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 2.5 apg but he also blocked two shots a game. Known as an elite interior defender, look for Adelekun to improve Loyola’s past interior issues. Mwamba, a 6’7 athletic forward from Oral Roberts, will also add to the depth.
Another Ivy League star joining Loyola’s roster is Dolan, a 6’3 shooting guard that ranked in the top 10 in points, assists, steals, and three-point shooting last season in the league. He averaged 13.3 ppg on 43% shooting from deep as a breakout starter.
Dolan will pair nicely with Watson, a transfer coming over from conference foe, Davidson. He averaged 9.4 ppg as a starter with the Wildcats on 41% shooting from the field. Watson isn’t an elite shooter in his own right but will have better spacing around to allow him to drive to the basket more easily.
It’ll be interesting to see how much Loyola improves as a roster since there’s nowhere to go but up. But they aren’t the only program on this list that’ll be relying on former Ivy League stars to take a leap.
20. Houston Cougars
Incoming transfers: LJ Cryer, Damian Dunn
The Cougars had one of the best backcourts in NCAA Basketball last season. But with both Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark gone, the team needed to add some pieces to pair with returning guard Jamal Shead if they want to compete at the top of the Big 12 in the program’s first year in the new conference.
The first addition is very familiar with the Big 12 in Cryer. The 6’1 guard was very successful in his first year as a full-time starter at Baylor, averaging 15.0 ppg. He shot 45% from the field and 42% from three-point range on over six attempts a game. That includes a season-high 30 points in the NCAA Tournament loss to Creighton.
Dunn is another high-scoring newcomer to the backcourt, making his way over from Temple. The 6’5 guard averaged 15.3 ppg on 41% shooting from the field and 35% from deep. The two-time All-AAC performer had a pair of 30+ point efforts, including 38 against Vanderbilt in overtime on 13/18 shooting from the field.
Houston wasn’t able to land a forward to replace the likes of Jarace Walker, but under Coach Kelvin Sampson, they seem to find the “next man up” already on the roster. But if the potential of the backcourt comes to fruition, this will be another top-10 caliber group for next season.
19. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Incoming transfers: Joe Toussaint, Chance McMillian, Devin Cambridge, Darrion Williams, Warren Washington, KyeRon Lindsay
Although he was a mid-year transfer, I included former Georgia forward Lindsay since he’s playing for a new coaching staff. With Jaylon Tyson, Daniel Batcho, and Fardaws Aimaq gone, it’s a completely different frontcourt for the Red Raiders. The good news is that they were able to land a pair of former Arizona State starters late in the offseason.
Washington is a 7’0 center that averaged 9.2 ppg and 6.9 rpg, along with nearly two blocks a game. And Cambridge is a 6’5 wing that produced 13.6 ppg as an all-conference performer. The forward with the most promise is Williams, the Mountain West Rookie of the Year last season at Nevada who led the team in rebounding (7.3 rpg) as a 6’6 forward.
Joining Pop Isaacs in the backcourt is McMillian, a double-digit combo guard scorer from Grand Canyon. Another late add was Toussaint, who was part of the roster exodus at West Virginia. He averaged 9.4 ppg and 2.6 apg last season off the bench and is a proven Big 12 contributor. Look for him to have a key role on this roster next season.
18. Cal Bears
Incoming transfers: Fardaws Aimaq, Jalen Cone, Keonte Kennedy, Jaylon Tyson
Even after recently losing Portland transfer Mike Meadows, Cal still has a great incoming group of veterans. And they needed this splash, coming off an awful 3-29 record. But the hire of Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen has opened the door to some key newcomers, including one he’s very familiar with.
Aimaq was with Madsen at UVU, earning WAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was limited to just 11 games at Texas Tech last season due to injuries but still showed he can be a power conference contributor, averaging 11.1 ppg and 7.9 rpg. Also coming from Texas Tech is forward Tyson, who in his first full year averaged 10.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg on 40% shooting from three-point range.
The big scorer joining the Bears is Cone, a former top-100 recruit that started his career at Virginia Tech. He transferred over to Northern Arizona, where he averaged a combined to average 18.2 ppg in the last two years on nearly 40% shooting from deep.
Even Kennedy is a good veteran addition, averaging nearly double figures at Memphis. He’ll be playing for his 4th team but gives needed backcourt depth alongside Cone and returning guard Devin Askew.
17. LSU Tigers
Incoming transfers: Jalen Cook, Jordan Wright, Carlos Stewart, Will Baker, Hunter Dean, Daimion Collins
LSU finished dead last in Coach Matt McMahon’s first season, so a roster overall was set in the works. And with Trae Hannibal and Derek Fountain as the top returning scorers on the roster, expect this group of transfers to have a big impact on the team.
It starts with Cook, who actually started his NCAA Basketball career at LSU. After limited production, he went to Tulane where he became a star. He produced 19.9 ppg and 4.9 apg last season in another all-conference campaign. He’ll replace Adam Miller as the go-to option in the backcourt.
When it comes to players and whether or not their production will transfer to the SEC level, LSU fans won’t have to worry about that with Wright, who was a key playing at Vanderbilt. The versatile 6’5 guard averaged 10.6 ppg and 5.1 rpg and will be a starter. Stewart, who is coming home, is another backcourt addition after averaging 15.0 ppg at Santa Clara.
The Tigers’ hopes may come down to how the frontcourt looks without KJ Williams. Baker is the top addition, averaging 13.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg at Nevada, and is a former top-40 prospect back in his days at Texas. Both Dean and Collins project as depth but they’ll need as much of it as possible to make the jump of the SEC ladder.
16. Ole Miss Rebels
Incoming transfers: Brandon Murray, Allen Flanigan, Austin Nunez, Jaylen Murray, Moussa Cisse, Jamarion Sharp
Everything is new for the Rebels, including their head coach, Chris Beard from Texas. But full disclosure, no team has more potential waiver headaches than this one, with three of the six players listed potentially needing waivers to play next season.
One of them is Cisse, a 6’10 center and former five-star prospect that at OK State, was one of the best interior defenders in NCAA Basketball, winning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. The other big man is the nation’s top shot-blocker, Sharp. The 7’5 center from Western Kentucky blocked over four shots a game in the last two seasons and is a two-time Conference USA DPOY winner.
Flanigan is an intra-conference transfer, coming over from Auburn. The 6’6 wing averaged 10.1 ppg and 5.0 rpg last season and has 69 career starts in four years. Murray started out at LSU but played at Georgetown last season, producing 13.7 ppg and 3.2 apg on 40% shooting from the field.
Ole Miss does have some potential issues at point guard but hopes that either Nunez or Murray can be the answer. Neither put up huge numbers at Arizona State and Saint Peter’s respectively but at least they can provide some backcourt depth along with Matthew Murrell and TJ Caldwell.
15. Xavier Musketeers
Incoming transfers: Dayvion McKnight, Quincy Olivari, Logan Duncomb, Abou Ousmane
With forward Jerome Hunter out indefinitely with reported health issues, that leaves Zach Freemantle as the key returning piece from last season’s Sweet 16 roster. So there are a few newcomers, mostly from Conference USA, looking to have key roles.
In the backcourt enters McKnight, a 6’1 point guard from Western Kentucky. He’s a two-time all-conference playmaker, coming off averaging 16.5 ppg and 3.8 apg. He’s a dynamic scorer and capable defender and projects to be the starting lead guard. And joining him is Olivari, a 6’2 guard from Rice. He averaged 18.7 ppg and 5.9 rpg last season and shot over 36% from three-point range.
In the frontcourt is Osumane, a 6’10 big man from North Texas. He’s another former all-conference player, averaging 11.1 ppg and 6.0 rpg, and is a quality interior defender. Also in the frontcourt is Duncomb, a transfer from Indiana that adds more depth at the center position.
In order for Xavier to be an NCAA Tournament team, they need the transfers to play at a high level. It worked last season with Souley Boum, also from Conference USA. Can Coach Sean Miller make it work again?
14. NC State Wolfpack
Incoming transfers: Michael O’Connell, Kam Woods, DJ Horne, Jayden Taylor, MJ Rice, Ben Middlebrooks, Mohamed Diarra
The Wolfpack made the NCAA Tournament last season but lost its star duo of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner. And forward Jack Clark’s departure is an underrated one as well. But the team added two big men to pair with returning big, D.J. Burns. Middlebrooks is a 6’10 forward from Clemson, while Diarra was in Missouri’s rotation last season. These two will allow NC State to play some big lineups if they so choose.
The other option is Rice, a former five-star prospect from Kansas. The 6’5 wing was injured last season and didn’t play as much but could be a breakout candidate to watch. And then there are the many guard newcomers, including Woods, who averaged 17.3 ppg at NC A&T but is the one person in the group that needs a waiver to play next season.
Taylor is a double-digit scorer from Butler, along with Horne from ASU. Both were go-to options from their respective stops so along with returning guard Casey Morsell can give a more balanced look on offense instead of relying on two guys like last season.
And in case the point guard position is in flux with those guys, look for O’Connell, who was the starting ball-handler at Stanford last season, to have a sizeable role as well. It’s a roster that can go a number of different ways depending on who works out at NC State.
13. Arizona Wildcats
Incoming transfers: Caleb Love, Jaden Bradley, Keshad Johnson
After the disappointing first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats have had some roster changes. Star forward Azuolas Tubelis went pro while starting point guard Kerr Kriisa transferred to West Virginia. But besides Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson, the Pac-12 program is hoping that this trio of newcomers can keep them in national contention.
There might not be a more controversial name that entered the transfer portal than Love. He led North Carolina in scoring (16.7 ppg) last season and had the famous individual run the year prior in the 2022 NCAA Tournament to the title game. However, he’s also incredibly inefficient as a combo guard and got plenty of blame for the Heels struggling. But in a new system, Love could very well thrive.
Another new guard joining the fold is Bradley. He’s a former five-star prospect that started as a freshman at Alabama. He only averaged 6.4 ppg and 3.1 apg and didn’t show the ability to shoot the ball well. However, Bradley proved to be a great defender and is an upgrade from Kriisa in that department.
Another great defender Arizona brought in is Johnson, who was a starter on the San Diego State squad that just went to the national championship game. He doesn’t score much but pairing him with Ballo may create the best defensive frontcourt in all of NCAA Basketball next season.
12. North Carolina Tar Heels
Incoming transfers: Harrison Ingram, Cormac Ryan, Jae’lyn Withers, Paxson Wojcik, James Okonkwo
When you go from preseason No. 1 team to missing the NCAA Tournament altogether, you have to expect a lot of roster changes. And besides Leaky Black and Pete Nance moving on, Caleb Love transferred out, along with essentially the entire bench from last season. But returning starters Armando Bacot and RJ Davis got some good pieces joining them from the portal.
Ingram has the highest profile, a former five-star wing prospect from Stanford. He can do just about everything as a double-digit scorer and capable passer, though he’s not an efficient shooter. Ryan is, transferring from fellow ACC program Notre Dame after averaging 12.3 ppg on 34% shooting from deep. Wojcik should add some depth in the backcourt as well, coming off producing 14.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg as a 6’4 guard from Brown.
UNC’s other ACC addition is Withers, a 6’8 forward from Louisville that averaged 8.9 ppg and 5.3 rpg. He shot 42% from deep and can space the floor and did start 64 games in the past three years. The last newcomer from the portal was Okonkwo, a 6’8 forward from West Virginia that averaged 11.0 mpg off the bench.
It’s an argument as to whether or not the Tar Heels are better from an overall talent perspective compared to last season. But the staff did fairly well rebuilding the roster with pieces that are proven players at the power conference level. Yet will they all work out?
11. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Incoming transfers: Ryan Nembhard, Graham Ike, Steele Venters, Marcus Adams Jr.
Outside of WCC Player of the Year and All-American center Drew Timme, Gonzaga did lose quite a few players this season. Role players Anton Watson and Nolan Hickman are back as projected starters and the team is hoping that the three veteran additions can fill out the rest of the lineup.
The big name is Ryan Nembhard, the starting guard at Creighton and a double-digit scorer. He’s the younger brother of Andrew Nembhard, another former transfer that shined at Gonzaga just a couple of years ago. The backcourt for the Bulldogs struggled in the NCAA Tournament but the addition of Nembhard should help with that.
The team also is hoping that Ike is fully healthy and looks like he did in his last year at Wyoming. The 6’9 center missed all of last season with an injury but averaged 19.5 ppg and 9.6 rpg the year prior as a Mountain West all-star. He’s gotten more attention than Venters, who averaged 15.3 ppg at Eastern Washington last season and was named the Big Sky Player of the Year. He also has a career 40% three-point mark in three full years and will provide needed spacing on the wings.
Technically, Adams is considered a transfer since he left Kansas after enrolling in classes. He’s a late addition to the program that could use the depth. If the four-star wing also gets into the rotation, this could rival the elite 2016 class, which was good enough to take the program to its first-ever national title game.
10. Alabama Crimson Tide
Incoming transfers: Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Aaron Estrada, Mohamed Wague, Grant Nelson
The main attention with Alabama’s roster was the loss of Brandon Miller, the top NCAA Basketball player taken in the 2023 NBA Draft. But he was just one of several key rotation players gone, as Charles Bediako, Noah Gurley, Jahvon Quinerly, Jaden Bradley, and Noah Clowney are also gone.
The Tide was able to bring in a few big names, most notably, Nelson from North Dakota State. He was one of the best mid-major big men last season, averaging 17.9 ppg and 9.3 rpg and being named to the All-Summit League Defensive team as well. He’s set to be the focal point of the frontcourt, with former West Virginia backup big man Wague also on the depth chart at the center position.
Joining returning guard Mark Sears in the backcourt is another pair of mid-major stars. Wrightsell averaged 16.3 ppg at Cal State Fullerton, shooting 38% from three-point range in a breakout junior campaign. Yet he flies under the radar compared to Estrada, the reigning two-time CAA Player of the Year guard.
The 6’4 guard is at his fourth NCAA Basketball, coming off averaging 20.2 ppg and 4.3 apg this past season. He struggled in his earlier power conference stop at Oregon a few years ago but if he’s grown enough in order to play well at the SEC level, Alabama will be contending for another league title.
9. Kansas State Wildcats
Incoming transfers: Tylor Perry, Arthur Kaluma, Ques Glover
The Wildcats were one of the big transfer winners last offseason under Coach Jerome Tang. But after losing one of the best duos in NCAA Basketball last season in Markquis Nowell and Keyontate Johnson, all of the pressure is on the newcomers to keep the program viable in the Big 12.
Perry is the big name, coming off winning Conference USA Player of the Year at North Texas and leading them to an NIT championship last season. He led the team with 17.3 ppg, which is even more impressive when you consider how slow a pace the Mean Green plays, that would be 20+ ppg almost anywhere else. Perry also is a career 41% three-point shooter at high volume and made a ton of clutch baskets for the team.
Joining him in the backcourt is Glover, a very late pickup. The transfer from Samford originally committed to BYU this offseason, before making the switch. After two years at Florida, the 5’11 combo guard averaged around 17 ppg and was an All-SoCon performer. He’ll either start in the backcourt next to Perry or be the team’s 6th Man off the bench.
Kaluma is the x-factor, as Kansas State hopes he can be the next Johnson in the frontcourt. He’s a former top-50 prospect, averaging 11.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg at Creighton last season. The 6’7 forward has shown glimpses of being an All-American caliber player and with an expected larger role in the offense, could definitely go off next season.
8. Florida Gators
Incoming transfers: Zyon Pullin, Walter Clayton Jr., Julian Rishwain, EJ Jarvis, Tyrese Samuel, Micah Handlogten
Colin Castleton was one of the most important players in NCAA Basketball last season. And Florida proved it on the court, as they completely tanked when the team’s leading scorer/rebounder got hurt and missed the final month of the year. The hope is that the six newcomers, three each inside and out. can provide a better-balanced outlook for the Gators.
An early pickup for the Gators was Handlogten, a 7’1 center from Marshall. He averaged 7.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg. The Sun Belt Rookie of the Year isn’t much of an offensive threat right now but he played a huge role in turning Marshall into a good defensive unit, something they weren’t before he got there last season.
Samuel is more of the likely offensive weapon for Florida inside. At Seton Hall, the 6’10 forward averaged 11.0 ppg and 5.9 rpg in just 24 mpg. Jarvis, a transfer from Yale, was also a double-digit scorer. But besides the returning wing duo of Riley Kugel and Will Richard, it’ll be the backcourt that determines Florida’s fate.
Clayton was the leading scorer at Iona last season, averaging 16.8 ppg and 3.2 apg. And Pullin was the star of UC-Riverside, averaging 18.3 ppg and 4.2 apg. There’s a good chance that they’ll start together in the backcourt, with Rishwain, a capable sharpshooting guard from San Francisco, coming off the bench.
7. Texas Longhorns
Incoming transfers: Max Abmas, Ithiel Horton, Chendall Weaver, Ze’rik Onyema, Kadin Shedrick
With four of the top six scorers running out of eligibility and a couple of underclassmen deciding to go elsewhere, Texas was in the 7-8 range of scholarship players for a while this offseason. But Coach Rodney Terry has found different ways of adding guys to the portal, including some well-known guys and those under the radar.
It remains to be seen how much Weaver and Onyema will play. Weaver is a 6’3 guard from UT-Arlington and was the WAC Rookie of the Year. He averaged 9.5 ppg and 4.6 rpg, making 40% of his shots from deep. And Onyema is a 6’8 forward from UTEP, where Coach Howard was previously before joining Texas. He averaged 7.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 20 mpg as a starter. The hope is that they can at least serve as some useful depth so that they don’t have to run a 6-7 man rotation all year.
Who’ll be part of the rotation is Horton, a late transfer pickup from UCF. He averaged 12.3 ppg in his lone year with the Knights, shooting 35% from three-point range. He’s likely to be the 6th Man on the team. The starting center will likely be Shedrick, a 6’11 big man from Virginia with a reputation for being a great interior defender.
But the reason why the Longhorns are so high on this list is Abmas, one of the best pure scorers in all of NCAA Basketball. The 6’1 guard and 2-time Summit League Player of the Year winner averaged 21.9 ppg and 4.0 apg last season at Oral Roberts and led them to a Sweet 16 appearance as a 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament a couple of years ago.
Abmas isn’t going to average 22 ppg in the Big 12 next season but there might not be too much of a drop. He and returning guard Tyrese Hunter is going to be a nightmare to deal with in the Big 12 and could have them in contention in Coach Terry’s first full year.
6. Villanova Wildcats
Incoming transfers: Tyler Burton, TJ Bamba, Hakim Hart, Lance Ware
Coach Kyle Neptune’s first season as the leader of Villanova didn’t go well, including a rare missed appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Although they lost a couple of pieces, including freshman Cam Whitmore to the NBA, both Justin Moore and Eric Dixon are back, with arguably a better supporting cast around them.
The biggest name of the group is Burton, who joined the Wildcats from Richmond. He’s a 6’7 combo forward that averaged 19.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg and is a two-time All-Atlantic 10 player. The scoring forward is joined in the frontcourt by Ware, a transfer from Kentucky and a good role-playing big man off the bench. He’ll give the team size at the five-spot whenever Dixon isn’t on the court.
Hart is a versatile starter coming over from Maryland. He averaged 11.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg and is a 6’6 and 200-pound guard/forward. Bamba is a pure scorer, a 6’5 shooting guard coming over from Washington State. He’s coming off a career-high 15.8 ppg on 37% shooting from three-point range, including a 36-point effort against rival Washington.
Since all three of the high-profile newcomers can play and guard multiple positions, it’ll allow Villanova to use a ton of different lineups and can play Moore either on or off the ball. There’s going to be a lot of firepower with the Wildcats’ new starting lineup next season.
5. West Virginia Mountaineers
Incoming transfers: Kerr Kriisa, Noah Farrakhan, Jeremiah Bembry, RaeQuan Battle, Quinn Slazinski, Akok Akok, Jesses Edwards
If you’ve been following West Virginia’s roster movement this offseason then you still don’t probably know who is on the roster. So many players have come and gone both right after the season and after Coach Bog Huggins was forced into early retirement after his multiple incidents. And there’s still an open spot left after landing Farrakhan, a double-digit scoring transfer from Eastern Michigan who’ll likely have to sit out.
Yet the rest should be eligible, including the star addition to the roster, Edwards. He averaged 14.5 ppg and 10.3 rpg last season at Syracuse, including nearly three blocks a game. Having him and former Georgetown forward Akok will give the Mountaineers an elite interior frontcourt on that end of the court. And to provide some spacing is Slazinski, a stretch forward from Iona who originally started his career at Louisville.
In the backcourt, Kriisa will be the x-factor. He was the starting point guard of an Arizona team that won 60+ games in two seasons and has multiple triple-doubles in his career. But he’s also very inefficient as a shooter at times. The hope is that Battle, who averaged 17.7 ppg at Montana State and led them to the NCAA Tournament last season, can be that go-to guy on offense.
Add redshirt freshman Bembry over from Florida State and there’s some depth for West Virginia to work with. Considering everything that has happened to the program this offseason, it’s a fairly good roster haul. The question now is how will all the pieces fit together on the court.
4. Memphis Tigers
Incoming transfers: Jordan Brown, Nick Jourdain, David Jones, Jaykwon Walton, Jaylon Young, Jahvon Quinerly, Caleb Mills
Speaking of rosters that have been incredibly confusing to follow, Memphis has and continues to be difficult to know who’ll be a part of the 2023-24 campaign. They just got back Malcolm Dandridge from the transfer portal and there’s a chance that both Deandre Williams and five-star incoming freshman Mikey Williams could be on the team, or not at all.
What we do know is that Coach Penny Hardaway landed a big-time group of transfers that have been successful statistically at their previous stops. Brown is a former five-star prospect who at Louisiana Lafayette, earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors last season, leading the team with 19.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Joining him in the frontcourt is Jourdain, an effective role player from Temple that’ll stay in the AAC.
In the backcourt is the projected starting duo of Quinerly and Mills. Quinerly was the 6th Man of the Year at Alabama and a capable ball-handler, while Mills has been a four-year double-digit scorer at both Houston and Florida State. And Young is a good backup option coming over from UCF in case Williams doesn’t join the team in November.
Jones is a 6’7 combo forward from St. John’s, who averaged 13.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg. And Walton, a late pickup from Wichita State, led them in scoring with 13.9 ppg while shooting 40% from three-point range. Memphis is covered on the wings and in the backcourt and if Williams gets granted another year from the NCAA, could be a Final Four threat.
3. Arkansas Razorbacks
Incoming transfers: Tramon Mark, Keyon Menifield, Chandler Lawson, El Ellis, Khalif Battle, Jeremiah Davenport, Denijay Harris
We’ve reached the point in the transfer portal world that any team with Coach Eric Musselman on it will be ranked in these types of pieces. But he definitely needed to reload after losing all three five-star freshmen on his team last season. And he landed a bunch of players early on, mostly in the backcourt.
The biggest names are Ellis and Battle, two players that averaged around 18 ppg at Louisville and Temple, respectively. They’re two of the top scorers from the portal but will have to handle not having as much of a usage rate as they did before. Another scoring guard joining them is Mark, a double-digit scorer on a highly successful Houston squad.
On the wings are a pair of versatile newcomers. Davenport is a 6’7 wing from Cincinnati, coming off averaging 9.1 ppg while starting half of his games. And Harris is a 6’7 forward from Southern Miss, who produced around 8.9 ppg and 5.6 rpg. Lawson, a senior transfer from Memphis, is another combo forward who adds depth to the frontcourt, which is set to get Trevon Brazile back from injury.
I don’t even have to mention Menifield, because he’s already set to redshirt this upcoming season. He was a double-digit scorer as a freshman at Washington and will be a key piece to watch in the future. But in the presence, this is an elite group of scorers joining the Razorbacks.
2. Kansas Jayhawks
Incoming transfers: Hunter Dickinson, Arterio Morris, Nicolas Timberlake
Even Kansas and Coach Bill Self aren’t immune to the giving end of the transfer portal, having lost several players. Former five-star prospects MJ Rice and Ernest Udeh Jr. were among the departures. But the good news is that there was plenty of room to bring in some heavy hitters and they may have landed a trio of home runs.
The big name is Dickinson, an All-Big Ten center from Michigan that averaged 18.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg. He has several 30+ point performances and the difference between him and other big-name transfer pickups this offseason is that he’s a proven high-level power conference player, while others are hoping to match Dickinson’s production.
Kansas also may have landed one of the top freshmen that didn’t enter the NBA Draft in Morris. He’s a former five-star prospect that dealt with a number of veteran guards ahead of him on the Texas depth chart. He could easily be a national breakout star next to Dajuan Harris Jr. in the backcourt.
And the Jayhawks also brought in Timberlake, one of the best pure shooters from the portal. At Towson, the 6’4 guard averaged 17.7 ppg, while shooting 42% from three-point range. On paper, shooting is viewed as one of the main weaknesses on the Kansas roster so if Timberlake can help solve that, this team will once again be in contention to win it all.
1. St. John’s Red Storm
Incoming transfers: Daniss Jenkins, Cruz Davis, Sean Conway, Nahiem Alleyne, Jordan Dingle, RJ Luis, Chris Ledlum, Glenn Taylor Jr., Zuby Ejiofor, Sadiku Ibine Ayo
When head coach Rick Pitino took over the St. John’s program, he essentially cleaned house, with big man Joel Soriano the lone rotation player to come back. He started out slow when it came to additions, bringing bench players Davis and Ibine Ayo with him from Iona. Allenye was the early big name, coming over after winning a national title at UConn.
But then came the big names. Jenkins is another former Iona player that joined but he was a big part of the team that just went to the NCAA Tournament, averaging 15.6 ppg and 4.9 apg as the starting point guard. And Taylor was a starter at Oregon State last season, producing 11.6 ppg. Conway, a 6’5 guard that shot 38% from deep at VMI, could be a good depth piece to provide shooting.
Who’ll provide the offense is the pair of Ivy League stars set to return home. Dingle was one of the top scorers in all of NCAA Basketball last season, averaging 23.4 ppg at Penn en route to earning Ivy League Player of the Year honors. Ledlum wasn’t too far behind him, averaging 18.8 ppg and 8.5 rpg at Harvard. He was a former Tennessee commit out of the portal but is now with the Red Storm as the projected starting forward.
It’s an incredible group of newcomers with great potential for St. John’s, especially when you add Luis and Ejiofor. Luis was a promising freshman player at UMass and could be a future breakout piece to watch, while the former big man and top-40 prospect showed great defensive potential at Kansas and after backing up Soriano for a year, could become the next great big man in the Big East.
How good the mid-major transfers play at the Big East level will determine how good the Red Storm will be in the first year of the Pitino era. But if we’re just focusing on the roster building in the offseason, it’s safe to say that things are already off to a good start.