With over 2,000 players entering in the past month the college basketball transfer portal has been active to say the least. The spring window officially closed on Tuesday April 22nd meaning that players cannot currently enter, but those who are still without a new team can still commit.
After so much activity we will finally see it start to slow down and we now have a better idea of how things look for next season. Many teams heavily benefited from several top-tier commitments, while others struggled to land the big names they were looking for. As they say, the sportsbooks know best, and odds for who will win the 2026 national championship next have noticeably fluctuated in the past month. With that being said, let's look at some major odds movements pointing to who won and lost in the transfer portal in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook | Odds Start Date: 4/8, End Date: 4/24
Winners
St. John’s Red Storm +2500 -> +1600
Additions:
- Bryce Hopkins, Providence(16.1 pts, 8.3 reb, 2.2 ast)
- Ian Jackson, North Carolina(11.9 pts, 2.7 reb, 0.9 ast)
- Joson Sanon, Arizona State(11.9 pts, 3.4 reb, 1.0 ast)
- Dillon Mitchell, Cincinnati(9.9 pts, 6.9 reb, 1.7 ast)
- Imran Suljanovic, Reggio Emilia(20.3 pts, 7.3 reb, 1.0 ast)
No team had more success in the transfer portal than Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm. Despite losing the Big East Player of the Year in RJ Luis Jr. they saw a massive jump in odds thanks to their work in the portal. With Pitno’s charm, the draw of New York, and the way they had Madison Square Garden rocking last season it’s clear how they landed a big three of Ian Jackson, Bryce Hopkins, and Dillon Mitchell. Pitino said he was not recruiting any school players for next season, and it makes sense why with this portal haul.
Purdue Boilermakers +1400 -> +1000
Additions:
- Oscar Cluff, South Dakota St(17.6 pts, 12.3 reb, 2.8 ast)
- Liam Murphy, North Florida(13.0 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.4 ast)
Purdue jumped to the favorites to win it all next season despite only adding two players via the portal. One of those additions was a big one, though, with Oscar Cluff, who was one of the most productive big men in college basketball last season. The needle-moving news for the Boilermakers was when Bob Cousy Award winner Braden Smith announced he will be coming back for another season alongside returning starters Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer.
Illinois Fighting Illini +8000 -> +6000
Additions:
- Zvonimir Ivisic, Arkansas(8.5 pts, 4.3 reb, 0.8 ast)
- Mihailo Petrovic, Mega BC(14.3 pts, 2.8 reb, 7.3 ast)
Things started out slow for Illinois as their odds at one point dropped to +10000, but Brad Underwood has been picking up steam as of late. They added Zvonimir Ivisic from the portal to go alongside his twin brother down low and recently received a commitment from the Serbian Petrovic who is a 22 year old with professional basketball experience. These odds also point to the rumors of former Cal guard Andrej Stojakovic landing in Champaign having legs.
Losers
Villanova Wildcats +6000 -> +8000
It is hard to recruit without a head coach and that likely hurt Villanova as they waited for Kevin Willard to lose in the tournament and officially make his decision. The Wildcats looked like the favorite to land Robert Wright III from Baylor before BYU came in with a massive NIL deal. It also hurts when you hire a head coach who is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance with a power conference team, and the only player he brings with him has appeared in just five games.
Additions:
- Duke Brennan, Grand Canyon(10.4 pts, 9.2 reb, 0.5 ast)
- Bryce Lindsay, James Madison(13.4 pts, 2.8 reb, 2.2 ast)
- Braden Pierce, Maryland(2.4 pts, 2.4 reb, 0.6 ast)
- Zion Stanford, Temple(13.1 pts, 4.5 reb, 2.1 ast)
Auburn Tigers +1800 -> +3000
I believe this movement in odds is more about what Auburn is losing and less about what they have added. I believe they got four high level players who could have an immediate impact which makes me disagree with the odds makers here. Looking at the big picture though, they did lose four of their top five leading scorers and are still awaiting a decision from Tahaad Pettiford.
Additions:
- Elyjah Freeman, Lincoln Memorial(19.3 pts, 9.1 reb, 2.4 ast)
- Keyshawn Hall, UCF(18.8 pts, 7.1 reb, 2.4 ast)
- KeShawn Murphy, Mississippi State(11.7 pts, 7.4 reb, 1.6 ast)
- Kevin Overton, Texas Tech(7.8 pts, 3.7 reb, 0.9 ast)
Arkansas Razorbacks +1800 -> +2500
This has not been the start to the offseason that John Calipari hoped for after a surprising run to the Sweet 16. Boogie Fland was originally thought to be a one and done guy, but an injury that took him out for most of last season could have changed those plans. Fland just recently announced he would be entering the portal while keeping his name in the NBA Draft. The Razorbacks do have a solid load of production returning for next season, but Cal could not land that big-name commitment from the portal that many expected.
Additions:
- Malique Ewin, Florida State(14.2 pts, 7.6 reb, 1.7 ast)
- Nick Pringle, South Carolina(9.5 pts, 6.3 reb, 1.1 ast)
Others of note:
- Texas Tech +2500 -> +1800
- Arizona +3500 -> +2500
- North Carolina +5000 -> +4000
- Alabama +1800 -> +2500
- Indiana +5000 -> +6000
- Marquette +10000 -> +15000