NCAA Basketball: 5 teams who most benefits from recent judicial transfer ruling

2. LSU Tigers

The Tigers finished in last place in the SEC last season so Coach Matt McMahon went out to land a bunch of players from the portal. It's been a mixed bag of results so far. On one end, former Nevada big man Will Baker leads the team with 14.1 ppg and has been a consistent offensive weapon, while Vandy transfer Jordan Wright (13.2 ppg) has been a legit scorer on the wings.

Some of the others have struggled. Carlos Stewart averaged 15 ppg at Santa Clara but is at 4.0 ppg, while Daimion Collins and Hunter Dean aren't getting a lot of minutes up front. But ultimately, LSU's 6-4 start including a loss to Nicholls State has to do with the largely inconsistent perimeter scoring production.

One player they were hoping to have is Jalen Cook, who originally started his career at LSU before transferring to Tulane. He became a star in the AAC, averaging around 20 ppg and 5.0 apg. For a team that currently ranks in the bottom 10 of all NCAA Basketball in assists and doesn't shoot the ball well from deep, they certainly miss not having Cook.

All of this to be said, just having Cook in the lineup doesn't make LSU a contender in the SEC. Plus, there's a chance the guard doesn't perform as well at the higher level. But without him, this roster is doomed for another bottom-tier finish in the league. So he may be their last hope to salvage this season.