NCAA Basketball: 8 teams who managed to survive 2024 transfer portal madness

Iowa State Cyclones

The Cyclones won 29 games and was the second-best team in the Big 12 last season, making a Sweet 16 appearance. Coach TJ Otzelberger has done a good job of reloading the roster in the past but he didn’t have to do that this time, thanks to a lack of roster turnover.

The two losses on the roster were technically high-profile but weren’t consequential to the team. Omaha Biliew was a five-star prospect out of high school but wasn’t ready to play for Iowa State, transferring out to Wake Forest. And Jackson Paveletzke went from scoring 17 ppg as a freshman to not playing this past season, ultimately leaving as well.

But outside of the senior frontcourt players that had to move on, ISU kept its top four scorers, including guards Tamin Lipsey, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert. Freshman forward Milan Mocilovic (10.9 ppg) could’ve been poached but he’s staying around as a potential breakout candidate.

The Cyclones have already added four players from the portal, including three frontcourt guys to revamp the weak points on the roster. Iowa State typically has flown under the radar to start the year but this time around, will likely have a top-5 preseason ranking to look forward to.