NCAA Basketball: Analyzing 4 contenders for Jackson State transfer Ken Evans

As each day passes, there are fewer and fewer quality players left in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. One of them is Ken Evans, a 6'4 guard from Jackson, Mississippi. He's the reigning SWAC Player of the Year at Jackson State, averaging a career-high 18.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Evans shot 41% from the field and 39% from deep this past season, including a career-high 37 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Evans is still available and his recruitment seems to be open. But a recent article from Rivals' Rob Cassidy talked about a few programs that have been at least linked to the SWAC POY guard. Unless new teams start to emerge, it may ultimately come down to one of these four programs.

Here's a look at how Evans would fit with each of the potential options.

Maryland Terrapins

The Terrapins have a revamped backcourt after last year's shooting struggles, with Belmont transfer Ja'Kobi Gillespie and former South Florida guard Selton Miguel. Even if Virginia Tech transfer Rodney Rice is an impact player, Maryland could still use another scorer in the rotation. Evans would get to play for a top-25 caliber roster next season, which is something the other three options can't clearly say on paper.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

The late departure of freshman starter Cam Christie was a sudden loss for the Gophers. They did land New Mexico State transfer Femi Odukale but he's not much of a scorer. This is a place where Evans could very well start and gives them a needed second-option on offense to pair with returning star, Dawson Garcia.

Syracuse Orange

Syracuse lost star guard Judah Mintz to the NBA Draft and their only guard transfer is Jaquan Carlos, who averaged 10.4 ppg and 6.3 apg at Hofstra. JJ Starling is back as the only proven ACC guard and unless four-star prospect Elijah Moore is ready to contribute big minutes, they could use another guard in the rotation. This is a spot where Evans would get minutes and could be a focal point.

West Virginia Mountaineers

New coach Darian DeVries has a completely new roster, led by his son and former 2-time MVC Player of the Year wing, Tucker DeVries. The most notable newcomers to the roster includes OK State transfer guard Javon Small and former Illinois guard, Sincire Harris.

On paper, there's still a big need for a capable scoring guard at the two-spot, unless Joseph Yesufu can break out in his final year. Evans very well would start at WVU and get plenty of minutes, looking to have the team be competitive in the Big 12 next season.