NCAA Basketball: Arkansas, UConn among 10 teams in need of a big offseason

Arizona Wildcats

The portal has not been kind to Tommy Lloyd and Co., losing Kylan Boswell and Oumar Ballo in two days alongside redshirt Dylan Anderson.

To make matters worse, if Pelle Larson and Caleb Love elect not to use their COVID years of eligibility, which I am doubtful of at the moment, Arizona could be facing a realistic situation in which the entirety of their starting five will need to be replaced.

That is not the kind of start one would wish for.

Yet, there is no doubt Tommy Lloyd and his staff will be active in the portal. A second-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to 24/7 Sports, gives plenty of reason for optimism in Tucson but the need for experienced, starting five-caliber minutes from the portal will be what makes or breaks Arizona’s offseason.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Newly-minted Razorback head coach, John Calipari (yes, that will take forever to get used to saying) is starting from scratch at his new home.

Literally.

According to Karl Raummsen of Sports Illustrated, Arkansas’ current roster consists of zero scholarship players and one player listed on the team’s official roster -- Fayetteville native Lawson Blake -- who averaged 0.3 points per game and appeared in just four games total all year.

Giving the nod to Calipari, if there is any coach who can build a competitive roster from scratch, it is him.

After Calipari was ran out of Lexington, due to lack of postseason success and inability to adapt to an era that has demonstrated winning is from leaning on experience versus young, raw talent, Calipari will have to be active both in the portal with hopes of reeling in his former Kentucky recruits who have recently de-committed from the school: Jayden Quaintance, Karter Knox, Somoto Cyril and possibly (likely) more.