NCAA Basketball: Indiana, Kansas, and Maryland among 10 early 2024 offseason winners
9. Miami Hurricanes
When a team has a freefall like Miami (finishing second to last in the ACC) at the end of the season, changes are bound to happen, some that may not be liked. But the Hurricanes have not only found a way to stay stable but they may have gotten better. Most importantly, Coach Jim Larranaga is staying on for another year, avoiding retirement.
They did lose several key players on the roster, including double-double machine, Norchad Omier, who went pro. Bensley Joseph transferred to Providence, Kyshawn George entered the NBA Draft and is likely to stay, while other bench players hit the transfer portal as well.
Still, three other players who averaged at least 13 ppg (Matthew Cleveland, Wooga Poplar, and Nijel Pack) are coming back. And the team added a couple of double-digit scoring forwards in Lynn Kidd and Brandon Johnson, who add much-needed size to the frontcourt.
With five-star guard commit Jalil Bethea also joining the team, it’s fairly loaded throughout the roster. They may need another ball-handler at some point but right now, Miami is expected to be in the top-25 range for the next year. Fairly impressive after a dismal last month of the season.