Wednesday was the last day college players could withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft without sacrificing their eligibility for the 2025-26 season. The day was a doozy, with decisions both expected and surprising filling up social media spigots.
The dust is still settling from the decisions. Additionally, there are still people floating around the transfer portal, including those who both were in the draft pool and those who weren't. In other words, still plenty to be figured out before rosters feel more finalized.
With the 2025 NBA Draft eligibility deadline come and gone, who were the winners and losers in the college basketball ranks?
The list of winners and losers doesn't only include teams - though that's an obvious place to start. There are also players, coaches and general situations that have benefitted or been hurt by the decisions made ahead of Wednesday night.
This also doesn't necessarily reflect what the rankings will be at the start of next season. Even the biggest winners of deadline draft decisions could be little more than a fringe NCAA Tournament team. It's just a boost that the decisions went their way.
The early withdrawal deadline for the NBA Draft, by the way, isn't until June 15, a week and a half before the actual draft. College basketball players who withdraw before that deadline, but didn't withdraw before Wednesday, will not be eligble for the 2025-26 college basketball seaosn.
Without further ado, here's a list of winners and losers. Feel free to reach out with your own!
Winners
Health of College Basketball
Look, Cooper Flagg was never coming back to college for his sophomore season. But the fact that he once seemed mildly piqued by the idea was something. So is the fact that many good, great, and even elite players waited until the last second to make that call. There's plenty of traditions and norms that the transfer portal and NIL eras have destroyed, but they've also given talent a fresh reason to stick around for another season. That's good for the game.
The Iron Bowl, Hardwood Edition
Was Tahaad Pettiford ever really leaving Auburn? Not sure, though the reported $2 million NIL deal he secured for his sophomore season certainly sealed the deal. After coming off the bench last year, he should be an SEC Player of the Year candidate for a Johni Broome-less Tigers team.
The return of Labaron Philon to Tuscaloosa was more unexpected, as he had previously declared himself fully committed to the draft. The eleventh hour decision to return to Alabama elevates the Crimson Tide to a Sweet Sixteen contender, maybe more.
Kelvin Sampson
Last year was the year Kelvin Sampson was going to cement his legacy as an all-time great in the coaching field. In some ways, he did, but he didn't secure a title. No matter. He convinced Milos Uzan to return to school alongside Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler. Sure, Pop Isaacs walked away - more on him in a moment - but with a star-studded recruiting class, the Cougars are set up to seal the deal for Sampson in 2025-26.
Michigan
One of the most watched decisions at the deadline was that of Yaxel Lendeborg, who never played a minute for the Michigan Wolverines. He eschewed the draft and made good on his transfer from UAB, where he was a star. He averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game last year and has a game that should translate well to Ann Arbor, immediately making him one of the Big Ten's best players.
Repeat Dreams Repeating
Before UConn in 2023 and 2024, the sport went a couple of decades without a back-to-back title winner. Could we get consecutive champions immediately again? Todd Golden's Florida Gators could do it, pulling big man Alex Condon back from the draft and stealing Boogie Fland away from Arkansas after his own draft withdrawal. That's a top five team entering next year.
Losers
Georgetown
Ed Cooley is really trying to turn around the Georgetown Hoyas, but it hasn't happened yet. Having Thomas Sorber back would've been a big help, from a talent perspective. That same talent, however, has seen Sorber's draft stock rise and he decided to stick to the professional route, leaving Georgetown thin up front.
Penn State
Penn State is another team perpetually stuck in the mud. Yanic Konan Niederhauser wasn't going to change that singlehandedly, but it wouldn't have hurt to have him around. Alas, he stayed in the draft after averaging 12.9 points and 6.3 rebounds on 61% shooting from the field last year, when he was the Nittany Lions' best big man.
Pop Isaacs
The next stop of Pop Isaacs' strange college career was set to take him to Houston, where he would've starred as one of the top players on a top team. Then, Uzan decided to return to the Cougars and Uzan, seeing the writing on the wall, moved on to Texas A&M. The Aggies are doing some fascinating things in their own right, but he won't get nearly the same level of exposure in College Station.
RJ Luis Jr. (Short Term)
The future could hold anything for RJ Luis Jr. The present isn't looking great, though. After getting benched by Rick Pitino at a critical juncture, Luis had an opportunity to parlay his Big East Player of the Year breakout into a serious bag in the transfer portal. Instead, he stayed in the draft, where some are not even projected him to be taken. It could be a long road towards professional success, when college guarantees were hanging close by.
Transfer Portal Practitioners
Need a player from the transfer portal? Good luck, especially after Luis and Jamir Watkins stayed in the draft. There are still some intriguing options out there - Desmond Claude and Jordan Ivy-Curry come to mind - but it's most slim pickings at this point.