Tough Love

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Let's get to Wednesday’s news.

1. All Michigan needed was Love

Michigan fans have seen this before. And it wasn’t any fun for them last year, either.

It seems the university’s admissions department plays the best defense in the state. A year after Terrence Shannon Jr. was denied a transfer, it’s the same for Caleb Love.

Love would have paced all Wolverines scorers and had the opportunity to have the ball in his hands whenever he wanted. It’s off to plan B for coach Juwan Howard, who currently has two transfers lined up in Nimari Burnett (Alabama) and Tray Jackson (Seton Hall).

(As an aside: Many expect Howard to return to the NBA ranks eventually, but is the current state of the Michigan program pushing him closer toward the exits?)

As for the roster, few options remain to replace a player of Love’s prestige. One name to watch: Toledo transfer and MAC Player of the Year RayJ Dennis. Otherwise, Michigan will rely on sophomore jumps from dynamic guard Dug McDaniel and athletic forward Tarris Reid Jr. If those two don’t put up noticeably improved numbers, then Michigan could have a forgettable season.

In other transfer portal news:

Love wasn’t the only impact guard to hit the portal on Wednesday: UC Riverside’s Zyon Pullin is expected to add his name. The All-Big West selection in 2022-23 averaged 18.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists, shot 48.6 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep. Expect plenty of high-major interest. Plus:

• Sydney Curry (Louisville) to Grand Canyon

• DeLonnie Hunt (Wagner) to Richmond

• Diante Smith (South Alabama) to Nicholls State

• Eddie Turner II (Columbia) to Montana State

2. NBA Combine winners and losers

The NBA Draft combine continued with scrimmages on Wednesday. Let’s dive into the players who helped and hurt their NBA Draft stock.

Winners

Olivier-Maxence Prosper

The biggest winner from the NBA Combine might be Marquette’s O-Max Prosper. The 6-8 forward displayed his high-flying athleticism and shooting ability numerous times, leading to his game-best 21 points.

Two months ago, Prosper looked like a borderline draft pick. Now, he’s one of the biggest draft risers of the week, jumping into the first-round conversation. As Prosper's stock ascends, the less it looks like he'll return to Milwaukee for his senior season.

Marquette was a surefire preseason Top 5 team if Prosper returned to school, but the Golden Eagles will slide without their starting 4-man. The breakout candidate to keep an eye on if Prosper leaves is Aussie-born sophomore, Ben Gold.

Dillon Jones

A versatile 6-6 forward from Weber State, Jones can run an offense, using his size and strength to attack the basket and fly across the floor on the defensive end. Jones tallied 17 points on 5-for-10 shooting and added two boards, three dimes and three steals to round out the stat line. Jones wasn't initially invited to the combine until his stellar performance in the G-League Elite camp earned him an invite. He made the most of it.

Seth Lundy

If you can shoot the ball, they'll find you. That's the story for former Penn State standout Seth Lundy, a 6-6 wing/small-ball 4, who parlayed his impressive senior season at Penn State into a combine invite. Lundy looked the part, drilling 4-of-5 triples in 19 minutes. Lundy can play a decade in the NBA if he fully buys into the 3-and-D prototype.

Losers

Terquavian Smith

After spending two seasons at NC State, Smith was looking to secure a spot in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft, but shooting a ghastly 3-of-16 in the combine surely isn't helping. Everyone knows what Smith is: A volatile scorer who offers limited upside on defense and isn't a playmaking point guard. He's the value version of Cam Thomas.

Azuolas Tubelis

Tubelis could still return to school — and Wednesday's disappointing 11-point, 5-for-11 shooting performance could convince him to do just that. Tubelis's lack of shooting ability is a major damper in his hopes of hearing his name in the NBA Draft.

Dillon Mitchell

Mitchell caught the attention of draft Twitter when he made a 3-pointer — after making zero during his freshman season at Texas. But he shot a disappointing 1-of-6 from the field and his performance in non-competitive workouts didn’t translate. What will scouts make of Mitchell’s stock if he opts to stay in the draft? He’s a raw offensive prospect but has game-breaking athletic ability.

3. The Bonnies are back

The greats don’t stay down for long. And this applies to St. Bonaventure and coach Mark Schmidt. Last season was just his third losing season in 16 years at the program — yet he’s won at least 20 games in four of the last eight seasons.

Expect the latter for the 2023-24 season.

How will the Bonnies turn the tide? Returning the top six scorers is a good starting point, led by former Saint Peter’s standout guard Daryl Banks (15.4 ppg) and reliable post player Chad Venning (12.7 points. 5.6 rebounds.)

But adding two impact guards to mix — Cincinnati transfer Mika Adams-Woods (9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds in 104 career starters with Cincinnati) and Charles Pride (14.6 points on 37 percent from deep last year for Bryant) — should make the difference.

With Banks, Adams-Woods, Pride, Moses Flowers and Kyrell Luc, Schmidt can ride the hot hand and mix and match lineups. Regardless of who's on the roster, Schmidt typically likes to play a condensed rotation of five to seven players, so it’ll be interesting to see which guards earn the most minutes.

Include them with sophomore wing Yann Farrell, post-man Venning and a slew of other solid returning role players, and I like their potential. Especially with Atlantic 10 opponents VCU, Dayton, Fordham and George Mason all losing integral pieces from their rosters.

When perfect doesn’t work

Victor Wembanyama might be the best NBA prospect since LeBron James, but Jeff Goodman worries the overall lack of roster talent might not be the best fit for Wembanyama. But we’ll let him explain.

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Links as you grab Fast X tickets.

• Kelvin Sampson reportedly interviewed for the vacant Milwaukee Bucks job.

• Southern Miss leading scorer, Austin Crowley returns for another season.

• Akira Jacobs, a 2023 NBA Global Academy wing from Australia, is headed to Hawaii.

• South Florida snagged Jayden Reid, a 2023 guard from Long Island Lutheran.

• ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips is downplaying dissent among his schools.

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