Will this roster puzzle fit?

Good morning! Hope your weekend went better than the sharp-eyed Indiana fans who peeped new big man Oumar Ballo in a walking boot. Not the ideal start to your top transfer’s Bloomington time.

Let's get to the rest of the news.

1. K-State keeps pushing on Big 12 rivals

Give Kansas State credit. It’s not content as a mid-Big 12 program.

The Wildcats made one of the biggest splashes of the spring transfer portal season when it snagged a commitment from Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins on Friday.

And it wasn’t just because the 6-10 senior is one of the portal’s top available players. It reportedly gave him a $2 million NIL deal.

(He and incoming Washington big man Great Osobor are the only reported $2 million NIL players for next season. That actually seems unlikely given some of the returning players probably got $2 million or more in total NIL deal to play another season, but anyway.)

Combine Hawkins’ deal with new K-State players Dug McDaniel, Achor Achor, Ugonna Onyenso, Brendan Hausen, Baye Fall, Max Jones and Christian Jones, and it’s probably an NIL spend that’s $4 million or above. That’s quite the arms race in the state of Kansas and Big 12 where 74 new transfers are headed for 2024-25.

But … Hawkins and the rest of that roster jell and get K-State back to the NCAA Tournament?

Barttorvik projects the Wildcats No. 37 overall next season, and 8th in the Big 12, just behind Cincinnati. There’s no doubt Jerome Tang will have ample talent — especially in the frontcourt — but how that talent meshes will be a real question.

Onyenso, Achor and Hawkins could play together on, but that seems sub-optimal from a defensive POV. Asking Hawkins or Achor to guard wings or guards isn’t what they’ve done during their careers. Perhaps it means less time (15 minutes) for Onyenso and more with Hawkins and Achor up front. And that doesn’t take offensive spacing issues into consideration.

Hawkins can make 3s (59-of-160 this season; 36.9%), but he’s not the player who’ll stretch defenses. Achor (26-of-59; 44%) is the same, just at a significantly lower volume.

And all of that doesn’t even consider returning starter David N’Guessan, who’s also not a perimeter threat.

There’s lots to like about what Hawkins and Achor bring for intangibles and passing. And there’s a strong chance Dug McDaniel thrives in pick-and-roll scenarios with these big men. But I’d agree with Jon Fendler’s take: This is a top 5 roster (or better) if everything jells. But there’s also a chance the bottom falls out because the pieces don’t fit.

2. Will Virginia ban scooters?

Injuries can happen at any point, and it’s always a painful dose of reality when one hits.

But when they happen off the court? That’s gotta be the worst.

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