March Madness moved to the portal

Good morning! It’s just another fine day of portal news.

Let's get to it.

1. New landing spots for notable transfers

Monday didn’t have the volume of last week’s official opening of the transfer portal, but it had something far more interesting: A bunch of notable players who committed to new programs.

Start with St. John’s, which landed former Providence forward Bryce Hopkins. The 6-7 senior was an All-Big East player during the 2022-23 season, but has missed most of the last two seasons due to a torn ACL. He played just three games last season and didn’t look like he was ready for the rigors of a season when he tried to go in December. He says that’s changed now.

Hopkins should step in for Big East POY R.J. Luis, and form an imposing frontline with returning big man Zuby Ejiofor. It doesn’t address any perimeter shooting woes (Hopkins is a career 30% shooter from 3), but I’ll let Rick Pitino sort that out.

Another impactful big made a decision on Monday when Oscar Cluff announced he’ll head to Purdue. The 6-11, 260-pound senior was quite productive last season for South Dakota State, averaging 17.6 ppg on 63% shooting, along with 12.3 rpg.

He led the nation with 22 double-doubles, and notably had a 21-point, 15-rebound game vs. Alabama, so there’s evidence he can produce against power conference teams. Whether he starts alongside Trey Kaufman-Renn remains to be seen. I might lean sophomore Daniel Jacobsen for the rim protection, but that’s for Matt Painter to figure out.

It wasn’t just big men on Monday. LSU, Louisville and Michigan all landed guards who’ll likely start next season.

My favorite move was former UNLV guard Dedan Thomas committing to LSU. The 6-1 sophomore averaged 15.6 ppg and 4.7 apg last season. He’s extremely quick, rebounds well for his size, and should pair nicely with Mississippi State big man Michael Nwoko, who also committed to the Tigers on Monday. That’s a solid pair.

When Louisville got Chucky Hepburn last year, it wasn’t clear how impactful the guard would be in Pat Kelsey’s system. So maybe that’s why adding Kennesaw State guard Adrian Wooley — one of the portal’s best scorers at 18.8 ppg and 42.2% from deep — is already earning praise. He’ll be a perfect fit for Louisville’s system.

Slightly less perfect is Eliot Cadeau committing to Michigan. There’s no doubt the former UNC point guard can play. He averaged 9.4 ppg and 6.2 apg last season, and is deadly in the open court. He’s also a two-year starter and former 5-star recruit, so the talent is there. But he’s not a perimeter shooting threat (33.7% from beyond the arc) and how he meshes with Tre Donaldson in the backcourt will be a question. But I’ll let Dusty May figure that out.

Other notable commits from Monday:

• Alabama added Bucknell center Noah Williamson (17.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, Patriot League POY)

• Baylor picked up Wyoming guard Obi Agbim (17.6 ppg, 43% from 3) AND Oregon State forward Michael Rataj (16.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg)

• High Point got Virginia Tech guard Jaydon Young (8.1 ppg)

• San Diego State added big man Jeremiah Oden (sat out last season with Charlotte)

• Florida State snagged St. Bonaventure wing LaJae Jones (10.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg)

• Saint Louis got Quinnipiac forward Paul Otieno (13 ppg, 8.6 rpg)

2. Big names, big talents hit the portal on Monday

There are now more than 1,600 players in the transfer portal (which includes walk-ons). Monday had more than a few notable names.

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