NBA Draft deadline winners, losers

As the dust settles on the 2023 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline, one thing’s clear: The Big Ten is going to get plenty of early season attention again.

Let's get to Wednesday’s news.

1. Big Ten teams (mostly) celebrating, while Kentucky …

On a day with no shortage of news, always start with the single biggest story you can.

And when it comes to impacting the 2023-24 college hoops season, nothing’s bigger than this.

Zach Edey, the consensus 2022-23 National POY, will be at Purdue for his senior season. Plenty of other programs received good news regarding their season prospects — but none will impact the sport’s landscape more than the 7-4 center who dominates on both ends of the court.

That gives the Boilermakers — 29-6 last season, a 1-seed and Big Ten regular-season and tourney champs — everyone back for another run. And Edey, who averaged 22.9 points, 12.9 rebounds and more than two blocks a game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field, is the key to another stellar season.

Too much hype for a team that lost to a 16-seed? Nah. They’ve already jumped Kansas as the team to beat, per Bart Torvik.

Other winners include:

Michigan State: Most assumed Jaden Akins and AJ Hoggard would return. It’s still a welcome sight for Sparty fans to see their backcourt intact. Tom Izzo has his most talented team in a while, which should push Purdue for the Big Ten title and be a Top 5 unit.

Creighton: Ryan Kalkbrenner already made coach Greg McDermott a happy man. Trey Alexander’s decision on Wednesday was a second helping of happy. The 6-5 guard/wing will be back for another season in Omaha, ensuring the Blue Jays have top talent at every position.

FAU: As expected, Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin will both return to school, giving the Owls everyone back from their Final Four team. I’m in on them as a Top 10 squad, but reasonable minds can disagree. No doubt FAU’s a winner from Wednesday.

Illinois: Coleman Hawkins and Terrence Shannon Jr. are both back, giving the Illini their two most important players from last season’s squad, and raising the floor for next season. It probably means missing out on RayJ Dennis, but that’s a decent trade-off. (Also, bonus points for this Shannon graphic.)

Texas: The Longhorns have perhaps the nation’s best backcourt. Yet Dylan Disu and Kadin Shedrick can’t do it all up front, meaning Dillon Mitchell’s decision to withdraw from the draft was huge. That gives Texas more bounce on the wing and much-needed depth.

Villanova: A low-key winner. TJ Bamba removed his name, and then the Wildcats added Richmond transfer Tyler Burton, who withdrew from the draft as well. That gives Villanova four impact transfers in Bamba, Burton, Hakim Hart (Maryland) and Lance Ware (Kentucky), along with returning starters Justin Moore, Eric Dixon, and others.

Colorado: Tristan da Silva’s return cements the Buffs as a potential Top 25 team.

UCLA (Adem Bona), Houston (Jamal Shead), Dayton (DaRon Holmes), Kansas State (NaeQwan Tomlin), TCU (Emanuel Miller) and Virginia (Reece Beekman) also should feel great about how things wrapped on Wednesday.

They can’t all be winners

Kentucky: No Oscar Tshiebwe next season. He stayed in the draft. Chris Livingston is doing the same. And potentially no Antonio Reeves, who withdrew from the draft but hasn’t decided if he’ll return to Kentucky. John Calipari has some work to do.

UConn: The reigning champs won’t have their Swiss army knife next season. Andre Jackson will be a pro, meaning the Huskies have now lost three starters (Jordan Hawkins, Adama Sanogo), who also were their three most important players. Tristen Newton will return, but that’s a consolation prize.

Northwestern: Greg Waddell’s not-so-secret favorite Big Ten backcourt of 2022-23 won’t be back next season. Chase Audige is staying in the draft. Maybe Boo Boo Buie makes a run at Big Ten POY?

Other notable names who stayed in the draft: Kobe Brown (Missouri), Justin Powell (Washington State), Amari Bailey (UCLA), Julian Phillips (Tennessee/portal)

Mixed bags

Arkansas: Jordan Walsh is going the pro route, but Devo Davis is coming back, giving the Razorbacks an established scorer and experienced player. (Who says the Muss Bus only does transfers?) Even bigger news involved a 2023 recruit; more on that below.

Baylor: Adam Flagler decided against another year of college, but it does open the door for the Bears to grab an impact transfer. This could still work out for Scott Drew’s team. They’re also waiting to hear if Jalen Bridges comes back to school.

Gonzaga: No Malachi Smith, yet Anton Watson is sticking around. Feels like a wash.

Tennessee: Does Josiah-Jordan James’ return mess with some of the incoming transfers? Too early to tell. The Vols could easily be seen as a loser given two other players withdrew their names but aren’t going back to Knoxville.

Players who withdrew, but are in the portal

• Olivier Nkamhoua

• Arthur Kaluma

• Mike Sharavjamts

• Isaiah Miranda

OK, that was draft news and notes. For those who need even more on the deadline, I now present The Field of 68’s deadline show. All 75 minutes of it. Enjoy!

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2. TCU adds size, intrigue

In the world of custom graphics for player announcements, anything with Kermit the Frog is an automatic 💯.

If Ernest Udeh brings that same energy to the court for TCU next season, Jamie Dixon’s squad won’t miss Eddie Lampkin all that much. Probably.

The 6-11 freshman and former McDonald’s All-American will stay in the Big 12 for his sophomore season. He gives the Horned Frogs a player who didn’t see a ton of time in his lone season at Kansas (8.3 minutes a game) but provided flashes of tantalizing, especially in the second half of the season. Udeh’s size, length and athleticism make him a big man who can finish at the rim and defend. The rest of his post game needs work, but he knows it.

“An opportunity to grow as a basketball player and a young man is all I wanted; coach [Jamie] Dixon and TCU can provide that for me," Udeh told 247.

It’ll also make the first time he faces Kansas and incoming big man Hunter Dickinson a little spicy.

Udeh is TCU’s fifth transfer this offseason, joining Avery Anderson (Oklahoma State), Jameer Nelson Jr. (Delaware), Trey Tennyson (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) and Essam Mostafa (Coastal Carolina).

In other transfer portal news:

• Jalen Rucker (Army) is entering the portal.

• As noted above in the winners, Villanova added Richmond guard Tyler Burton.

3. Ron Holland eschews college

Ron Holland picked a helluva day to decide on his future.

The 5-star 2023 prospect — who some think is the No. 1 player in the class — will play for the G League Ignite, according to multiple reports on Wednesday.

Holland was originally headed to Texas, de-committed in April, but only recently was released from his LOI. Arkansas, one of the schools in the mix for the 6-8 wing in his initial recruitment, was thought to be a landing spot this time around, but the G League won out.

Tough break for college hoops fans who could’ve seen an elite player who thrives in the open floor.

"This process was not easy," Holland told ESPN. "At times it was scary because at times I had no idea where I would be.

"The G League will help me reach my potential as a basketball player and prepare me for the NBA. To have a long career, I need to prepare my body and improve my skills as I continue to try to win games. They have a program to help develop my body and my game. I know I have to work on being a more consistent shooter, along with my footwork and ball handling, so I can score in space on the perimeter against a set defender."

Draft bargain

Nick Smith Jr.’s lone college season at Arkansas was filled with injuries, some highlights, and some confounding moments. Nothing that would make NBA teams want to use a lottery pick on the 6-5 guard. Jeff Goodman and Matt McCall discuss why that shouldn’t be the case.

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Links as you read the 2024 NBA mock drafts.

• DeAndre Williams seeks a waiver to play another season of college hoops.

• Xavier added 4-star SG Jonathan Powell, a class of 2024 prospect.

• Could NIL cause some of the best coaches to quit?

• The New Mexico-New Mexico State hoops series might not return.

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