Winners & losers from draft deadline

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Whew. That was quite the run of evening and late-night announcements. We sleep in June?

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1. Winners, losers from NBA Draft deadline

Wednesday was filled with college hoops news pretty much from the jump, but really picked up steam with 30+ NBA Draft decisions that emerged after 4 pm ET.

As of the 11:59 pm ET deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft, I had yet to see anything official on Nique Clifford and Jaxson Robinson. They’ll have to wait for Friday’s Daily. Or you can watch Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster on the Field of 68 stream this morning at 9:30 am.

In the meantime, here’s an overview of how Wednesday’s decisions will impact the 2024-25 season.

WINNERS

UConn

Oh, good. The two-time defending champs caught a break … says every other program sarcastically. Until a few months ago, sophomore forward Alex Karaban wasn’t viewed as an NBA Draft candidate. Yet the 6-8 sophomore forward showed off enough defensive versatility, had a consistent perimeter shot (38.9% on 378 attempts over two years), and performed well enough at the draft combine that he could have stayed in. Instead, UConn returns a starter who’ll likely lead them in scoring, and pair with incoming freshman Liam McNeeley as a pair of potent snipers, all in the effort to push for a third-straight title.

Arizona’s Top 10 status

Love him or hate him, Caleb Love’s back for another season, which solidifies Arizona as a team with Top 10 talent. And if we’ve learned anything about Tommy Lloyd the last few years, he’ll rack up wins with a talented roster. The Wildcats have won 88 games the last three seasons and finished 6th, 11th, and 5th in kenpom.

Debates about the No. 1 team

Mark Sears and Jarin Stevenson are both back at Alabama. Sharpshooter Michael Ajayi will be with Gonzaga after withdrawing from the draft. Kansas won’t have Johnny Furphy (but it added three impact transfers). Houston has four starters back, plus Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan. And the defending champs are the defending champs. It’s a good thing there won’t be a consensus preseason No. 1 team.

Kentucky

Were any of the four Kentucky players testing the draft waters gonna get drafted? No. Is it still a relief when four (4!) all wait until the last day to officially withdraw? You bet your ass it is.

NCAA Tournament hopefuls

Hunter Sallis is back at Wake Forest. Payton Sandfort is returning to Iowa. And Matthew Murrell’s back at Ole Miss. All three teams missed the 2024 NCAA Tournament. And all three players will be essential pieces to their 2025 NCAA Tournament hopes. (Especially Wake Forest. It was due for an NBA Draft break with one of its breakout stars.)

Big men seeking NIL $

Arthur Kaluma, Ugonna Onyenso, Jamir Watkins and Coleman Hawkins all withdrew from the draft. They may not be making that NBA $$$ next season, but that NIL market for teams that need a big man? These guys are gonna do just fine.

LOSERS

Memphis’ star power

The Tigers reportedly tried a last-minute pitch, but star guard David Jones (21.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg) elected to stay in the NBA Draft. He would’ve been an All-American candidate had he returned. Insult to injury, longtime forward Malcom Dandridge also elected to stay in the draft. Yes, the Tigers added talent in the portal — most notably Texas guard Tyrese Hunter — but meshing an entirely new roster doesn’t seem ideal.

Kansas’ depth

After a season in which the Jayhawks limped into the NCAA Tournament, getting freshman forward Johnny Furphy back for his sophomore season would’ve been a nice addition. Still, Kansas will have a rotation that’ll be 7-8 players deep thanks to its three returning starters, three incoming transfers, mixed with a couple freshmen and sophomores.

Dayton’s overdue karma

Was it foolish to think DaRon Holmes II could return for another season and potentially lead the Flyers back to the NCAA Tournament? Maybe. But if there’s a team due for a break from the basketball gods for once, it was Dayton. Maybe this means Malachi Smith can finally stay healthy for an entire season?

2. Who returned to college, and who’s going pro

In the interest of clarity, here’s a list of the players who made a decision about their professional future over the last 48 hours.

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