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Portal winners and losers
Which teams have done well in the transfer portal thus far, and which teams have work to do? Some takes. Plus: The last group of portal entrants trickled in on Wednesday, while St. John's added another defender, Rutgers and North Carolina had players go pro and the House v. NCAA settlement may be in jeopardy.
Mike Miller
April 24, 2025
Good morning! The portal’s closed, the weekend is almost here, NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing and the NFL Draft starts tonight. Life’s pretty good for sports fans.
Let's get to Wednesday’s college hoops news.
1. Early thoughts on transfer portal winners and losers
The college basketball offseason isn’t even three weeks old, but because of all the transfer portal activity it sure feels like it’s been longer.
More than 2,500 players entered the portal (about 45% of D-I players), giving teams a chance to revamp their rosters in a big way.
So who’s done a good job thus far? Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman have their takes.
Teams that made both guys’ winners’ list: Kentucky, Iowa, Louisville, St. John’s, Auburn, Washington, Indiana. (I think it’s a little strange Dauster didn’t have Michigan on his, but given Yaxel Lenderborg’s NBA focus, that’s a decent hedge.)
That list composition is roughly equivalent of what you’ll see elsewhere.
And it’s worth mentioning that Iowa — with eight incoming transfers — has compiled a roster that’s a consensus top 10 transfer roster and probably would rank among the top half of the Big Ten. I can’t wait to see how Ben McCollum fares next season.
As for the losers?
The same caveats apply, especially since Rob and Jeff agree on the the two teams atop this list: Memphis and Arizona.
It’s early in the offseason and some teams are still adjusting to roster losses, such as Memphis. The Tigers felt good about retaining P.J. Haggerty until late last week, and there’s a chance he could still return to Memphis. As for Arizona, it’s got some impact freshmen coming in.
It’s also worth noting that Rob and Jeff both highlighted USC and Alabama as portal losers. That also could change quickly given Eric Musselman’s history of transfer moves and that Alabama’s linked to one of the portal’s best players.
Again, it’s early. Things can and will change. So we’ll check in again once summer officially starts.
2. St. John’s has the best portal class? Hang on …
Former Cincinnati and Texas forward Dillon Mitchell committed to St. John’s on Wednesday, giving Rick Pitino yet another long, athletic player who can defend multiple positions.
It also made them the top overall transfer portal class?
