The weekend in college hoops

Good morning! When you’re working on a deadline this week, don’t wait until the last minute to finish. You’re not the Nuggets.

Let's get to what mattered this weekend in college hoops.

1. Duke officially won’t have Maluach + more draft news

Up until late Saturday night/Sunday morning, some Duke fans held out hope that South Sudanese big man Khaman Maluach would return for his sophomore season.

Given the uncertainty around South Sudan visas — the U.S. announced on April 5 that it was revoking all visas held by those citizens — there was a chance that Maluach didn’t change his status and stayed put. Instead, he announced this weekend that he’ll enter the 2025 NBA Draft.

The 7-2 center averaged 8.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 1.3 bpg, but shot 71% from the field and 76.6% from the line, showcasing nice touch for a player his size and age. Maluach, 19, also has a 7-5 wingspan. He’s considered a likely lottery pick.

He’s also the fourth Duke starter to declare for the draft, joining Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Tyrese Proctor. With Sion James also gone (out of eligibility), Duke must replace all five starters from their 35-4 squad.

In other NBA Draft news:

• Arizona forward Carter Bryant reportedly will go through the draft process. It’s unclear the 6-9 freshman will hire an agent.

• New St. John’s guard Joseph Sanon declared for the draft, but reportedly intends to play for the Johnnies next season. He’s in it for the feedback.

• There were plenty of rumors flying about UConn forward Alex Karaban, but nothing official has emerged yet. The 6-8 junior forward, who went through the NBA Draft process last summer, saw his overall production improve last season, but his efficiency dropped as teams focused on him as the go-to guy.

2. N.C. State snags a pair of transfers + more moves

New N.C. State coach Will Wade has yet to make a massive transfer portal splash, but he did secure a couple of solid additions over the weekend.

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.