The portal is closed

There wasn't a ton of new names who entered the transfer portal on Thursday. Now we wait for the dust to settle. Plus, Mike Anderson sues St. John's, and the best MTEs for next year.

Author

Tristan Freeman
May 12, 2023

Welcome to the first day after the transfer portal deadline! Actually, that’s too optimistic. There are still some players who can enter this weekend, and grad transfers can still enter anytime. Still, there were some notable names who entered the portal on Thursday, including one 5-star prospect who will draw plenty of interest.

1. Grand closing

We didn’t see a flurry of big names enter the portal at the last minute, which means nearly 1,700 players put their names in the portal. About half of them have already found a new school.

As for Thursday’s moves, well, the biggest was with a backup.

When All-Big Ten center Hunter Dickinson transferred from Michigan to Kansas, most figured that either Zuby Ejiofor or Ernest Udeh Jr. would depart rather than be buried on the depth chart. Ejiofor left earlier this week. Then Udeh followed suit.

Udeh is a former 5-star prospect who was viewed as a high-level developmental project rather than an impact contributor. The 6-11, 250-pound big man only averaged 2.6 ppg and 1.8 rpg in 8.3 mpg but shot a whopping 76 percent from the field and had a four-block game against Duke.

In the right situation, Udeh can be a breakout star. There are still a ton of power conference programs that can use a player with his size and athleticism, even if his offensive game remains raw.

Don’t feel bad for Kansas; Dickinson is worth the trade-off. And if it can’t land a backup big man in the coming weeks, look for KJ Adams to take up the minutes behind Dickinson at the five-spot. Because if things go well for the Jayhawks on Friday, they’ll need to make more room in the frontcourt.

Notable transfer commitments

  • Former Kansas City guard Shemarri Allen committed to UCF.

  • Former Florida/Illinois/Jacksonville center Omar Payne is also headed to UCF.

  • After parting ways with Alabama, Wichita State transfer Jaykwon Walton, too, will go to UCF.

  • Georgia got D-II star forward RJ Sunahara.

  • Drake landed guard Kyron Gibson from UT-Arlington.

Notable transfer entrants

2. Mike Anderson sues St. John’s for $45.6 million

St. John’s ended the Mike Anderson era early, in favor of bringing in Rick Pitino. Anderson was 68-56 overall in four years and fired for cause. The school claims he did not uphold the standards outlined by his contract.

As a result, St. John’s did not pay the $11.4 million buyout that it owed to Anderson. And the now-former coach is suing for not only the original amount owed but also an additional $34.2 million in punitive damages.

The University has since responded, denying the accusations from Anderson.

Few would argue Pitino represents a coaching upgrade from Mike Anderson, who could never get things going. But this hardly seems like cause; rather it appears to be a desire to move on from a hire that wasn’t working.

Expect the two sides to resolve this in the coming months.

3. The 5 biggest MTES next season

ICYMI, the Field of 68 will be hosting its own multi-team event this upcoming season. It features not only projected preseason Top 20 team Florida Atlantic but also two of the top mid-major programs in the country: College of Charleston and Liberty.

Those games are set for Nov. 30-Dec. 2, around the time of the rest of the non-conference events. Thursday saw a bunch of other official MTE announcements from ESPN, including notable events such as the Myrtle Beach Invitational and the ESPN Events Invitational.

There are still some events being finalized in the coming weeks, but there are already some big fields set for next season. Here’s a look at the top events for both the four and eight-team fields.

Top eight-team MTE Events

3. Battle 4 Atlantis Invitational

Teams: Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Stanford, Texas Tech, and Villanova

This is a field that has plenty of big names, including projected preseason Top 10 team, Arkansas. But there are lots of questions regarding teams like UNC, Michigan, Memphis and Stanford. Even Villanova is looking to rebound after a poor first year for coach Kyle Neptune. This is an opportunity for one of them to get some positive headlines or start to feel some heat.

2. ESPN Events Invitational

Teams: Boise State, Butler, FAU, Iowa State, Penn State, Texas A&M, VCU, Virginia Tech

Florida Atlantic is likely the team to beat and should be ranked the highest, though Texas A&M may have something to say about that. Boise State and Iowa State are teams that consistently overachieve preseason expectations, while a possible matchup between new Penn State coach Mike Rhoades and his former team VCU could be in play based on the draw.

1. Maui Invitational

Teams: Chaminade, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA

It was already a great field before the offseason, but recent moves could provide some epic matchups. We could see three Top 5 teams in Kansas, Marquette and Purdue.

You also have two of the biggest offseason transfer portal winners (Gonzaga and Tennessee) and historically great programs like UCLA and Syracuse. Host school Chaminade might be an upgrade from last year’s eighth-place finisher, Louisville.

Top four-team MTE Events

3. Rady Children’s Invitational

Teams: Iowa, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, USC

The highlight is USC, who just landed 4-star guard, Bronny James. The Trojans will be a main attraction next season and the two games against power conference competition will be a good test. It’ll also be fun to see how Iowa’s offense looks without a member of the Murray family.

2. Baha Mar Bahamas Hoop Championship

Teams: Georgia, Kansas State, Miami, Providence

This group may not stand out in terms of star power, but it’s likely going to be one of the most competitive MTEs. Georgia has dominated the transfer portal and looks to be much more competitive. Providence may have lost coach Ed Cooley, but new coach Kim English has a strong roster, while both Miami and Kansas State look to continue breakout years for both programs.

1. Empire Classic

Teams: Indiana, Louisville, Texas, UConn

Jokes aside, Louisville’s roster has improved, with several starting-caliber transfers and top-30 prospects. But this will be a tough field with reigning national champs UConn, along with powers Texas and Indiana. Expect the Longhorns and Hoosiers to make a few more portal moves, too.

Up for grabs

What does Kentucky do without an experienced big man? Do they push for Oscar Tshiebwe to return to Lexington? Or will John Calipari just have to make do with the incoming freshmen he has?

Links as you watch UNC fans react to a subtle shot from former Heel Will Shaver.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].