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New York Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
2025 NBA Draft stay-or-go decisions: 11 who loom large for 2025-26 college basketball season
The call of the NBA is an ever-present threat for college basketball rosters. What can look like a stacked roster for next season could lose a surprising piece that undercuts a possible national championship contender. With the advent of name, image and likeness (and the resultant influx of cash for top players), college hoops has fought back. Potential draftees, especially those late in the first round and into the second, now have to consider the NIL payday they would forgo should they choose to start their professional careers. Advertisement That's led to some surprising returners to college. A year ago, Walter Clayton Jr. chose to chase a national title rather than enter the pro ranks; that turned out well for Clayton and the Gators. Johni Broome also eschewed the draft and helped power Auburn to the Final Four. As chaotic and entertaining as the transfer portal is, keeping star-caliber pieces in college is vital to building a truly elite team. The 2025 early-entry deadline already has some clear winners: Texas Tech managed to convince All-American JT Toppin to avoid testing the waters, and two-time national champion Alex Karaban is returning to UConn for a fourth season. The Red Raiders and the Huskies will likely find their way into many preseason top 10s in part due to this retention of potential draft picks. Many other decisions that will drastically impact the 2026 national title picture still hang in the balance, though. Following the NBA's release of the full list of early entrants, the below collection of players all have significant choices that could push their schools into the forefront of the college basketball world. Note: To illustrate the significance of each decision, we've included each team's national ranking at with and without the player on the roster using Torvik's Roster Cast tool, which allows you to alter teams' roster constructions to see the impact of individual players. Bart Torvik rank with Uzan: 1 Bart Torvik rank without: 1 (incredibly) Though most of the Houston headlines all season went to LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and J'Wan Roberts, Uzan was the secret engine to a Cougars squad that came within a possession of a national championship. Taking over at point guard for program legend Jamal Shead, the Oklahoma transfer got off to a slow start, but his steady improvement — particularly as a potent offensive threat — mirrored the trajectory of Houston as a whole. Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson reiterated that point after Uzan's game-winning layup against Purdue in the Sweet 16. With Uzan back in the fold to join Sharp, defensive player of the year candidate JoJo Tugler and a loaded recruiting class, Houston would be a no-doubt top-five team in preseason rankings (and very arguably the No. 1 squad). Without him, though, Houston would need a serious lift from incoming transfer Pop Isaacs, as Uzan's shot creation — not to mention his smothering defensive presence on the perimeter — would be sorely missed. That would still be a top 10 or so team but with enough questions to perhaps fall below the top tier of contenders. Advertisement Torvik rank with Oweh: 11 Torvik rank without: 16 Mark Pope's first season in Lexington made it clear the Wildcats are firmly entrenched as contenders in the SEC. Kentucky's spending in the transfer portal this offseason — basically a Los Angeles Dodgers-esque spree — has given Pope an extremely promising roster for his encore campaign. To truly be a national championship contender, though, Pope needs Oweh to return for his senior season. The hyperathletic wing, who like Uzan began his career at Oklahoma (apologies to Sooners fans), ascended to stardom for Big Blue Nation. On a deep and balanced roster, Oweh's athletic slashing and harassing defense became indispensable. He'd give Kentucky the All-American candidate needed to exist in the highest echelon of preseason prognostications. Torvik rank with Lendeborg: 4 Torvik rank without: 20 Led by a dominant big man duo in Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, Michigan made the Sweet 16 in Dusty May's first season in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines tripled down on the frontcourt this offseason, reeling in three more gems via the portal: Lendeborg (UAB), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Aday Mara (UCLA). That combination would terrorize opponents for 40 minutes at the rim and on the boards. Whether the trio ever plays together, though, hinges on Lendeborg's NBA Draft decision. The former junior college star is already an older prospect (he'll be 23 in September), and he could choose to take his versatile, physical game to the pros. Michigan would still be in good shape without him as a chief contender to Purdue in the Big Ten, but having Lendeborg as a do-it-all double-double machine would raise the ceiling in Ann Arbor considerably. Torvik rank with Condon: 9 Torvik rank without: 19 Advertisement The Gators' shocking run to the national title came in large part due to a supremely talented trio of shot makers on the perimeter. Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard all had major moments of brilliance during their March run. But Florida's deep and physical frontcourt was an overlooked aspect of its success. Todd Golden could cycle body after body in the paint to bludgeon opponents and wear them down over 40 minutes, and both Condon and Rueben Chinyelu — the Gators' two starters — were crucial parts of that rotation. Chinyelu is also gauging NBA interest but is generally expected to return to school; however, the physical Australian Condon is much more of a true toss-up. He struggled in the NCAA Tournament after an ankle injury late in the season, so he could be best served to return to school and show off his talents once more while leading the Florida front line for what would be a top 10-15 team heading into the year. Torvik rank with Bryant: 4 Torvik rank without: 15 Like Florida, Arizona has two players testing the draft waters, with Jaden Bradley joining Bryant in that endeavor. Bradley is strongly expected to return, though, while the uber-talented Bryant feels like a true coin flip on where he will end up. He came on strong as Arizona's season progressed; he logged 20-plus minutes just once in Arizona's first 10 games, but he cracked that mark in 16 of the final 18 contests. In doing so, he displayed the kind of versatility and floor-stretching game that will make pro scouts pay attention. That seemed like just the beginning for the high-upside forward. He was frequently deferential to Arizona's veterans on the offensive end, registering the lowest usage in the team's rotation. Should he return, he's an obvious breakout candidate with more touches and shots headed his way. If he's back for that potential star turn, Arizona will be in the Big 12 and national mix, but if not, the Wildcats will be in the second tier of both. Torvik rank with Coward and Evans: 4 Torvik rank without Coward, with Evans: 4 Torvik rank without Evans, with Coward: 5 Torvik rank without both: 7 Duke came within a monumental final-minute collapse against Houston of playing for a national title. Jon Scheyer has done a tremendous job of maintaining Duke's status among the elite in college basketball, and although his 2025-26 team will not have Cooper Flagg on it, the Blue Devils have the talent to make a return trip to the Final Four. Advertisement Even with a killer freshman class, though, a large portion of the upside hinges on whether the nucleus will include Coward, a transfer from Washington State, and Evans, an incendiary scorer due for a major role increase as a sophomore. Both players offer enticing wing skill sets to the NBA, but both could maximize their draft position with a banner year in big roles for an elite team. Every member of this foursome remains in the transfer portal as of this writing. Any member of this group could drastically alter the outlook of a team, pushing that squad toward the national title picture. Haggerty, an All-American scoring guard at Memphis, is an instant cheat code to an efficient offense thanks to his devastating dribble moves, finishing ability inside and knack for getting to the charity stripe. Williams is a quintessential do-it-all winner capable of serving as a mid-post hub on offense and multipositional force on defense. Fland showed off his scoring and passing genes at Arkansas as a rookie, and he could explode as a sophomore thanks to his prodigious talents. And finally, Watkins is a matchup problem, a big wing/forward who could be an ace second banana for a great team. Keep an eye on whether any of this group chooses to return to college — and where they end up if they do. (Top photos of Otega Oweh and Isaiah Evans: Andy Lyons, Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
USA Today
24-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
The best men's NCAA basketball transfer portal players per position, including Owen Freeman
The best men's NCAA basketball transfer portal players per position, including Owen Freeman One of the most important ways to build a winning roster in college basketball is by using the transfer portal, which is now officially open. Even though March Madness is still very much in swing, more than 600 players (including even Michigan's Justin Pippen, whose team is still active in the NCAA men's basketball tournament) entered the portal on the first day of the window. Many more players will continue to enter the portal over the coming few days, but there were a few significant players to enter the portal early. That includes Xavier's Dailyn Swain, Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako, and Iowa's Owen Freeman. Three former five-star recruits (including Mgbako as well as Arizona State's Joson Sanon and Miami's Jalil Bethea) entered the portal on the first day. We will continue to update this post as more notable players continue to make their intentions clear over the coming weeks and months. Note: and were both used as resources to help with this research. POINT GUARD Quimari Peterson (East Tennessee State) Nicholas Boyd (San Diego State) Brock Harding (Iowa) Nik Graves (Charlotte) Chase Forte (South Dakota) Adam Clark (Merrimack) Jordan Marsh (UNC Asheville) Moe Odum (Pepperdine) George Kimble III (Eastern Kentucky) Dedan Thomas Jr (UNLV) SHOOTING GUARD Dailyn Swain (Xavier) Josh Dix (Iowa) Isaac McKneely (Virginia) Obi Agbim (Wyoming) Tucker DeVries (West Virginia) Jacari White (North Dakota State) Andrew Rohde (Virginia) Joson Sanon (Arizona State) Lajae Jones (Saint Bonaventure) Jonathan Powell (West Virginia) SMALL FORWARD Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana) Pryce Sandfort (Iowa) Bobby Durkin (Davidson) Amarion Dickerson (Robert Morris) Taylor Bol Bowen (Florida State) Kennard Davis (Southern Illinois) Tyrell Ward (LSU) Marcus Adams Jr (Cal State Northridge) Garry Clark (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) Bryce Hopkins (Providence) POWER FORWARD Oscar Cluff (South Dakota State) Nick Davidson (Nevada) Malik Reneau (Indiana) Nick Pringle (South Carolina) Corey Chest (LSU) Nana OwusuAnane (Brown) Jake Wahlin (Utah) Paul Otieno (Quinnipiac) Tae Davis (Notre Dame) Justin McBride (Nevada) CENTER
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness picks: Odds, lines, expert predictions, watch times, schedule for NCAA tournament East region; can anyone beat Duke?
Duke played most of the ACC tournament without Cooper Flagg, the consensus national player of the year favorite and a near-lock to be the first pick of the NBA Draft, and still won that title. With Flagg likely to return for the NCAA tournament, who can stop Duke in the East region? It's hard to see it happening though the Blue Devils will be tested at some point. Maybe. The hunt to knock off Duke starts with the first round, and some intriguing matchups in that quadrant of the bracket. Here are the picks for most of the first-round games from the East region (we're waiting on the Duke first-round opponent from the American vs. Mount St. Mary's First Four game) odds from BetMGM: South region picks | Midwest region picks | West region picks All times Eastern. If you're a casual college basketball fan, you might not recognize Wisconsin. The Badgers regularly scored in the 80s, reaching 100 against Arizona and Iowa. But the Big Ten championship featured old, offensively challenged Wisconsin, as a tired Badgers team scored 53 points in a loss to Michigan. John Tonje, Wisconsin's All-America candidate, was particularly bad, shooting 1-of-14. Was that a one-off for the Badgers, or a precursor to an offensive slump and an early tournament exit? Playing in Denver won't help the fatigue. Montana has been playing well lately, though the Big Sky is usually not a good tourney bet (3-10-1 against the spread in the first round since 2009, according to Matt Eisenberg's Tournament Guide). This just seems like too many points, even against a Wisconsin team that can score. [Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket] It's never fun when two teams you liked going into the tournament get matched up against each other. Such is the case with this game, as a red-hot BYU team faces VCU, which has a lot of experience and a strong defense. Since Feb. 11, BYU ranks as the fifth-best team in college basketball, according to The Cougars also get a nice travel edge, heading to Denver. It's a shorter trip and they're far more accustomed to the elevation. It is hard to pick against VCU, which has the ability to get to the second weekend despite being a No. 11 seed, but BYU has been too good lately. This could end up being the best game of the first round. Baylor's season started with a 101-63 loss to Gonzaga, and while the Bears ended up being a solid team, that loss set the tone for a fairly disappointing season. Baylor has talent, including projected NBA lottery pick VJ Edgecombe, but the Bears haven't won more than two games in a row since December. They were simply underwhelming. Mississippi State hasn't had more than a two-game winning streak since early January either. In fact, it's 7-11 since a 14-1 start. This is an 8 vs. 9 game between two teams that are very unlikely to challenge Duke in the second round. We'll take the SEC team but not with much confidence. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Of the more than 350 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams, which one had the best record against the spread this season? That would be Robert Morris, which went 26-7, according to Action Network. ATS standings aren't necessarily predictive, but it's worth noting. Alabama is good enough that it won at Auburn in the regular-season finale. It is going to push the pace, which helps those bettors who are rooting for a blowout. We'll trust Robert Morris, which has shown it can cover spreads, to keep this from being a total laugher. Duke isn't in danger of being upset. It might be the best team in the field. But there isn't much reason to run it up on Mount St. Mary's. Duke might want to take it easy and do enough to win conformably, but St. Mary's covers a huge number. One good metric to judge college basketball teams on is road record. We know it's much easier to win at home, so winning away from a friendly environment is telling. St. Mary's was 9-1 on the road and Vanderbilt was 3-7. It's tougher to win on the road in the SEC than the West Coast Conference, but St. Mary's had a much better record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games (10-5 for St. Mary's vs. 9-12 for Vanderbilt). St. Mary's is simply the better team and should pull away for the cover. Arizona is going to be a hard team to bet on or against this tournament. Bettors are at the whims of its shooting, which can be inconsistent. But the Wildcats are a good team that was a little unlucky during a 4-5 start but got some great wins in conference play. One key in this game could be Arizona's 7-foot big man Henri Veesaar, who averaged 9.5 points per game. Akron is one of the shortest teams in the tournament. The Zips are a good team though. They will play fast and shoot a lot of 3s, and if they shoot it OK, it will help keep the game close. Akron dominated the MAC all season. Akron should be good enough to cover a big spread, though it will depend on whether Arizona's shots are falling. Liberty, Liberty, Liberty! When looking for a double-digit seed that can win a game, the first thing to check out is if it can shoot. Well, Liberty was second in college basketball in effective field-goal percentage, fueled by being fifth in 3-point percentage via Oregon is a good team that won eight in a row before losing to Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament. The Ducks also have a huge travel edge, as this game will be in Seattle. That's an important factor. Still, Liberty's shooting makes it a good pick and a perfectly reasonable 5 vs. 12 upset selection for your bracket.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness picks: Odds, lines, expert predictions, schedule for NCAA tournament East region; can anyone beat Duke?
Duke played most of the ACC tournament without Cooper Flagg, the consensus national player of the year favorite and a near-lock to be the first pick of the NBA Draft, and still won that title. With Flagg likely to return for the NCAA tournament, who can stop Duke in the East region? It's hard to see it happening though the Blue Devils will be tested at some point. Maybe. The hunt to knock off Duke starts with the first round, and some intriguing matchups in that quadrant of the bracket. Here are the picks for most of the first-round games from the East region (we're waiting on the Duke first-round opponent from the American vs. Mount St. Mary's First Four game) odds from BetMGM: South region picks | Midwest region picks | West region picks All times Eastern. If you're a casual college basketball fan, you might not recognize Wisconsin. The Badgers regularly scored in the 80s, reaching 100 against Arizona and Iowa. But the Big Ten championship featured old, offensively challenged Wisconsin, as a tired Badgers team scored 53 points in a loss to Michigan. John Tonje, Wisconsin's All-America candidate, was particularly bad, shooting 1-of-14. Was that a one-off for the Badgers, or a precursor to an offensive slump and an early tournament exit? Playing in Denver won't help the fatigue. Montana has been playing well lately, though the Big Sky is usually not a good tourney bet (3-10-1 against the spread in the first round since 2009, according to Matt Eisenberg's Tournament Guide). This just seems like too many points, even against a Wisconsin team that can score. [Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket] It's never fun when two teams you liked going into the tournament get matched up against each other. Such is the case with this game, as a red-hot BYU team faces VCU, which has a lot of experience and a strong defense. Since Feb. 11, BYU ranks as the fifth-best team in college basketball, according to The Cougars also get a nice travel edge, heading to Denver. It's a shorter trip and they're far more accustomed to the elevation. It is hard to pick against VCU, which has the ability to get to the second weekend despite being a No. 11 seed, but BYU has been too good lately. This could end up being the best game of the first round. Baylor's season started with a 101-63 loss to Gonzaga, and while the Bears ended up being a solid team, that loss set the tone for a fairly disappointing season. Baylor has talent, including projected NBA lottery pick VJ Edgecombe, but the Bears haven't won more than two games in a row since December. They were simply underwhelming. Mississippi State hasn't had more than a two-game winning streak since early January either. In fact, it's 7-11 since a 14-1 start. This is an 8 vs. 9 game between two teams that are very unlikely to challenge Duke in the second round. We'll take the SEC team but not with much confidence. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Of the more than 350 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams, which one had the best record against the spread this season? That would be Robert Morris, which went 26-7, according to Action Network. ATS standings aren't necessarily predictive, but it's worth noting. Alabama is good enough that it won at Auburn in the regular-season finale. It is going to push the pace, which helps those bettors who are rooting for a blowout. We'll trust Robert Morris, which has shown it can cover spreads, to keep this from being a total laugher. One good metric to judge college basketball teams on is road record. We know it's much easier to win at home, so winning away from a friendly environment is telling. St. Mary's was 9-1 on the road and Vanderbilt was 3-7. It's tougher to win on the road in the SEC than the West Coast Conference, but St. Mary's had a much better record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games (10-5 for St. Mary's vs. 9-12 for Vanderbilt). St. Mary's is simply the better team and should pull away for the cover. Arizona is going to be a hard team to bet on or against this tournament. Bettors are at the whims of its shooting, which can be inconsistent. But the Wildcats are a good team that was a little unlucky during a 4-5 start but got some great wins in conference play. One key in this game could be Arizona's 7-foot big man Henri Veesaar, who averaged 9.5 points per game. Akron is one of the shortest teams in the tournament. The Zips are a good team though. They will play fast and shoot a lot of 3s, and if they shoot it OK, it will help keep the game close. Akron dominated the MAC all season. Akron should be good enough to cover a big spread, though it will depend on whether Arizona's shots are falling. Liberty, Liberty, Liberty! When looking for a double-digit seed that can win a game, the first thing to check out is if it can shoot. Well, Liberty was second in college basketball in effective field-goal percentage, fueled by being fifth in 3-point percentage via Oregon is a good team that won eight in a row before losing to Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament. The Ducks also have a huge travel edge, as this game will be in Seattle. That's an important factor. Still, Liberty's shooting makes it a good pick and a perfectly reasonable 5 vs. 12 upset selection for your bracket.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness picks 2025: Odds, lines, expert predictions, schedule for East region; can anyone beat Duke?
Duke played most of the ACC tournament without Cooper Flagg, the consensus national player of the year favorite and a near-lock to be the first pick of the NBA Draft, and still won that title. With Flagg likely to return for the NCAA tournament, who can stop Duke in the East region? It's hard to see it happening though the Blue Devils will be tested at some point. Maybe. The hunt to knock off Duke starts with the first round, and some intriguing matchups in that quadrant of the bracket. Here are the picks for most of the first-round games from the East region (we're waiting on the Duke first-round opponent from the American vs. Mount St. Mary's First Four game) odds from BetMGM: South region picks | Midwest region picks | West region picks All times Eastern. If you're a casual college basketball fan, you might not recognize Wisconsin. The Badgers regularly scored in the 80s, reaching 100 against Arizona and Iowa. But the Big Ten championship featured old, offensively challenged Wisconsin, as a tired Badgers team scored 53 points in a loss to Michigan. John Tonje, Wisconsin's All-America candidate, was particularly bad, shooting 1-of-14. Was that a one-off for the Badgers, or a precursor to an offensive slump and an early tournament exit? Playing in Denver won't help the fatigue. Montana has been playing well lately, though the Big Sky is usually not a good tourney bet (3-10-1 against the spread in the first round since 2009, according to Matt Eisenberg's Tournament Guide). This just seems like too many points, even against a Wisconsin team that can score. [Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket] It's never fun when two teams you liked going into the tournament get matched up against each other. Such is the case with this game, as a red-hot BYU team faces VCU, which has a lot of experience and a strong defense. Since Feb. 11, BYU ranks as the fifth-best team in college basketball, according to The Cougars also get a nice travel edge, heading to Denver. It's a shorter trip and they're far more accustomed to the elevation. It is hard to pick against VCU, which has the ability to get to the second weekend despite being a No. 11 seed, but BYU has been too good lately. This could end up being the best game of the first round. Baylor's season started with a 101-63 loss to Gonzaga, and while the Bears ended up being a solid team, that loss set the tone for a fairly disappointing season. Baylor has talent, including projected NBA lottery pick VJ Edgecombe, but the Bears haven't won more than two games in a row since December. They were simply underwhelming. Mississippi State hasn't had more than a two-game winning streak since early January either. In fact, it's 7-11 since a 14-1 start. This is an 8 vs. 9 game between two teams that are very unlikely to challenge Duke in the second round. We'll take the SEC team but not with much confidence. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Of the more than 350 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams, which one had the best record against the spread this season? That would be Robert Morris, which went 26-7, according to Action Network. ATS standings aren't necessarily predictive, but it's worth noting. Alabama is good enough that it won at Auburn in the regular-season finale. It is going to push the pace, which helps those bettors who are rooting for a blowout. We'll trust Robert Morris, which has shown it can cover spreads, to keep this from being a total laugher. One good metric to judge college basketball teams on is road record. We know it's much easier to win at home, so winning away from a friendly environment is telling. St. Mary's was 9-1 on the road and Vanderbilt was 3-7. It's tougher to win on the road in the SEC than the West Coast Conference, but St. Mary's had a much better record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games (10-5 for St. Mary's vs. 9-12 for Vanderbilt). St. Mary's is simply the better team and should pull away for the cover. Arizona is going to be a hard team to bet on or against this tournament. Bettors are at the whims of its shooting, which can be inconsistent. But the Wildcats are a good team that was a little unlucky during a 4-5 start but got some great wins in conference play. One key in this game could be Arizona's 7-foot big man Henri Veesaar, who averaged 9.5 points per game. Akron is one of the shortest teams in the tournament. The Zips are a good team though. They will play fast and shoot a lot of 3s, and if they shoot it OK, it will help keep the game close. Akron dominated the MAC all season. Akron should be good enough to cover a big spread, though it will depend on whether Arizona's shots are falling. Liberty, Liberty, Liberty! When looking for a double-digit seed that can win a game, the first thing to check out is if it can shoot. Well, Liberty was second in college basketball in effective field-goal percentage, fueled by being fifth in 3-point percentage via Oregon is a good team that won eight in a row before losing to Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament. The Ducks also have a huge travel edge, as this game will be in Seattle. That's an important factor. Still, Liberty's shooting makes it a good pick and a perfectly reasonable 5 vs. 12 upset selection for your bracket.
