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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
The 2025 NBA draft deadline has passed. Who are the college basketball winners and losers?
The 2025 NBA draft deadline has passed. Who are the college basketball winners and losers? Only 106 players declared early for the NBA draft, the league announced earlier this month, the smallest number of early entrants since 91 players declared as underclassmen in 2015. The reason is obvious: NIL. The ability for college athletes to land major-money deals for their name, image and likeness has changed the equation for many borderline draft picks, who now have the option of making more money in school than sitting near the end of the bench for an NBA franchise. The 106-player list of entrants has been trimmed in the past few weeks as many high-profile players have decided to spend at least one more season on the college ranks. That includes standouts who will compete for postseason hardware - led by new Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg, Florida forward Alex Condon and Kentucky guard Otega Oweh. In the bigger picture, the biggest winner of the declaration deadline has to be the SEC. After a record-setting year that established the SEC as the strongest conference in the country, the league could be even better this season with a deep collection of players opting out of the draft. Led by Michigan, the SEC and Duke, here are the biggest winners and losers from the deadline: Winners Michigan The Wolverines will start as the favorite in the Big Ten and one of the top-ranked teams in the preseason USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll after convincing Lendeborg to follow through on his transfer from Alabama-Birmingham. The senior was one of the most productive players in the country last year, averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, joining Larry Bird as the only players in Division I history to post at least 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a season. (That pretty much says it all.) With Lendeborg in the middle and three additional impact transfers - former North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau, former Illinois forward Morez Johnson and former UCLA center Aday Mara - joining the mix, coach Dusty May has constructed a roster built for a Final Four run. Florida Condon had an uneven NCAA tournament but came up huge in the championship game against Houston, illustrating his potential along with the need to hone his game before taking the next step into the NBA. Junior center Rueben Chinyelu also backed out of the draft, while forward Thomas Haugh decided not to enter the process and will see an increase in minutes with three key seniors, led by Walter Clayton Jr., gone from last year's team. The Gators also added one of the biggest transfers of the spring in former Arkansas guard Boogie Fland - another player that considered turning pro before staying in school. The SEC The bad news for the SEC: Florida is going to be really good, once again. But key draft decisions will help some of the top teams in the league bring down the Gators. Surprisingly, Alabama will bring back sophomore guard LaBaron Philon, who started 29 games as a rookie and was widely expected to land in the back half of the first round. Auburn guard Tahaad Pettiford will return in an effort to boost his draft stock, he said this week. Texas A&M forward Mackenzie Mgbako will stick with the Aggies after transferring in from Indiana. Karter Knox will return to Arkansas for his sophomore season, giving John Calipari's second team a big boost – though it's not all great news for the Razorbacks. And Oweh's decision to opt out of the draft is huge for the Wildcats, who can build an SEC contender around the all-conference pick. Houston The defending runners-up had counted on an elite recruiting class to stay in the mix for the national championship. But Houston will now bring back guard Milos Uzan, too, after the senior averaged 11.4 points and 4.3 assists per game in his first year in coach Kelvin Sampson's system following two years at Oklahoma. Uzan and returning contributors Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler will be the building blocks for what should again be one of the top teams in the country. Losers Duke That Duke was dinged by early draft entrants was totally expected: Cooper Flagg is more than ready to shine in the NBA, sharpshooting guard Kon Knueppel has the toolbox to play major minutes as a rookie and center Khaman Maluach is a hugely promising but unfinished prospect who could develop into a menace on the defensive end. The Blue Devils hoped to replace a chunk of this lost production with transfer Cedric Coward, who began his career on the Division III level, spent two years at Eastern Washington and then played six games last year at Washington State before suffering a shoulder injury. But Coward blew up during draft workouts and should land somewhere in the first round as one of the draft's fastest-rising prospects. Arkansas Knox should take on more responsibility as a scorer and work on developing his overall game before hopping into the draft next spring. He'll be the centerpiece of a rotation that also will include guard DJ Wagner, two frontcourt transfers in Nick Pringle (South Carolina) and Malique Ewin (Florida State), and two five-star freshmen in Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas. The bad news for Arkansas is the decision to stay in the draft by 6-foot-6 forward Aduo Thiero, who averaged 15.2 points per game after following Calipari from Kentucky. With Thiero, the Razorbacks might've been seen as the team to beat in the SEC.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Yaxel Lendeborg explains choosing Michigan basketball over NBA draft for 2025
Yaxel Lendeborg explains choosing Michigan basketball over NBA draft for 2025 When Dusty May pulled something of a college basketball coup, landing the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal this offseason in former UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg, the question was: would the Wolverines be able to hold onto him? After all, Lendeborg had entered the NBA draft and was projecting to be a first-rounder. Prevailing wisdom indicated that Michigan basketball was a placeholder for a player who likely would end up going to the league, and thus, the maize and blue would end up scrambling to find a replacement. However, on Tuesday, Lendeborg surprised by withdrawing from the NBA draft and opted to play for one year in Ann Arbor after all. Now May has a solid group that certainly looks like it will be a Final Four contender, especially when you consider the other additions, including guard Elliot Cadeau, forward Morez Johnson Jr., center Aday Mara, and five-star guard Trey McKenney, the true freshman. Lendeborg shares why he opted to withdraw Speaking with a Birmingham, Alabama sports outlet, The Banner, Lendeborg indicated that while he felt like he's ready for the professional ranks, he knows that he can grow his game with May and the Michigan basketball staff. With that in mind, NBA personnel shared with him that he can't go wrong by adding another year of college ball to his game, particularly working on certain things to improve his current deficiencies. 'When I working out with NBA teams, working through that whole process talking with teams, they pretty much assured me, or reassured me, that even if I was to go to Michigan, the majority of them would still be with me and it wouldn't hurt my draft stock,' Lendeborg said. 'I wouldn't say I wasn't ready to go into the draft, but skill wise I don't know if I would be as productive as I think I am. Pretty much what decided it was teams telling me I could still get drafted in the same spot or better if I go polish my game.' Certainly, the maize and blue faithful have to be thankful that he can work his way higher in the next draft, earning that guaranteed contract that he seemingly covets. He can look no further to Danny Wolf, who was not seen as a draft lock before leaving Yale for Ann Arbor. Now, with a year with May and company under his belt, he's assured to be a first-round draft pick next month. Lendeborg says the decision was clear As noted, Lendeborg was looking for a guaranteed contract, and that wasn't assured to him. With an undisclosed NIL deal coming his way in Ann Arbor, he feels like the decision was essentially made for him. 'It was sort of a very clear decision for me because nobody really promised or guaranteed me that first round,' Lendeborg said. 'There were a lot saying I would be first round but none would guarantee it was them at that moment.' Now the big question is who will be the starters and who will be in rotation for the Wolverines? Lendeborg, obviously, will be a starter for the maize and blue, but the frontcourt has a ton of options with him, Mara, Johnson, Will Tschetter, Winters Grady, and others vying for playing time at Crisler Center this upcoming season. Last season, Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds, but he can also facilitate, having an average of 4.2 assists per game, as well.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
NBA Draft withdrawal deadline takeaways: Auburn in title mix, UNC needs a wing
By Brendan Marks, C.J. Moore and Lindsay Schnell As of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, college basketball roster construction got more straightforward. Why? Because that was the deadline for players who had previously declared early for the NBA Draft to officially decide whether they'd be staying in the draft or returning to school. And while some key decisions went down to the wire — thanks, Alabama guard Labaron Philon, for that late-night withdrawal — we now have better clarity on who will (and won't) be suiting up in college next season. Advertisement As for which stay-or-go decisions figure to make the biggest impact on next season? The Athletic's team of experts has you covered: Purdue has a legit challenger for the 2026 Big Ten title with Lendeborg withdrawing from the draft. Lendeborg, who averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season, was the best frontcourt player available in the transfer portal, and there's an argument to be made that he should be a preseason All-American. Lendeborg fits into the Danny Wolf role and is versatile enough to play some small forward, allowing Dusty May to roll out what should be one of the biggest lineups in college basketball with Lendeborg sharing the floor with Morez Johnson and Aday Mara. Add in returner Will Tschetter, and Michigan will challenge Florida for the best/deepest frontcourt in the country. The question marks for the Wolverines are in the backcourt, but that's where May has some continuity with the return of Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle and LJ Cason. Also adding some upside is four-star guard Trey McKenney, who looked like one of the most college-ready guards during the Nike Hoops Summit. Locked in to start at point guard is North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau. He was the starter for a No. 1 seed his freshman year at UNC; the upside is there for this team to get there as well. While Houston had not closed the door on point guard Milos Uzan returning, head coach Kelvin Sampson and assistant Kellen Sampson were operating as if he were going to stay in the NBA Draft, which is why they moved quickly to get a commitment from Creighton transfer Pop Isaacs before the NCAA Tournament even finished. Well, we no longer have to wonder how the Isaacs experiment would go. Uzan is back, Isaacs is off to Texas A&M and Houston now has three starters returning from the team that was a bucket away from winning the title. Those three returners, combined with the second-best freshman class in the country, according to 247Sports, are one of the best mixes of old talent plus new. That Houston is likely to still start two freshmen makes the Cougars far from the surefire preseason title favorite, but don't be surprised if the groupthink goes that direction. Advertisement It's hard to bet against Kelvin Sampson, and Uzan was one of the best point guards in the country during the second half of the season. Houston players seem to always get better, and if Uzan and Joseph Tugler show they're able to give more scoring pop than they did last year, it's pretty easy to envision this team as one of the contenders come March. The premise that UConn had a legitimate chance to three-peat seemed like a real stretch last preseason. The Huskies had just one starter returning and didn't exactly crush it in the transfer portal. Florida will be the subject of similar storylines this preseason, and its late-spring run of good news indicates that the possibility is at least realistic. Like Dusty May at Michigan, Todd Golden is likely going to try to go with a huge three-big frontline with Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu all returning. Haugh has enough skill that it could work. And once again, Florida is super deep up front with Micah Handlogten also returning; He would start most places. The worry for the Gators came when Kentucky nabbed returner Denzel Aberdeen, but it worked out for Florida when Fland withdrew from the draft and picked the Gators. His speed should flourish in Florida's up-tempo system and take some of the pressure off Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee to try to be Walter Clayton. Condon will help the guards as the hub of the half-court offense. Florida's guards were awesome last year, but they were at their best when Condon could set them up for easy buckets off back cuts and dribble-handoffs. The backcourt might not be as good, but if Condon and Haugh can make the leap, the Gators could adjust to playing more through their bigs. It's an interesting mix on paper and more deserving of preseason hype than last year's Huskies. Talked with Cedric Coward. I'm in. Draft him. — Big DAVE (@BawlSports) May 15, 2025 In an ideal world, Duke would have former Washington State wing Coward — who chose the Blue Devils over Alabama out of the transfer portal — starting on the perimeter next season between a pair of likely 2026 first-round picks, Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans. Even though Coward only played six games for Wazzu last season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, his well-rounded game and gaudy counting stats — 17.7 points, seven rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game — seemingly made him a perfect fit on a Duke team that is again favored to win the ACC. Advertisement But then the NBA Draft combine happened, where pro decision-makers saw all the same things in Coward that Jon Scheyer and his staff had. It didn't take long for Coward's stock to climb to clear first-round territory, at which point he opted to remain in the draft. That meant Duke had to pivot to Plan B — or, rather, re-prioritize someone who had long been on its radar: Italian wing Dame Sarr, who played for FC Barcelona last season. He took a visit to Kansas shortly before Coward announced his decision, and for a brief window, it looked like Duke might lose both starting-caliber wings it explored this cycle. But as Coward's decision clarified behind the scenes, Duke ramped up its efforts with Sarr — and ultimately stole the 6-foot-7 wing away before KU could seal the deal. Sarr doesn't have the college experience Coward would've brought to Durham, but he's a multi-level scoring threat who impressed at the Nike Hoop Summit in April against many of the best players in the 2025 class. He can also defend multiple positions, and gives Scheyer the length he has come to desire across the board. It's a win-win-lose situation: Coward goes pro, likely in the first round; Duke gets a starting perimeter stud with NBA upside; and Kansas has another void to fill, after also losing out on former Texas Tech forward Darrion Williams to NC State. Bruce Pearl and his staff did well to replenish their roster after most of the Tigers' Final Four core, including All-American center Johni Broome, exhausted its eligibility. All of KeShawn Murphy (Mississippi State), KeyShawn Hall (UCF), and Kevin Overton (Texas Tech) should be instant-impact transfers … but realistically, none of them has the All-American upside of Pettiford. Despite coming off the bench, the former five-star guard was one of the best and most productive freshmen in the country last season, averaging 11.6 points and three assists per game — while shooting 36.6 percent from 3 and 80.4 percent at the free-throw line, in under 23 minutes a night. Advertisement Expect Pettiford's minutes and usage to spike next season in more of a starring role, as he'll be the primary scoring option in Auburn's backcourt. The Tigers probably would've been a top-25 team even without Pettiford, but his return gives Auburn a more realistic shot at a second consecutive SEC title. After one of the more inconsistent seasons in recent UNC history, the Tar Heels (again) saw major roster turnover, with no departure more notable than former All-American guard RJ Davis. But one player that Hubert Davis and his staff hoped to keep? Freshman wing Powell, a former top-10 recruit and natural wing who was forced to play out of position as a small-ball four most of last season. Davis added multiple frontcourt pieces this offseason, including Henri Veesaar (Arizona) and Jarin Stevenson (Alabama), to rectify that issue and try convincing Powell to run it back for one more season. But ultimately, Powell declared for the NBA Draft — and after testing as one of the most athletic prospects at the combine, opted to officially go pro. Doing so meant turning down UNC's hefty financial package to return as the team's clear-cut starting wing. UNC held out hope that Powell might come back to school at the last second, but that didn't materialize. And to make matters worse? Several other top UNC targets — including Sarr and Florida State wing Jamir Watkins, who also stayed in the draft — have since finalized their plans elsewhere. As of today, the Tar Heels still don't have an obvious starting wing on their roster — and while there are still a few talented options out there in the transfer portal (and internationally), the pickings are slimmer than they were a month ago. In a pivotal season for his future, Davis needs to fill the Powell-sized hole on his perimeter ASAP. Can the Wildcats contend for the SEC title against the likes of Florida, Auburn and Alabama? That might be tough, but it certainly got easier with the news that Oweh, the leading scorer for the Wildcats last year, will return for his senior season. The 6-4 guard, a second-team All-SEC selection, led the team in points (16.2 per game) and steals (1.6), but there are concerns about his 3-point shooting at the next level, hence his decision to leave the draft. Oweh came to Kentucky by way of Oklahoma, and his best season from beyond the arc was with the Sooners, when he shot 37.7 percent from deep as a sophomore. As a junior in Lexington last season, he connected on 35.5 percent of his attempts, but only 33.3 percent in conference play. Still, putting Oweh with the likes of Jaland Lowe (transfer from Pitt) and Kam Williams (transfer from Tulane), plus freshman Jasper Johnson and fellow returnee Brandon Garrison, makes for a solid starting five … and maybe even one that can surprise people in the SEC during Mark Pope's second season. Advertisement One of the final players to withdraw from the draft late Wednesday was Alabama guard Labaron Philon, whose return was publicized first by the Tide's NIL collective, Yea Alabama. The Tide has a solid core returning, but Baron, who averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a team-best 1.4 steals as one of the SEC's best freshmen last year, could become the star of the 2025-26 roster. Philon was a top-40 prospect who originally committed to Kansas, and while he wasn't touted as a program-changer, he became a critical piece for Alabama, starting 29 games. His ability to become a superstar next season might hinge on his shooting: Last season he hit just 31.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. (Top photo of Yaxel Lendeborg, who chose Michigan over the NBA Draft: Chris Jones / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wisconsin basketball Big Ten rival five-star transfer withdraws from NBA draft
The Michigan Wolverines, led by head coach Dusty May, got even stronger on Tuesday as transfer commit Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season. Lendeborg ranks as the No. 1 big man in the transfer portal and helps the Wolverines maintain the second-best transfer portal class in the country, per 247 Sports. Lendeborg, along with transfer commits Aday Mara (UCLA), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois), and Eliot Cadeau (North Carolina), will help the reigning Big Ten Tournament champions compete with the top of the conference next season. Advertisement During May's tenure in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines have brought in two top-tier transfer classes, ranked tenth and second, respectively. The Badgers have had their own successful offseason, landing transfers Nick Boyd (San Diego State), Andrew Rohde (Virginia), and Austin Rapp (Portland), all three of whom are expected to be starters. Head coach Greg Gard and his staff have done an excellent job reloading on talent, but will have to go toe to toe with Michigan's talented roster next season. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin rival Michigan transfer Yaxel Lendeborg NBA draft withdraw
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball Big Ten rival five-star transfer withdraws from NBA draft
Wisconsin basketball Big Ten rival five-star transfer withdraws from NBA draft The Michigan Wolverines, led by head coach Dusty May, got even stronger on Tuesday as transfer commit Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB) has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season. Lendeborg ranks as the No. 1 big man in the transfer portal and helps the Wolverines maintain the second-best transfer portal class in the country, per 247 Sports. Lendeborg, along with transfer commits Aday Mara (UCLA), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois), and Eliot Cadeau (North Carolina), will help the reigning Big Ten Tournament champions compete with the top of the conference next season. During May's tenure in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines have brought in two top-tier transfer classes, ranked tenth and second, respectively. The Badgers have had their own successful offseason, landing transfers Nick Boyd (San Diego State), Andrew Rohde (Virginia), and Austin Rapp (Portland), all three of whom are expected to be starters. Head coach Greg Gard and his staff have done an excellent job reloading on talent, but will have to go toe to toe with Michigan's talented roster next season. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
