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The transfer portal continues to catch the eye, especially these developments since Thursday, beginning from most to least recent.
- Guard Alex Wilkins transfers from Furman to Kentucky. Will Wildcats' fans cut Mark Pope some slack, just for a bit? I know the answer is "Absolutely Not," but Wilkins is a tremendous addition. The freshman gave UCONN all it could handle during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament after scoring 17 points a game in the SoCon. The Wildcats now have an intriguing backcourt of Wilkins and Zoom Diallo.
- Center Andrew McKeever transfers from St. Mary's to Iowa. I am not going to pretend I know a lot about McKeever's game. In fact, I am not the biggest fan of St. Mary's basketball, a good program that often got lumped with Gonzaga to seemingly get a seventh-seed every year. I do know that St. Mary's bigs are usually skilled and that if Ben McCollum likes this kid, there must be something there. McKeever must be the replacement for Alvaro Folgueiras.
- Guard Jimmie Williams transfers from Duquense to Ohio State. The Buckeyes have already brought in Justin Pippen from California and Andrija Jelavic from Kentucky. Williams is not from as big of a problem but must be an intriguing player for Jake Diebler to bring to Ohio State.
- Jasper Johnson transfers from Kentucky to Oregon. Johnson was someone Illinois was interested in coming out of high school, with the guard choosing to stay home. Oregon usually has talent, but that talent is often inconsistent. Will Johnson be an Oregon player who fulfills such talent, or one who underachieves?
- Kyan Evans transfers from North Carolina to Minnesota. The Golden Gophers found success with former Tar Heels Cade Tyson last season and Dawson Garcia a few seasons ago. Of course, Garcia was from Minnesota. From Missouri, Evans seems like a solid get for the Golden Gophers, which also added Winters Grady from Michigan yesterday. The Golden Gophers are getting players from bigger name programs, which is a good sign for Head Coach Niko Medved as he enters year two with the program.
- Forward Nik Khamenia transfers from Duke to UCONN. I am always harder on Duke players as many Blue Devils' freshmen are hyped to death. With that said, Khamenia was fine with the Blue Devils during the 2026 NCAA Tournament, providing some nice minutes off the bench. Personally, I feel Khamenia's game will develop much better under Dan Hurley. Khamenia is apparently the replacement for Alex Karaban, lofty expectations indeed. Still, if Khamenia plays a few years with Hurley, he will develop into a very good college basketball player.
- D.J. Wagner transfers from Arkansas to Maryland. After playing three years with John Calipari, including one at Kentucky and two at Arkansas, Wagner moves to a Maryland program entering Year Two of the Buzz Williams' era. While I did not like Maryland losing freshman Darius Adams after adding Tennessee's Bishop Powell on Thursday, I do like plugging Wagner into the Terps' lineup. Wagner is a low-maintenance player who does whatever it takes to win. Maryland is looking like a team that will fare much better in the Big Ten and likely make the NCAA Tournament next season.
- Center Boden Kapke transfers from Boston College to Nebraska. There is no one I trust more than Fred Hoiberg when it comes to finding players that fit his system. With Berke Buyuktuncel transferring to Vanderbilt, Kapke should help fill the void for a Cornhuskers team returning Pryce Sandfort and Braden Frager. Hoiberg also added 6'5'' guard Trevan Leonhardt from Utah Valley and 6'8'' forward Kadyn Betters from Montana yesterday. I'm assuming Leonhardt must be a shooter to play for Hoiberg. Betts formerly played for Minnesota, giving Hoiberg some familiarity.
- Guard LA Pratt transfers from Northeastern to Northwestern, and center Luke McEldon transfers from Mt. St. Mary to Northwestern. After losing eight players to the portal, Northwestern Head Coach Chris Collins is slowly starting to build up his roster.
- Forward Aleksas Bieliauskas transfers from Wisconsin to South Carolina. I really liked what I saw from the big man Bieliauskas last season as a stretch four who could hit the three for the Badgers. I was surprised he left Wisconsin. He will now be teaming up with another former Big Ten player, Cam Heide, at South Carolina.
- Guard Dylan Darling transfers from St. John's to Grand Canyon. This move came relatively quickly after Darling entered the portal when St. John's added international recruit Quinn Ellis. Darling must be very comfortable with Grand Canyon Head Coach Bryce Drew to make this move, which should be a good fit for the southpaw point guard.
- Forward Jaylin Stewart enters the portal from UCONN. Stewart was a starter early in the season for the Huskies before falling out of the rotation, though he did give some decent minutes in the Final Four and championship game. At 6'8'', Stewart is still an intriguing body. It shall be interesting to see where he goes next.
- Forward Berke Buyuktuncel transfers from Nebraska to Vanderbilt. After floundering under Mick Cronin at UCLA, Buyuktuncel seemingly found a home the last two seasons with Hoiberg at Nebraska. While his departure was surprising, Buyuktuncel is landing at a program on the upswing with Head Coach Mark Byington, whom I think North Carolina should have hired. Vandy did lose to Nebraska during a classic game in the second round. If you can't beat them, take from them, apparently.
- Guard Tre Holloman enters the portal from N.C. State. After three seasons at Michigan State, including a sixth-man role on an Elite Eight team, Holloman surprisingly left Tom Izzo for Will Wade last offseason. Now he is seeking a waiver for one more year of college basketball. Would Izzo consider bringing Holloman back, or has that bridge been burned? My guess is that it has.
- Center Bukky Oboye transfers from Santa Clara to Auburn. Oboye can jump out of the gym and has Auburn player written all over him with his athleticism and energy. I am surprised Oboye did not draw interest from bluebloods, no offense to Auburn, which was in the Final Four in 2025.
- Guard Trey Autry transfers from George Washington to Wisconsin. Losing John Blackwell is a big blow for the Badgers, though Head Coach Greg Gard has found very good guards in the portal the last two seasons in Nick Boyd from San Diego State and John Tonje from Missouri. It will be interesting to see if Autry will follow that group or be more of a role player, which I am suspecting.
- Guard Cruz Davis transfers from Hofstra to Texas Tech. I did not get to see Davis and Hofstra play during the NCAA Tournament, though I am reading this is a great get for the Red Raiders. I will trust Grant McCasland as an evaluator of talent every day of the week.
- Guard Travis Perry transfers from Ole Miss to Dayton. Perry was a big deal going to Kentucky, where he played during Mark Pope's first season. I didn't even know he was at Ole Miss last year. This seems like a sneaky get for Dayton Head Coach Anthony Grant.
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