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College basketball rankings: Top 10 transfers headed to Pac-12 for 2023-24 season – 247Sports
From a college basketball perspective, the “Conference of Champions” has been anything but since the calendars flipped into the 2000s. The last Pac-12 school to capture a national championship came in Arizona’s stunning run to the 1997 national title, one that gave the conference two titles over a three-year period. But the Pac-12 hasn’t captured one since, and since UCLA lost the 2006 national championship game — the last time the conference played for a national title — West Coast schools like Gonzaga (twice) and San Diego State have reached the season finale.
If the Pac-12 is going to change that run this year, it likely isn’t going to come from an elite transfer. The Pac-12 failed to sign one of 247Sports’ top 15 transfers and only four Pac-12 transfers ranked in the top 60 (the Big 12 had 10 of the top 22).
That’s not dooming in and of itself, and the Pac-12 did land some high-potential transfers who could exceed their transfer rankings this season.
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Here’s a look at the top transfers heading to the Pac-12 in 2023-24:
Love had an interesting offseason since electing to leave North Carolina, committing to Michigan but becoming the latest transfer nixed by that school’s academics. Michigan’s loss became Arizona’s gain, and the No. 16 overall transfer is the top-ranked transfer heading to the Pac-12. Love has always had terrific upside; the former five-star prospect had some monster games to help UNC’s unlikely run to the national championship game in his sophomore year: 30 points in a win over an experienced UCLA team, 28 against Duke and some clutch shots. And while he got a bit too shot happy at times last year, if Tommy Lloyd can help him rein in his shot selection, he could get the best out of a streaky player with the talent to swing a big game. Love averaged 16.7 points, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game last year.
Aimaq is on the move for the second consecutive offseason, finding his fourth college home in California. Last year, he arrived at Texas Tech after averaging 18.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game at Utah Valley. And while he battled injury in his lone season with the Red Raiders, Aimaq still proved to be an effective man in the middle, putting up 11.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in the 11 games he played. Now, the No. 38 transfer headlines an interesting Golden Bears transfer class, particularly if the Aimaq who shot 43.5% from distance in 2021-22 shows up.
Another part of a strong transfer class that could help the Wildcats stay at or near the top of the Pac-12, Bradley looks like an ideal fit next to Love and returnee Kylan Boswell. While Love is more of a shooter/scorer, Bradley thrives when creating for others. He just missed out on a five-star ranking as a recruit because of his skill level as an old-school point guard, and in his lone season at Alabama, Bradley dished out 6.2 assists per 40 minutes, part of the reason he ranked as the No. 46 transfer in this class. He should adjust well, coming from Nate Oats’ uptempo system to Lloyd’s, playing starter-type minutes in a target-rich environment. If his outside shot clicks at a bit higher rate, Arizona will have an awfully dangerous backcourt.
The No. 36 recruit in the 2021 class, Tyson signed with Texas Tech, then got out of his National Letter of Intent to play for Chris Beard at Texas, spent a year with the Longhorns, then transferred back to Texas Tech, and now he’s headed to California as the No. 48 transfer. Got all that? What California is getting is a wing with star potential, who started 31 games at Texas Tech last year, shooting 40.2% from 3 and putting up 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He could play the four for the Golden Bears and first-year coach Mark Madsen, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him emerge as one of the Pac-12’s best players.
Oquendo is a big-time athlete who ranks as the No. 62 overall transfer after arriving from Georgia. A former junior college standout, he put up 15.2 points per game in his first year for the Bulldogs and then-coach Tom Crean, then 12.7 points per game last year under Mike White. Oquendo could plug-and-play start on the wing for the Ducks alongside returning guards Jermaine Couisnard and Keeshawn Barthelemy. He’s not much of a shooter, but Oquendo’s athleticism should help him find a role quickly in Eugene. He averaged 18.3 points per game in SEC play two years ago.
With Ed Cooley moving on from Providence to Georgetown, Bynum elected to enter the transfer portal. He played a major role as a sixth man on the 2021-22 Friars team that won the Big East and reached the Sweet 16, then stepped into the starting lineup of a 21-win, NCAA Tournament squad last year, averaging 10.0 points and 4.3 assists per game. If Bynum’s outside shot rebounds (31.9% last year after hitting 41.3% two years ago), Jerod Haase will be getting a guard who can shoot, score and distribute, who has done all of those things for winning teams. Bynum is the No. 69 transfer in the portal.
Often the transfers who have the most success at meeting expectations in year one at their new home are those who aren’t asked to star, but instead step into specific roles. And Johnson fits that description as well as anybody after arriving as a tough guy defender for a San Diego State team that reached the national championship game. Johnson ranks as the No. 80 transfer, and his averages won’t blow anyone away — 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game — but he’s a big part of the reason San Diego State fielded an elite defense that held No. 2 pick Brandon Miller to nine points on 19 shots with six turnovers in the Aztecs’ NCAA Tournament win.
The No. 88 transfer returns to the state of Washington after a one-year hiatus at Idaho. Jones played his junior college ball at Wenatchee Valley (Wash.) College, which led to a Division I opportunity at Idaho. He made the most of that chance, averaging 19.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting almost 63% from the floor. Now the 6-foot-9 forward will get a chance to prove that his game stacks up at the major conference level as well. With Andrej Jakimovski back as a stretch four, Jones could wind up finding most of his minutes at the five for the Cougars.
Mick Cronin makes more cautious use of the transfer portal than most coaches, so when he makes a move on a player like Stefanovic, it’s easy to sit up and take notice. The Bruins will lean into a number of younger players in 2023-24, meaning Stefanovic’s experience with 63 games played and 33 starts could come in handy. That he got those starts at a fellow Pac-12 school in Utah means Cronin had plenty of opportunities to evaluate the No. 96 transfer in the class. The 6-foot-7 Stefanovic averaged 10.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 35.9% from 3 and 86.8% at the free throw line; at worst, he profiles as a tall shooter and ball-mover who can fill in a piece of the puzzle. UCLA held Stefanovic down in two meetings last year, but he did put up a season-best 18 points with four 3-point makes against the Bruins as a freshman.
The Sun Devils seemingly always have a talented scoring guard who can light up a scoreboard. And with DJ Horne and the Cambridges moving on, Miller could slot in next to Frankie Collins in a high-potential backcourt pairing with two major conference transfers. Collins arrived from Michigan last year, plugged into the starting lineup and put up 9.7 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Miller is a former blue-chip recruit who started his career at LSU before putting up 11.5 points per game at LSU last season. Miller has shooting potential. He was roughly an average shooter as a freshman from deep, and while he dipped to 31.6% last year he 1) took 7.2 per game and 2) made almost 83% of his free throws, so there may be more shooting potential to tap into.
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