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College basketball transfer portal: Panic meter for Texas, Kentucky, other top programs lacking splash adds – 247Sports
The college basketball transfer portal has been open for 30 days and more than 1,400 names have poured in. Twenty-two of the best 50 players in the transfer portal are already off the board, and dozens of others have locked up their respective spots after a boatload of official visits over Easter Sunday. The window to enter the transfer portal extends until May 11, but there’s undoubtedly some hand-wringing for some top programs that have not landed a splashy transfer. Is it panic time? That depends on the goals for 2022-23, who is coming back, who left and the timeline of targets in the portal.
Let’s introduce the Panic Meter (patent not pending because this is used for literally everything in every single sport) on a scale of 1 to 10.
Panic Meter User Guide: 1 is no panic at all; 10 means you better get the paper bag out.
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Here are 10 programs that haven’t landed a transfer yet, and a breakdown of if it’s time to start freaking out:
Panic Meter: 6
Baylor is desperate for some good news. LJ Cryer leaving for new Big 12 foe Houston is going to sting. Cryer had every opportunity to be the go-to bucket-getter for Baylor next year if Adam Flagler opted to forgo his final year of eligibility. Don’t forget Dale Bonner entering the transfer portal, either. He could’ve been a very solid rotational piece for what could be a very young Baylor backcourt next season. Scott Drew could really use an answer from Flagler. If he chooses to return for one season, that changes Baylor’s 2023-24 ceiling. If he chooses to stay in the 2023 NBA Draft, Baylor will have a phenomenal sell for the third wave of high-level transfers. But Baylor’s ties to Oral Roberts star transfer Max Abmas are undeniable. If Abmas picks Baylor, Drew won’t have much to worry about. Until then, the waiting game has the beloved on edge.
Panic Meter: 10
Avery Anderson III, Moussa Cisse and Kalib Boone entering the transfer portal is potentially crippling for Oklahoma State’s 2023-24 NCAA Tournament hopes. When healthy, Cisse and Boone formed the Big 12’s most-intimidating frontcourt on both ends of the floor. Oklahoma State quickly needs to upgrade its talent via the portal, and missing on targets like Cryer (Houston), Jalen Cook (LSU), Jamison Battle (Minnesota) and Denver Jones (Auburn) really stings. A program-defining month is staring Mike Boynton and Co. in the face.
Panic Meter: 6
Jermaine Couisnard and Keyshawn Barthelemy returning gives the Oregon backcourt a veteran nucleus it desperately needed. But Oregon needs more needle-movers. The Ducks have to replace do-it-all point guard Will Richardson, so a skilled shot-maker could be just what the doctor ordered. Oregon recently had prized Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht on campus for a visit. A Knecht-Barthelemy-Couisnard backcourt can do some damage. But landing Knecht might be easier said than done. Oregon coach Dana Altman has proven time and time again that he will get talent, but getting that first domino could prove huge in determining whether stud center N’Faly Dante chooses to run it back.
Panic Meter: Zero
Kansas is fine. Bill Self is big-game hunting. The Jayhawks hosted Towson transfer Nick Timberlake for an official visit Friday. The 6-foot-4 , 200-pound guard owns a flamethrower and is one of the best pure catch-and-shoot specialists in the transfer portal. Kansas also has a strong sell for Hunter Dickinson –– the No. 1 player in the transfer portal. Get one (or both) and Kansas is one of the big transfer portal winners. Sure, Kansas has had a handful of exits, but the Jayhawks are positioned to retool with national championship upside in 2023-24.
Panic Meter: Zero
Retaining top talent was the biggest objective for Michigan State after its run to the Sweet 16. Getting one of Tyson Walker or Malik Hall back would’ve been a huge boost. How about both? That’s a big-time haul for Tom Izzo and the MSU coaching staff. Michigan State has to find a way to keep Jaden Akins happy, but the Spartans have everything they need to make a major run. Michigan State might not have the room to add a single transfer due to its sparkling Class of 2022 recruiting class. It’d be the second year in a row without a transfer for Izzo. That’s just the way he likes it.
Panic Meter: 9
Oklahoma’s roster is going to look very different in 2023-24. Jacob Groves, CJ Noland, Jalen Hill, Bijan Cortes and Benny Schroeder have all entered the transfer portal. Leading scorer Grant Sherfield declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. OU needs multiple starters out of the portal. Who has it landed?
Crickets.
Siena transfer Javian McCollum would be a big-time splash, and OU is strongly in the mix for the standout guard. But Porter Moser and Co. need way more than just McCollum if it has any hope of making the Big Dance.
Panic Meter: 3
Tennessee losing senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua to the transfer portal was an eyebrow-raiser. But Tennessee’s patience in the portal is likely dictated by decisions that need to be made by seniors Josiah-Jordan James, Uros Plavsic and Santiago Vescovi and freshman Julian Phillips.
James and Vescovi certainly impact how much opportunity Tennessee can guarantee for a transfer guard, but the Vols do need to replace Tyreke Key’s 24 minutes per game and Zakai Zeigler has a cloudy timeline of when he can return to full strength after suffering a devastating, season-ending knee injury. North Texas transfer guard Tylor Perry would be a massive addition, but the Vols did not make the cut for ballyhooed Hofstra transfer guard Aaron Estrada.
Panic Meter: 5
Kentucky has been so quiet in the transfer portal. Arkansas has “contacted” close to 100 players in the transfer portal. Kentucky has been reportedly linked with less than 10. Kentucky’s five-man, No. 1-rated recruiting class certainly has a lot to do with that. Oscar Tshiebwe’s fascinating stay-or-go decision for the 2023 NBA Draft is impacting things, too. Make no mistake, if Tshiebwe does stay in the 2023 NBA Draft, Kentucky will be a huge player for the best big men in the transfer portal. Adding a dazzling talent like Dickinson would make so much sense if Tshiebwe departs. But Kentucky could really use Antonio Reeves to return, or John Calipari and Co. will be scrambling for a transfer shooter and some good ones (like LJ Cryer) have flown off the board lately.
Panic Meter: Zero
Duke has a phenomenal sell for a transfer big man after the news that Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell and Tyrese Proctor will all run it back. Duke is slated to have one of the most-talented rosters in the country next season. Duke is a major player for Virginia transfer big man Kadin Shedrick who would be a hand-in-glove fit alongside Filipowski in the frontcourt. Shedrick –– arguably the best defensive big man in the transfer portal –– would step right into Dereck Lively’s role.
Panic Meter: 3
New Texas coach Rodney Terry can erase any lingering doubts about his long-term future with a strong offseason. But the Longhorns have not made much noise so far. On paper, Texas should have a phenomenal sell in the transfer portal after Sir’Jabari Rice’s electric 2022-23 season. Getting Tyrese Hunter back for a second season would be a big step in the right direction. He still has a chance to be an absolute star. But former five-star recruit Arterio Morris entering the transfer portal could be a sign of things to come. As currently constructed, Morris had a path to a significant role in 2023-24.
So he’s leaving just days after Texas has been linked to Abmas?
Interesting.
Texas has too many resources to go quietly in the transfer portal. Texas owns one of the best sells in the country for Abmas, and pairing the electric Oral Roberts guard with a downhill threat like Hunter would be a deadly combination and one of the nation’s best.
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