College basketball transfer portal roundtable: The biggest concern for top programs after spring closure – 247Sports

The college basketball transfer portal closed May 1, and we tapped team insiders across the 247Sports network for the biggest remaining concern for 15 of the nation’s top teams for the 2024-25 season. For some teams, like North Carolina and Kansas, pointing out a “concern” felt like nitpicking due to a lack of glaring weakness. Others, including Kentucky and Arkansas, were a bit easier after whirlwind offseasons.
It’s too early to sound alarm bells for any of these teams. There are still players left in the portal to fill out areas of need, potential NBA Draft withdrawals and an entire offseason of training and practice ahead.
More than 1,900 players entered the transfer portal for the 2024 cycle, including the final round of super COVID seniors; because of this, the record number of transfer portal entries set in 2024 is unlikely to be topped. Our final portal rankings, a top 150 full of impact starters and future college basketball stars, were released earlier this week.
RELATED (VIP): Transfer portal scoop on every top uncommitted player
Here’s the biggest concern for 15 of the nation’s biggest programs following the spring transfer portal closure:
Biggest Concern: Power Forward
Star forward Alex Karaban is testing NBA Draft waters. Should he return to school, UConn will boast one of the nation’s best rosters — again. Should he remain in the NBA Draft, Dan Hurley is expected to hit the portal in search of a replacement. 
“If they get Alex Karaban back, we’re talking about one of the best teams in the Big East,” national basketball analyst Isaac Trotter said. “If not, UConn could look to add another four. There are some really good ones in the portal. I would keep an eye on Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins.” 
Biggest Concern: Depth Piece
Wisconsin addressed its needs at point guard and power forward early in the portal this offseason. The Badgers may look to add some depth to their roster, but it’s already been a strong offseason for Greg Gard and Co.
“Point guard and four-man are two positions Wisconsin needed to address after portal departures and Tyler Wahl finishing his eligibility,” Badger247’s Nick Osen told us. “Greg Gard and the staff worked proactively and landed two really impressive impact players, in Central Arkansas guard transfer Cam Hunter and NIU transfer Xavier Amos as the four. Now, there may be a late depth type of piece addition, but other than that; the Badgers finished off a really good week and a half with their additions of late.”
Biggest Concern: Point Guard
Miami returns talented guard Nijel Pack for a fifth season but still lacks a true floor general for the 2024-25 season. The good news for the Hurricanes is there are still 13 point guards in the portal with a four-star grade. Expect Jim Larranega to be in on a few of them.
“Finding a true point guard was a bit of a point of emphasis,” InsideTheU’s David Lake told us. “Miami will feature some guards with play-making ability, but the lack of a true point guard is a bit of a concern.”
Biggest Concern: 3-Point Shooting
Texas A&M ranked No. 345 in the nation in 3-point shooting last season, and the Aggies staff is seeking to fix its perimeter shooting in the transfer portal. Buzz Williams’ crew added CJ Wilcher, a 39.4% shooter from 3, from Nebraska, but is it enough?
“Texas A&M’s addressed two of their biggest needs in the transfer portal, adding Pharrel Payne and Zhuric Phelps to help fill the void left by Tyrece Radford’s graduation,” GigEm247’s Andrew Hattersly said. “The Aggies ranked No. 345 in the country in 3-point shooting and hope the addition of CJ Wilcher helps in that regard, but the biggest question coming out of this transfer portal window is whether A&M did enough to address that area moving forward.”
Biggest Concern: Guard
Florida has a bright future under head coach Todd Golden and is looking for its first back-to-back NCAA Tournament berth since 2017-19 next season. The Gators will have a roster capable of a deep postseason run if it returns star guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard. If they don’t, things could get dicey. Florida has only added one guard in the transfer portal, FAU’s Alijah Martin, who is coming off a down shooting year (41.4 FG%, 33.8 3P%).
Biggest Concern: Frontcourt Depth 
Ironman Jaylin Williams ran out of eligibility, leaving Auburn with questions in its frontcourt. Reserve power forward Chaney Johnson is poised to take Williams’ role next season, but who will take Johnson’s old role? The Tigers’ lone transfer portal addition, point guard JP Pegues, is a big one but does little to answer Auburn’s questions in the post. Bruce Pearl and Co. have reached out to multiple transfer forwards but recently suffered a blow when Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey canceled his scheduled visit to The Plains.
“Auburn has two roster needs it’s still working to address in the portal: point guard and power forward,” AuburnUndercover’s Nathan King told us. “It doesn’t need a starter at either spot, though, which has been a bit double-edged for Bruce Pearl and his staff. The Tigers have most of their core returning, including three starters, but it’s been a tougher sell to get transfer candidates willing to take on complementary roles.”
Biggest Concern: Perimeter Defense
Kansas boasts the No. 2 transfer class in the nation and will be a preseason Final Four favorite. The Jayhawks have talent across the board but still need to address perimeter defense after star guard Kevin McCullar exhausted his eligibility. 
“Kansas is still looking for a potential final addition to the roster, but one thing that the Jayhawks haven’t clearly replaced is Kevin McCullar’s defensive versatility,” Phog.net’s Michael Swain told us. “The departing senior is a top-tier on- and off-ball defender who was a key part of KU’s defensive scheme last season. KU has replaced his spot with guys like AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen, but neither one is a clear replacement for what McCullar brought defensively.”
Biggest Concern: Stretch Four
Nebraska suffered a big blow this week when news broke that starting forward Rienk Mast will miss next season with injury. Mast’s six double-doubles were the most by a Nebraska player since 2007-08 and the Huskers are expected to pursue a stretch four in the portal. 
“Nebraska has done a nice job so far of meeting needs,” Husker247’s Michael Bruntz said. “They have two open scholarships remaining and would still like to add a stretch four, especially in light of this week’s news that Rienk Mast will undergo knee surgery and miss the 2024-25 season.”
Biggest Concern: 3-Point Shooting
Sharp-shooter Jamison Battle exhausted his eligibility, leaving Ohio State with few proven shooters for next season. The Buckeyes added Meechie Johnson from South Carolina in the transfer portal, but still need more pieces.    
“Ohio State still needs a reliable 3-point-shooting wing,” Bucknuts’ Patrick Murphy told us. “The Buckeyes lost arguably the best 3-point shooter in the Big Ten when Jamison Battle left. While they added Meechie Johnson and his 32.4% 3-point shooting at South Carolina the last two seasons, Ohio State needs another threat from the outside to be truly dangerous. Ideally, this would be a player who is also a capable perimeter defender.”
Biggest Concern: Perimeter Defense
John Calipari brought reinforcements to Arkansas. The Wildcats boast the No. 3 high school recruiting class and No. 3 transfer portal class. The Razorbacks look like a contender in the SEC next season but lack size on the perimeter. Transfer guard Johnell Davis stands 6-foot-4, while freshman Boogie Fland checks in at 6-foot-2.
 “They’re looking for perimeter size,” Trotter said. “You have questions about how Davis and Boogie Fland matchup size-wise on defense. There a bunch of lead guards in the transfer portal that are still available, which would make a ton of sense for Arkansas. I’m curious to see how their budget progresses.”
Biggest Concern: Guard Depth 
Tennessee lost two of its best players from last season in Dalton Knecht and Jonas Aidoo but quickly filled holes, adding a pair of four-star centers and four-star small forward Darlinstone Dubar in the transfer portal. Rick Barnes has identified a need for another guard and is aggressively recruiting former North Florida Star Chaz Lanier in the portal. Lanier averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season while shooting 51% from the field and 44% from 3. 
Biggest Concern: Experience
The Blue Devils return just two players from last season’s roster, but supplemented a few of those losses with former Purdue small forward Mason Gillis and former Syracuse power forward Maliq Brown in the transfer portal. Over-reliance on freshmen has doomed the Blue Devils the last few seasons and head coach Jon Scheyer isn’t trying to make that mistake again, even with a six-man class coming in.
“Duke has done well in the transfer portal to add veteran pieces (Maliq Brown, Mason Gillis) who can play multiple positions on the court and bring toughness to the roster,” DevilsDen’s Adam Rowe told us. “With their six incoming freshmen, one of the biggest concerns for the coaching staff was a lack of experience, especially considering Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach will be two of the youngest players in all of college basketball after reclassifying up to 2024. Their focus now is on bringing in fifth-year guard Sion Thomas from Tulane, who they hosted for an official visit on the weekend of May 4th. That would likely finalize a roster that can compete with just about any team across the country.”
Biggest Concern: Rim Protection
Alabama identified shot-blocking as an area of need this offseason and has pursued multiple rim-protectors in the transfer portal. The Crimson Tide made Cliff Omoruyi’s final four but face stiff competition from UNC, Georgetown and Kansas State. Omoruyi announces his decision Sunday.
“Without a doubt, Alabama’s biggest remaining need in the portal is a rim-protecting center,” Bama247’s Mike Rodak told us. “Alabama is pursuing Rutgers’ Cliff Omoruyi as an upgrade over the portal-departed Nick Pringle and Mohamed Wague and could turn to Kentucky’s Ugonna Onyenso if Omoruyi picks North Carolina.”
Biggest Concern: Scoring
New Kentucky coach Mark Pope is orchestrating a roster overhaul after the program parted ways with John Calipari this offseason. The Wildcats have landed seven transfers in the portal but are still in need of an all-around scorer and frontcourt depth.
“Kentucky is still looking to add an all-around scorer and frontcourt depth,” CatsPause’s Aaron Gershon said. “BYU transfer Jaxson Robinson who is testing the NBA Draft waters and is their top remaining target.”
Biggest Concern: Big Man
The Tar Heels are a few pieces from putting together a bonafide national championship contender. The team added one of the portal’s best shooters in Belmont transfer Cade Tyson, and is actively pursuing Kentucky’s Adou Thiero to further mitigate the losses of Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram. However, the team has a superb fallback option in incoming five-star Drake Powell if the team misses on Thiero or other forwards in the portal. This leaves center as the biggest position of need on UNC’s roster. The Tar Heels return Jalen Washington but are throwing everything and the kitchen sink at Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi. Alarms will sound in Chapel Hill if he spurns the Tar Heels during his commitment Sunday.
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