The deadline for men’s college basketball players to enter the transfer portal has come and gone (April 21). And while five of USA TODAY’s top-six ranked portal entrants remain available, many players have already found new homes.
Which schools have done the best business so far this offseason? We’re glad you asked. Here are USA TODAY Sports’ portal class team rankings so far (as of 10 p.m., Wednesday, April 22).
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These rankings take into account just incoming players, not players who are leaving.
1. Indiana
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C Aiden Sherrell (Alabama)
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PG Markus Burton (Notre Dame)
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SG Bryce Lindsay (Villanova)
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SG Jaeden Mustaf (Georgia Tech)
Incoming by the numbers: 66.3 ppg, 24.1 rpg, 11.3 apg, 47.7% FG, 34.9% 3FG, 245 career starts
Indiana is going hard in the transfer portal — because it has to. Darian DeVries’ first season was a complete waste as the Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament yet again, and DeVries was left having to rebuild nearly an entire roster again (only freshman Trent Sisley is coming back). His bosses are figuring out spending big in the portal is probably cheaper than more coach buyouts. Ryan Carr arrived from the Pacers front office to help build this roster, and so far the results are encouraging. This group includes something of everything: a point guard, multiple bigs, wing depth and perhaps most important — players with multiple years of eligibility so Indiana doesn’t have to do this all over again next year. Sherrell (No. 13), Burton (No. 21) and Yigitoglu (No. 39) all land inside the top 40 of USA TODAY’s portal player rankings.
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2. Tennessee
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SF Jalen Haralson (Notre Dame)
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SG Tyler Lundblade (Belmont)
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SG Terrence Hill Jr. (VCU)
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PF Miles Rubin (Loyola Chicago)
Incoming by the numbers: 75 ppg, 18.5 rpg, 11.7 apg, 48.6% FG, 38% 3FG, 256 career starts
It’s a total reboot in Knoxville for Rick Barnes, who has to replace his top six scorers from this past season, assuming freshman standout Nate Ament (16.7 ppg) declares for the NBA Draft. J.P. Estrella’s transfer to Michigan hurts, and Bishop Boswell’s decision to head to Maryland removes another starter. But the Vols have done some good work in the portal. There’s no star in this group, though all five of their additions averaged at least 11.3 ppg last season and bring substantial starting experience (except Hill, who was VCU’s microwave off the bench). Haralson is a do-everything small forward (except hit 3s), with room to grow. Rubin is your Estrella replacement, but with a defensive edge (2.3 blocks per game). Ames, a third-team All-ACC pick, will run the point, while Lundblade, the MVC Player of the Year, and Hill, the A-10 Sixth Man of the Year, provide the shooting. It’s a strong class, that likely isn’t done yet.
3. Louisville
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PG Jackson Shelstad (Oregon)
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PF Alvaro Folgueiras (Iowa)
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Incoming by the numbers: 45.4 ppg, 20 rpg, 9.8 apg, 52.3% FG, 33.5% 3FG, 200 career starts
Bidunga, USA TODAY’s No. 2 ranked player in the portal, was one of the biggest gets of the entire offseason. He’s still raw offensively, but his defense changes games. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year averaged 2.6 blocks per game, fourth-most in the NCAA last season. Shelstad, No. 15 in USA TODAY’s portal rankings, had his season cut short after just 12 games, but was a double-digit scorer in each of his three seasons in Eugene and was making nearly three 3-pointers a game before his injury. Knox hasn’t quite lived up to his recruiting hype and was limited with injuries last season, but the talent is there. Folgueiras started just one game for Iowa last season, but he broke out in March Madness. His last-second 3 knocked Florida out of the tournament and he averaged 14.7 points per game in Iowa’s three NCAA Tournament wins. Even if Folgueiras doesn’t start for the Cardinals, having a scoring forward off the bench who can spread the floor will be of great value to Pat Kelsey.
4. Duke
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SG John Blackwell (Wisconsin)
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PF Drew Scharnowski (Belmont)
Incoming by the numbers: 29.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 4.9 apg, 50.3% FG, 38.5% 3FG, 98 career starts
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It’s just a two-person class so far, but it’s more about fits and quality than quantity. Blackwell was arguably one of the biggest fish in the portal after the former Wisconsin guard averaged 19.1 points with 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season, earning third team All-Big Ten honors. Blackwell, the No. 8 player in USA TODAY’s portal rankings, will fit in seamlessly if Isaiah Evans enters the NBA Draft. Scharnowski is a big pickup in the frontcourt to offset the loss of do-everything Cameron Boozer and Maliq Brown. The 6-9 Scharnowski was a first team All-Missouri Valley Conference pick, averaging 10.7 points (68.1% FG), 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists during his sophomore season at Belmont.
5. Texas
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PG Isaiah Johnson (Colorado)
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SF Elyjah Freeman (Auburn)
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SG Amari Evans (Tennessee)
Incoming by the numbers: 44.3 ppg, 18.1 rpg, 7 apg, 47.3% FG, 32.7% 3FG, 99 career starts
Start with Punch and Johnson, who both earned Big 12 honorable mention last season. Punch is the 10th-ranked player in USA TODAY’s portal player rankings, while Johnson landed at No. 17. Johnson averaged 16.9 points for the Buffaloes, while Punch provided 14.1 ppg, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for the Horned Frogs. Freeman averaged 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in his lone season at Auburn after transferring in from Division II. Evans played 14.4 minutes a game as a true freshman for Tennessee and his addition, along with Johnson, will be key to replacing Dailyn Swain’s production.
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6. North Carolina
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SG Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech)
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PF Maxim Logue (Florida Atlantic)
Incoming by the numbers: 45.6 ppg, 12 rpg, 9.3 apg, 44.3% FG, 32.9% 3FG, 111 career starts
Three of Michael Malone’s first four transfer additions landed inside USA TODAY’s top 40 portal player rankings: Avdalas, No. 11; Brown, No. 29; Able, No. 35. Brown, Able and Avdalas are all combo guards and perhaps offer a glimpse into the style Malone will bring to Chapel Hill. Brown was All-Big 12 honorable mention, averaging 19.9 ppg for Utah after arriving from Farleigh Dickinson. Avdalas and Able had decent freshman seasons in the ACC last year, but Avdalas will need to improve his 38.6 FG% and 2.2 turnovers per game.
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PG Dedan Thomas Jr. (LSU)
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SG Corey Hadnot (Purdue Fort Wayne)
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PF Delrecco Gillespie (Kent State)
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Incoming by the numbers: 66.2 ppg, 27.1 rpg, 12.4 apg, 50.9% FG, 32.7% 3FG, 192 career starts
Houston had plenty of holes to fill, primarily in the backcourt with Kingston Flemings headed to the NBA and Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp out of eligibility. Thomas , the No. 16 player in USA TODAY’s portal rankings, will slot into the point guard role. He was averaging 15.3 ppg and 6.5 apg before a foot injury ended his season in January. A first-team All-Horizon League pick, Hadnot exploded last season improving his scoring from 9.0 ppg as a sophomore to 20.4 as a junior. Gillespie was a do-everything for Kent State, averaging a double-double (17.1 ppg, 11.3 rpg) and East nearly averaged a double-double at Lamar (12.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg). Except for Thomas, the Big 12 will be a major step up in competition for this transfer class, but Kelvin Sampson should be able to coach them up.
8. Providence
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SG Devin Vanterpool (Florida Atlantic)
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PG Malik Mack (Georgetown)
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PF Arrinten Page (Northwestern)
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PG Gavin Hightower (South Florida)
Incoming by the numbers: 80.7 ppg, 29.2 rpg, 17.1 apg, 44.5% FG, 34.3% 3FG, 344 career starts.
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Bryan Hodgson is getting the financial backing Providence promised when he chose the Friars job over interest from Syracuse. Five of the seven incoming transfers averaged at least 10.2 ppg last season, and all but one (Hightower, the lone USF player to follow Hodgson) were starters at their previous school. Vanterpool was the American Conference’s Most Improved Player, and Hodgson knows the scouting report on the third-team all-league pick. Sabol is one of the best shooters in the country, his 3.8 made 3s per game were third-most in the country last season. Mack (13.6 ppg, 4.1 apg) will run the point, with 90 career starts under his belt. Byrd was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. The 6-11 Page will be on his fourth team in four years, but had his best season last year, averaging 10.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg for Northwestern.
9. Iowa State
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PG Jaquan Johnson (Bradley)
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SG Ryan Prather Jr. (Robert Morris)
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PF Tre Singleton (Northwestern)
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SF Leon Bond (Northern Iowa)
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PF Taj Manning (Kansas State)
Incoming by the numbers: 56.3 ppg, 22.4 rpg, 11.1 apg, 45.1% FG, 34.3% 3FG, 185 career starts
The Cyclones are losing their top scorer (Milan Momcilovic, portal), top rebounder (Joshua Jefferson, graduation) and top guard (Tamin Lipsey, graduation). So it’s no surprise T.J. Otzelberger has been busy in the portal. This is a class built on depth and less on star quality. Johnson, a first-team all-MVC pick and the conference’s Most Improved Player, will try to fill Lipsey’s shoes. He was the MVC’s No. 2 leading scorer (16.9 ppg), while also earning the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Bond joined Johnson on the MVC All-Defensive team in keeping with Otzelberger’s rugged style. Singleton started 31 of 34 games as a true freshman at Northwestern and has plenty of room for growth in his game after averaging 7.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg last season. Prather was a second-team All-Horizon League selection after averaging 15.7 ppg last season with 84 made 3s.
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10. Cincinnati
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C Riley Allenspach (George Mason)
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SG Myles Colvin (Wake Forest)
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G Trevian Carson (North Dakota State)
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PG Elijah Perryman (Utah State)
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PF Adlan Elamin (Utah State)
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C David Iweze (Utah State)
Incoming by the numbers: 88.7 ppg, 36.7 rpg, 17.3 apg, 46.8% FG, 32.8% 3FG, 275 career starts
New Bearcats coach Jerrod Calhoun brought three Utah State players with him from Logan who will help teach his impressive offense to the rest of the roster, which is basically a complete reset. In addition to the incoming former Aggies, Cincinnati’s haul includes plenty of mid-major all-conference picks. Riley was a second-team All-American Conference selection at Tulsa and will likely be the Bearcats’ primary ball-handler. The 6-11 Allenspach will help anchor the post. He earned second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors averaging 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Tejada was sixth in the CAA in scoring (17.7) and a third-team all-conference pick. Carson did a bit of everything at NDSU and was a first-team All-Summit League and All-Defensive team pick, while Mahaffey was MAC All-Freshman. Colvin is an explosive athlete, who averaged 11.6 ppg in his lone season at Wake Forest after two seasons at Purdue.
Honorable mention: Pitt, Xavier, DePaul, Creighton
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball transfer portal team rankings, best classes, signings
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