If things work out the way WVU anticipates, they should finish in the Top 5.
1. Indiana
Top Acquisitions: Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Myles Rice (Washington State), Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford)
Mike Woodson cashed in on two of our top ten transfers in the country this offseason by landing Ballo and Rice. With Ballo's interior dominance and size paired with Rice's scoring and playmaking ability, it's a high-low combo that immediately makes them better than last year's team. The final addition of Carlyle felt like the cherry on top of what needs to be a special season in Bloomington for the Hoosiers. It's been eight seasons since the program has reached the second weekend, an eternity for such a storied program. With this talented core set for the 2024-25 season, the floor may need to be the second weekend for Woodson.
2. Arkansas
Top Acquisitions: Johnell Davis (Florida Atlantic), Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee), Adou Thiero (Kentucky)
After being booted out of Lexington partially for being unwilling to adapt to the transfer portal and sticking to recruiting high schoolers, Coach Cal is singing a different tune this offseason with one of the top portal hauls in the country. Calipari was able to get a pair of his former players to follow him as Big Z and Thiero will be joining him in his debut season with the Razorbacks. The elite pulls of FAU's Johnell Davis and Tennessee's Jonas Aidoo are plug-and-play seniors in the starting five, a rarity for a Coach Cal team. Each of these four commits can be difference-makers next season, and it's strong enough to make Arkansas true SEC contenders in 2024-25.
3. Kentucky
Top Acquisitions: Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), Lamont Butler (San Diego State)
Not only did Mark Pope reel in a monstrous crowd to Rupp Arena during his coronation as the next head coach at Kentucky, but he has also done a phenomenal job setting the program up for immediate success in 2024-25. The Wildcats have landed five elite portal prospects in Andrew Carr, Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, and centers Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison. With seven outgoing transfers and the graduation of program cornerstone Antonio Reeves, there is no better way to get on the good side of Big Blue Nation than to bring in a star-studded transfer class to reload rather than rebuild.
4. Kansas
Top Acquisitions: AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State), Rylan Griffen (Alabama)
Mayo and Storr will be plug-and-play options, with Kevin McCullar and Johnny Furphy off to the NBA. Storr is a legitimate bucket-getter as Wisconsin's leading scorer, while Mayo took home 2023-24 Summit League Player of the Year. And while Kugel didn't put up flashy numbers at Florida, he had plenty of highlight-reel moments that showed flashes of his potential. This Jayhawks team struggled to stay healthy and didn't boast any depth last season, so these pickups have aided both needs. Currently, Kansas looks like your No. 1 roster in the country heading into the 2024-25 season.
5. USC
Top Acquisitions: Desmond Claude (Xavier), Chibuzo Agbo (Boise State), Saint Thomas (Northern Colorado)
Whether it's on the high school or the portal trail, Andy Enfield is continuing to prove he is one of the top recruiters in the sport. Whether it's the Big East or the Big Sky, the Trojans have accumulated talent from all over the country for what should be an NCAA Tournament squad next season. Claude's breakout season with Xavier helped him display his ability as a slasher out of the backcourt and an effective scorer at the rim. At 6'7", Agbo provides a lengthy shooter that will help space the floor and demand outside attention. Saint Thomas is next up out of Northern Colorado after we saw Dalton Knecht depart the program and become a First-Team All-American at Tennessee last season. While that may not be Thomas's ceiling, he's got the goods as a scorer to thrive on the offensive end at a Power 6 program.
6. Michigan
Top Acquisitions: Danny Wolf (Yale), Roddy Gayle Jr. (Ohio State), Sam Walters (Alabama)
Dusty May showed that he means business ahead of his first year in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were the first to show serious interest in Yale seven-footer Wolf, conducting an in-home visit earlier in April and cementing their status as a program ready to help him make the leap to the power conference level. A shock transfer by Gayle Jr. from Michigan's biggest rivals made for a pleasant surprise, while unproven rising sophomore Walters joins the mix from Alabama with loads of potential. While the dismissal of Juwan Howard from the program may have felt a bit premature for some Michigan fans, May is proving early on that he is the man for the job and is looking to reload rather than rebuild in the early stages of his tenure as the next Michigan man
7. Memphis
Top Acquisitions: PJ Haggerty (Tulsa), Tyrese Hunter (Texas), Dain Dainja (Illinois)
It's a make-or-break season for Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway. While he has done a phenomenal job recruiting high-end talent to the program since taking the job, it's all amounted to just one NCAA Tournament win across six seasons. He's found a way to do it again this offseason through the transfer portal, bringing in a few impact pieces before we have even reached the month of May. Haggerty is one of the most underrated scorers in the country, averaging 21.2 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting from the floor in just his freshman season with Tulsa. Hunter will enter the fold as a three-time double-digit scorer in the Big 12 with over 100 games of Division I experience and a true knack for the point guard position. Dainja rounds out this grouping from Illinois, a brute big man who was squeezed out of the Illini rotation due to contrasts in playstyle. The talent here is great, but it's up to Penny to find success with these puzzle pieces and make them fight enough to succeed in what should be their title to lose in the AAC.
8. Alabama
Top Acquisitions: Aden Holloway (Auburn), Chris Youngblood (South Florida), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine)
Just as he did last year, Nate Oats has continued to hit home runs in the transfer portal offseason. The Crimson Tide's class of transfers is headlined by plucking a stud freshman guard, Holloway, from their in-state rival, Auburn, an unfinished product that showed flashes of high-level production throughout the SEC season. South Florida transfer Youngblood will join him in the backcourt. This three-level scorer started his collegiate career at Kennesaw State, helping lead the Bulls and Owls to regular-season conference titles. Mallette is the final piece of this core trio, a high-level scorer from Pepperdine.
9. West Virginia
Top Acquisitions: Tucker DeVries (Drake), Javon Small (Oklahoma State), Amani Hansberry (Illinois)
The Mountaineers made one of the first major splashes in the portal this offseason when Tucker DeVries quickly chose to follow his father Darian to his new job in Morgantown to play at West Virginia. Later on, Oklahoma State's Javon Small made the intraconference move to the program, leaving the team with two of the top scorers in this year's portal. The cherry on the top is a pair of Illinois transfers in Amani Hansberry and Sencire Harris, both of which saw little playing time in Champaign last season but have high-end ceilings as former top 100 recruits out of high school with three years of eligibility remaining.
10. Washington
Top Acquisitions: Great Osobor (Utah State), D.J. Davis (Butler), Mekhi Mason (Rice)
Danny Sprinkle has brought something that hasn't been in Seattle for well over a decade, and that's hope. These may be the highest expectations a Washington team has had in 15 years since Lorenzo Romar was at the helm. He most recently capped off an already strong portal showing by getting his former player Great Osobor to follow him now for a second time after following him from Montana State to Utah State last offseason. Osobor is a paint-dominant big that has All-American potential heading into his junior campaign. D.J. Davis and Mekhi Mason will be great additions to the backcourt, giving this team some serious scoring punch.
1. Indiana
Top Acquisitions: Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Myles Rice (Washington State), Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford)
Mike Woodson cashed in on two of our top ten transfers in the country this offseason by landing Ballo and Rice. With Ballo's interior dominance and size paired with Rice's scoring and playmaking ability, it's a high-low combo that immediately makes them better than last year's team. The final addition of Carlyle felt like the cherry on top of what needs to be a special season in Bloomington for the Hoosiers. It's been eight seasons since the program has reached the second weekend, an eternity for such a storied program. With this talented core set for the 2024-25 season, the floor may need to be the second weekend for Woodson.
2. Arkansas
Top Acquisitions: Johnell Davis (Florida Atlantic), Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee), Adou Thiero (Kentucky)
After being booted out of Lexington partially for being unwilling to adapt to the transfer portal and sticking to recruiting high schoolers, Coach Cal is singing a different tune this offseason with one of the top portal hauls in the country. Calipari was able to get a pair of his former players to follow him as Big Z and Thiero will be joining him in his debut season with the Razorbacks. The elite pulls of FAU's Johnell Davis and Tennessee's Jonas Aidoo are plug-and-play seniors in the starting five, a rarity for a Coach Cal team. Each of these four commits can be difference-makers next season, and it's strong enough to make Arkansas true SEC contenders in 2024-25.
3. Kentucky
Top Acquisitions: Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Otega Oweh (Oklahoma), Lamont Butler (San Diego State)
Not only did Mark Pope reel in a monstrous crowd to Rupp Arena during his coronation as the next head coach at Kentucky, but he has also done a phenomenal job setting the program up for immediate success in 2024-25. The Wildcats have landed five elite portal prospects in Andrew Carr, Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, and centers Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison. With seven outgoing transfers and the graduation of program cornerstone Antonio Reeves, there is no better way to get on the good side of Big Blue Nation than to bring in a star-studded transfer class to reload rather than rebuild.
4. Kansas
Top Acquisitions: AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State), Rylan Griffen (Alabama)
Mayo and Storr will be plug-and-play options, with Kevin McCullar and Johnny Furphy off to the NBA. Storr is a legitimate bucket-getter as Wisconsin's leading scorer, while Mayo took home 2023-24 Summit League Player of the Year. And while Kugel didn't put up flashy numbers at Florida, he had plenty of highlight-reel moments that showed flashes of his potential. This Jayhawks team struggled to stay healthy and didn't boast any depth last season, so these pickups have aided both needs. Currently, Kansas looks like your No. 1 roster in the country heading into the 2024-25 season.
5. USC
Top Acquisitions: Desmond Claude (Xavier), Chibuzo Agbo (Boise State), Saint Thomas (Northern Colorado)
Whether it's on the high school or the portal trail, Andy Enfield is continuing to prove he is one of the top recruiters in the sport. Whether it's the Big East or the Big Sky, the Trojans have accumulated talent from all over the country for what should be an NCAA Tournament squad next season. Claude's breakout season with Xavier helped him display his ability as a slasher out of the backcourt and an effective scorer at the rim. At 6'7", Agbo provides a lengthy shooter that will help space the floor and demand outside attention. Saint Thomas is next up out of Northern Colorado after we saw Dalton Knecht depart the program and become a First-Team All-American at Tennessee last season. While that may not be Thomas's ceiling, he's got the goods as a scorer to thrive on the offensive end at a Power 6 program.
6. Michigan
Top Acquisitions: Danny Wolf (Yale), Roddy Gayle Jr. (Ohio State), Sam Walters (Alabama)
Dusty May showed that he means business ahead of his first year in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were the first to show serious interest in Yale seven-footer Wolf, conducting an in-home visit earlier in April and cementing their status as a program ready to help him make the leap to the power conference level. A shock transfer by Gayle Jr. from Michigan's biggest rivals made for a pleasant surprise, while unproven rising sophomore Walters joins the mix from Alabama with loads of potential. While the dismissal of Juwan Howard from the program may have felt a bit premature for some Michigan fans, May is proving early on that he is the man for the job and is looking to reload rather than rebuild in the early stages of his tenure as the next Michigan man
7. Memphis
Top Acquisitions: PJ Haggerty (Tulsa), Tyrese Hunter (Texas), Dain Dainja (Illinois)
It's a make-or-break season for Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway. While he has done a phenomenal job recruiting high-end talent to the program since taking the job, it's all amounted to just one NCAA Tournament win across six seasons. He's found a way to do it again this offseason through the transfer portal, bringing in a few impact pieces before we have even reached the month of May. Haggerty is one of the most underrated scorers in the country, averaging 21.2 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting from the floor in just his freshman season with Tulsa. Hunter will enter the fold as a three-time double-digit scorer in the Big 12 with over 100 games of Division I experience and a true knack for the point guard position. Dainja rounds out this grouping from Illinois, a brute big man who was squeezed out of the Illini rotation due to contrasts in playstyle. The talent here is great, but it's up to Penny to find success with these puzzle pieces and make them fight enough to succeed in what should be their title to lose in the AAC.
8. Alabama
Top Acquisitions: Aden Holloway (Auburn), Chris Youngblood (South Florida), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine)
Just as he did last year, Nate Oats has continued to hit home runs in the transfer portal offseason. The Crimson Tide's class of transfers is headlined by plucking a stud freshman guard, Holloway, from their in-state rival, Auburn, an unfinished product that showed flashes of high-level production throughout the SEC season. South Florida transfer Youngblood will join him in the backcourt. This three-level scorer started his collegiate career at Kennesaw State, helping lead the Bulls and Owls to regular-season conference titles. Mallette is the final piece of this core trio, a high-level scorer from Pepperdine.
9. West Virginia
Top Acquisitions: Tucker DeVries (Drake), Javon Small (Oklahoma State), Amani Hansberry (Illinois)
The Mountaineers made one of the first major splashes in the portal this offseason when Tucker DeVries quickly chose to follow his father Darian to his new job in Morgantown to play at West Virginia. Later on, Oklahoma State's Javon Small made the intraconference move to the program, leaving the team with two of the top scorers in this year's portal. The cherry on the top is a pair of Illinois transfers in Amani Hansberry and Sencire Harris, both of which saw little playing time in Champaign last season but have high-end ceilings as former top 100 recruits out of high school with three years of eligibility remaining.
10. Washington
Top Acquisitions: Great Osobor (Utah State), D.J. Davis (Butler), Mekhi Mason (Rice)
Danny Sprinkle has brought something that hasn't been in Seattle for well over a decade, and that's hope. These may be the highest expectations a Washington team has had in 15 years since Lorenzo Romar was at the helm. He most recently capped off an already strong portal showing by getting his former player Great Osobor to follow him now for a second time after following him from Montana State to Utah State last offseason. Osobor is a paint-dominant big that has All-American potential heading into his junior campaign. D.J. Davis and Mekhi Mason will be great additions to the backcourt, giving this team some serious scoring punch.
