Jai Lucas probably wouldn’t have left his job as an assistant coach at Duke right before the Final Four to become the Miami head coach if the transfer portal didn’t open until after the postseason. Lane Kiffin probably wouldn’t have bolted for rival LSU from a playoff-bound Ole Miss team if college football had different portal dates, as well.
Football still has to solve its problem, but men’s basketball finally got it right. On Jan. 14, the NCAA announced that the men’s and women’s basketball portals won’t open until after the Final Four and it will last for 15 days. That deadline is for players who want to enter the portal. They will still have until the end of August before the semester starts to make a decision on their next destinations.
This is massive news for the sport, and warmly welcomed in all quarters. “Finally a rule that makes sense,’’ Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. Added Purdue coach Matt Painter, “This is what we tried to get from day one. When we argued (against) the 45-day window, they told us if we do not get on board then there could be no window at all.’’
The portal was wide open in 2021 when it was introduced. The window to enter the portal was set for March 24 to April 22 in 2022. What did that do?
Well, I saw it in 2024 when we were in Boston for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. Illinois coach Brad Underwood was on the phone and/or Zoom working the portal even as he was trying to prepare for his games that weekend. The same was true for San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher.
“It took us three years to get there,’’ Underwood said. “It’s the most important time of year. We should be celebrating teams and what has been accomplished during season, not having to deal with individuals in the portal.’’
Alabama coach Nate Oats echoed that sentiment. “Nobody should have to be preparing to play an opponent in the NCAA Tournament while doing recruiting visits and Zooms,’’ he said.
The problem wasn’t limited to the NCAA Tournament. Butler coach Thad Matta said the staff never left their rooms outside of practices and games at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. They were on Zoom calls trying to get a roster together for this season.
Of course, this is not a perfect science. Tampering will likely occur. That’s why Ole Miss coach Chris Beard said the start date of the portal doesn’t matter unless there is “real legit enforcement of tampering rules.’’ Beard still thinks “80 percent of transfer movement in the portal will be done as teams finish their season.’’ But, he said, “We all agree the shorter time period of 15 days is a common sense good thing.’’
And Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd summed it up like this: “Some will complain and some will comply!’’
Sorry Puff, but come on!
On Friday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order that will allow Puff Johnson to suit up for Ohio State this season. It will be his sixth collegiate season.
I don’t get the deal. He played five seasons, three at North Carolina and two at Penn State. I get it. He was injured a lot. And played 17 games last season for Penn State. But that does not justify giving him yet another season.
The complaint argued that Johnson’s right wrist injury was misdiagnosed by Penn State. Ohio State sought a medical waiver when he committed last spring. The NCAA denied it. Johnson sued in federal court. That, too, was denied. So he went to state court in Ohio, where he got the restraining order. So, for now, he’s cleared to play for the Buckeyes, although he didn’t play in their 86-74 win over UCLA on Saturday.
Here’s what I also don’t get. Why would the Buckeyes want to mess with their rotation and locker room at this late date? We shall see how Jake Diebler uses Johnson, if at all, in the coming weeks as the Buckeyes try to make the NCAA Tournament. Maybe I will be wrong and it will all work out. But I’m not a fan of having restraining orders allowing players to exceed the eligibility limits and play into the sixth and possibly seventh years unless it’s an extenuating circumstance with a life altering situation (see heart condition for Tyon Grant-Foster of Gonzaga) or military service.
Redshirt deadline approaching
Keep an eye out for players not playing the rest of the season now that the 17-game mark has passed for most teams. If a player appears in more than 10 games in the first 17, he can’t get the year back. Look for some players who are hurt to possibly sit out the rest of the season so they can have an extra year and get paid to transfer in the portal.
Shoutouts
- Stanford coach Kyle Smith: He’s an exceptional evaluator, and getting Ebuka Okorie is the latest example. Okorie is one of the hidden-gem freshmen in an outstanding class. Okorie is getting dwarfed in attention by Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson in the ACC, but he’s had a fantastic season. The 6-foot-2 guard from Nashua, N.H., is averaging 22 points a game and dropped 36 in a 95-90 win over North Carolina.
- Stanford and Cal: The Bay Area ACC programs showed out well against the two biggest brands in the conference. Great crowds and both teams had their moment against North Carolina. Duke swept the trip, but Carolina lost both. Beating one of those true blue bloods at home in front of good crowds is a positive sign going forward. Ensuring they get Duke and UNC at home every other year is better than anything they would have ever had if they had stayed west in the Mountain West or the new Pac-12.
- Cincinnati: Give the Bearcats credit, they didn’t quit on Wes Miller. Beating Iowa State 79-70 gave them consecutive wins for the first time since November.
- Gonzaga: The Zags rocked Seattle without Graham Ike and Braden Huff. Gonzaga is 7-0 and will have to navigate the next six weeks without Huff. Ike’s status is not known. Gonzaga went smaller and was effective. They can still win the WCC, maybe without dropping a game and that shouldn’t affect seeding.
- Grand Canyon: Now it’s even more clear why the departing Mountain West teams didn’t want Grand Canyon to join the league before they exit. The Lopes took down Utah State by 10, handing the Aggies their first loss. Bryce Drew’s crew is now tied for third with New Mexico, Nevada and UNLV.
- Nick Boyd, Wisconsin: Boyd was one of the portal additions that didn’t get much fanfare, but he could be one of the most important in the Big Ten. Boyd scored 20 in the win over UCLA, 22 in the win at Michigan, 11 in the win at Minnesota and 32 in the win over Rutgers. The San Diego State and FAU transfer is the experienced scorer Greg Gard and Wisconsin needed.
- The buzzer beater: Last week was another example why college hoops has the best endings of any sport. The buzzer beater can’t be beat, and we had Wisconsin’s at Minnesota, Kentucky’s at LSU, SMU’s at Virginia Tech and Ole Miss over Georgia.
- Rueben Chinyelu, Florida: The Gators are back and a large reason why is the play of Chinyelu. The Gators have won four in a row and Chinyelu has been sensational in the past three: 17 and 16 against Tennessee, 19 and 12 at Oklahoma and 20 and 10 at Vanderbilt.
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