The transfer portal closed a week ago, but the madness has continued. There are still plenty of talented players on the market and plenty of rosters with holes to fill.
Since our last in-depth offseason update, the reigning national champs made a big signing, Texas Tech added another weapon to its backcourt, Arkansas landed its third five-star recruit in the class of 2026 and several prominent names announced their NBA Draft decisions.
Below is a rundown of the biggest headlines:
The Top Five Players Still On the Board
Juke Harris, 6-foot-7 sophomore guard, Wake Forest → ?
Harris, the reigning ACC Most Improved Player, was Hoops HQ’s No. 1 ranked transfer this offseason after averaging 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds as a sophomore at Wake Forest. He is deciding between a final three of Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee, but his focus is presently on the NBA Draft process.
Milan Momcilovic, 6-foot-8 junior forward, Iowa State → ?
Momcilovic was the best shooter in college basketball this season, connecting on a staggering 48.7 percent of his threes, which ranked first in the country. A three-year starter at Iowa State, Momcilovic is also testing the NBA Draft waters, so his decision is not imminent.
Allen Graves, 6-foot-9 freshman forward, Santa Clara → ?
An exceptional two-way forward who shot 41.2 percent from behind the arc, Graves entered the portal with a “Do Not Contact” tag and is still contemplating making the leap to the NBA. He is reportedly being courted by Duke and LSU in case he withdraws from the draft before the May deadline.
Tounde Yessoufou, 6-foot-5 freshman guard, Baylor → ?
A late addition to the portal, Yessoufou will transfer from Baylor should he decide to drop out of the NBA Draft. The versatile wing could be one of the nation’s best scorers and perimeter defenders next season after averaging 17.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals as a freshman with the Bears.
Massamba Diop, 7-foot-1 freshman center, Arizona State → ?
Diop, a native of Senegal who averaged 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks as a freshman at Arizona State, is the best center left on the market. He appears to be zeroing in on two schools, both of which he visited in recent weeks: St. John’s and Gonzaga.
The 5-in-5 Rule
According to a statement released by the NCAA on Monday afternoon, the Division I Board of Directors has directed the Division I Cabinet to advance a new age-based eligibility concept that “would permit student-athletes up to five years of eligibility beginning the regular academic year after they turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever happens earlier.”
The new rules “are not expected to retroactively apply to student-athletes whose eligibility is or will be completed by the spring of 2026,” so this year’s senior class would not benefit.
Arizona Retains Star Big Man
On Monday, Arizona announced that it had re-signed 7-foot-2 junior center Motiejus Krivas.
The imposing big man joins a noteworthy list of projected first-round picks to choose another year of NCAA basketball over turning pro due to NIL incentives. UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Duke’s Patrick Ngongba II, USC’s Alijah Arenas and more highly touted prospects withdrew from the NBA Draft over the past two weeks. In total, there were just 71 early entry candidates for the draft, down from 106 last year and a peak of 363 in 2021.
Krivas was the defensive anchor of an Arizona team that went 36-3 and made it all the way to the Final Four this season. He averaged 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, earning All-Big 12 First Team honors. With him and returning 6-foot-7 freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov, the Wildcats will have one of the country’s premier frontcourts and should open the 2026-27 campaign ranked in the top five.
Michigan Rebuilds Frontcourt
Michigan’s frontcourt will look different next season, but it should still be among the best in college basketball.
Forward Morez Johnson Jr. and center Aday Mara, two projected first-round picks, declared for the NBA Draft last week. Johnson has maintained his eligibility and will return to Michigan if he withdraws before the deadline. “I think he could benefit from going back to school and getting the ball a little more,” one NBA scout told Hoops HQ about Johnson. “Maybe showing some post game and some face-up game and showing he can shoot a little bit. I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes back to school.”
Regardless, the Wolverines have reloaded via the portal. Dusty May continues to prioritize size when constructing his rosters. After landing 6-foot-11 sophomore forward J.P. Estrella (10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game at Tennessee) in early April, the program earned a commitment from Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam on Friday. A 7-foot-2 big man from Senegal, Thiam was the No. 2 center in Hoops HQ’s ranking of the top 50 transfers. He averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his sole season with the Bearcats. Like Mara, Thiam is an elite rim protector and lob threat who should fit in seamlessly in May’s system.
NCAA Expanding Tournament to 76 Teams
The NCAA is reportedly finalizing a plan to expand the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments from 68 to 76 teams
Texas Tech Rebuilds Backcourt
Grant McCasland had to build a new backcourt this offseason after Christian Anderson declared for the draft, Donovan Atwell graduated and Jaylen Petty transferred to UCLA.
First, Texas Tech received a commitment from Hofstra’s Cruz Davis, a 6-foot-3 junior guard who averaged 20.1 points, 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from three. Davis was named CAA Player of the Year and led the Pride to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in a quarter century.
The Red Raiders made another big splash on Thursday, signing 6-foot-1 junior guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. In one season at UNLV, Gibbs-Lawhorn earned All-MWC First Team honors with averages of 20.7 points (first in the conference), 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 41.4 percent from behind the arc. A former top-100 prospect, he started his career at Illinois before transferring to the Rebels.
That duo has an incredibly high ceiling given its shooting, playmaking and athleticism.
Arkansas Adds to Loaded Recruiting Class
John Calipari has the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class once again.
Arkansas added to its major haul on Monday afternoon, earning a commitment from five-star forward Miikka Muurinen. A 7-footer from Finland, Muurinen spent time at powerhouse high schools Sunrise Christian Academy and AZ Compass Prep before returning to Europe to play professionally for the Serbian club Partizan Belgrade in 2025. He appeared in 14 games for Partizan this season, including six in EuroLeague competition.
With his rare combination of size, skill, mobility and athleticism, Muurinen was one of the most sought-after prospects left on the board. Arkansas has now landed four of the top prizes in the 2026 class: Muurinen, 6-foot-2 guard Jordan Smith Jr. (No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite), 6-foot-6 forward JJ Andrews (No. 12) and 6-foot-5 wing Abdou Toure (No. 26).
Baylor Lands Five-Star Recruit
After decommitting from North Carolina a few weeks ago, five-star recruit Dylan Mingo announced that he will sign with Baylor.
Mingo will join his brother, Kayden, in Waco after the rising sophomore transferred from Penn State in early April. Kayden averaged 13.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals for the Nittany Lions.
Dylan, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Long Island Lutheran High School, is a highly skilled and versatile floor general. He missed most of his senior campaign due to injury but averaged 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 steals across 12 games on the 2025 Nike EYBL Circuit. He was also named MVP of the NBA Top 100 Camp last summer with averages of 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists.
Baylor was one of the final schools on Mingo’s list before he initially committed to the Tar Heels. He reopened his recruitment following UNC’s coaching change.
Kentucky Goes International
Kentucky has whiffed on several of its top targets in the portal, but the program landed a promising international talent over the weekend in 6-foot-11 center Ousmane N’Diaye.
A native of Senegal, the 22-year-old N’Diaye has been playing professionally since 2021. He appeared in 12 EuroLeague games with Baskonia during the 2024-25 campaign. This season, he shined for the Italian club Vanoli Cremona, averaging 10.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. N’Diaye brings elite size, athleticism and versatility. He’s comfortable handling the ball and continues to make strides as a perimeter shooter. Assuming Malachi Moreno, who is currently testing the NBA Draft waters, returns to Lexington, Pope will have multiple intriguing options to work with in his frontcourt.
Duke Retains Key Starter
As anticipated, Duke stars Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans declared for the draft last week. But the Blue Devils also received positive news: 6-foot-8 wing Dame Sarr will be returning to Durham after averaging 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds as a freshman.
Sarr, a native of Italy who played for FC Barcelona before joining college basketball, should take on an expanded role next season. With him in the mix, Duke has a strong case to be ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll. In addition to bringing in another star-studded freshman class (headlined by top-10 prospects Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey Jr.), Jon Scheyer retained several key pieces (Sarr, Ngongba, Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer) and earned a commitment from arguably the top guard in the portal in John Blackwell, who averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds as a junior at Wisconsin this season.
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