The end of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season marked the official beginning of Transfer Portal Madness. Over the past week, more than 2,000 players have entered the portal and rosters across the country have transformed completely.
With many of the biggest names already committed, here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers of portal season so far.
Stay tuned for more updates, as Hoops HQ and our partners at The Portal Report will have all the action covered here.
Winner: Louisville
Incoming: 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, 6-foot-1 junior guard Jackson Shelstad
Bidunga and Shelstad — Nos. 2 and 11 in Hoops HQ’s ranking of the top 50 transfers, respectively — are represented by the same agency and committed to Louisville together. They will form an exceptional one-two punch for Pat Kelsey next season.
Bidunga, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, is one of the nation’s most dominant rim protectors. He averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks this season, controlling the paint for a Kansas team that ranked ninth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
A hand injury forced Shelstad to miss the last few months of the 2025-26 campaign, but he averaged 15.6 points, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals when healthy. The dynamic guard was also named to the 2024-25 All-Big Ten Third Team.
Loser: Kansas
Outgoing: 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Flory Bidunga, 6-foot-11 freshman forward Bryson Tiller, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson, 6-foot-5 senior guard Jayden Dawson, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Jamari McDowell, 6-foot-8 freshman forward Samis Calderon
Few teams, if any, have been rocked by the portal as hard as Kansas. Bill Self still needs to rebuild a majority of his roster, including his entire starting lineup. Bidunga and Tiller (7.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks) are the two biggest losses, but Jackson and McDowell also played significant roles off the bench.
Self is reportedly chasing VCU transfer Terrence Hill Jr., who led the Rams in scoring and assists. There’s also mounting speculation that the Jayhawks will land Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 high school player in the country. Until then, KU has to be mentioned in the losing category.
Winner: Texas
Incoming: 6-foot-1 freshman guard Isaiah Johnson, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward David Punch
With guards Jordan Pope, Tramon Mark and Chendall Weaver graduating and wing Dailyn Swain declaring for the NBA Draft, Texas entered the offseason with a lot of work to do. In addition to bringing back center Matas Vokietaitis, Sean Miller has made two splashy moves in the portal.
Johnson averaged 16.9 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 48.6 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three for the Buffaloes this season. An overlooked prospect out of high school (294th in the 247Sports Composite), he was among the most productive freshmen in a loaded class.
Punch was the centerpiece of a TCU team that finished sixth in the Big 12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A highly physical forward, he averaged 14.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals. There won’t be many frontcourt pairing as imposing as Punch and Vokietaitis in 2026-27.
Loser: Kentucky
Outgoing: 6-foot-5 senior guard Denzel Aberdeen, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Collin Chandler, 6-foot-7 junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate, 6-foot-1 junior guard Jaland Lowe, 6-foot-11 freshman forward Andrija Jelavic, 6-foot-10 junior forward Brandon Garrison, 6-foot-5 freshman guard Jasper Johnson
Things could change in a blink at Kentucky, given all the resources Mark Pope has at his disposal. But right now, the Wildcats are in bad shape. Their five leading scorers are all gone (Otega Oweh graduated, and Aberdeen, Chandler, Dioubate and Lowe went portaling). There were high hopes for freshmen Johnson and Jelavic, who played minimal roles off the bench. Yet both decided to take their talents elsewhere.
BYU transfer Rob Wright III — No. 5 in Hoops HQ’s ranking of the top transfers — is reportedly leaning toward UK, which could signal a turning of the tides in Lexington.
Winner: Miami
Incoming: 6-foot-11 sophomore center Somto Cyril, 6-foot-2 freshman guard Acaden Lewis
The Jai Lucas era at Miami just keeps getting better. After leading the Hurricanes to a 26-9 record in his first season at the helm, Lucas has continued winning in the offseason, earning commitments from two of the top players in the portal.
Miami is bringing in an exceptional floor general in Lewis and a strong interior presence in Cyril. As a freshman at Villanova, Lewis averaged 12.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals. Cyril had a breakout sophomore campaign at Georgia, posting 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game (first in the SEC). Lewis has already proven capable of running the show for a high-major, NCAA Tournament-caliber team, and Cyril has as high a ceiling as most centers in college basketball.
Loser: Notre Dame
Outgoing: 6-foot junior guard Markus Burton, 6-foot-7 freshman forward Jalen Haralson, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Cole Certa, 6-foot-10 senior forward Kebba Nje, 6-foot-6 sophomore guard Sir Mohammed, 6-foot-11 sophomore forward Garrett Sundra, 6-foot-7 freshman forward Ryder Frost
Following a dismal, injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign, Notre Dame has seen its roster fall apart in April. Burton, Haralson and Certa were Micah Shrewsberry’s top three offensive weapons. When healthy, Burton is among the most prolific scorers in the country. A former top-20 recruit (per the 247Sports Composite), Haralson has the chance to make a big leap as a sophomore — it just won’t be with the Irish.
There’s still a lot of time for Shrewsberry’s staff to right the ship. Expect the program to be very busy in the coming days.
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