So many schools spent their portal money hoping to either fill a void to complement returning star players or to land someone who could be the impact player needed to lead them to the NCAA Tournament. And with the majority of nonconference games wrapping up in the next week, it’s fair game to rate who has made the most impact, thus far.
Let’s re-rank some of the 247 Sports portal rankings of its top players. Clearly, Jayden Quaintance (No. 10) and Jaland Lowe (36) of Kentucky are difference makers. That was clear when they finally made it back on the court together in Kentucky’s win over St. John’s in Atlanta Saturday. Quaintance scored 10 and grabbed 8 boards in the win. Lowe, who is coming off a shoulder injury, scored 13 points in 15 minutes against the Red Storm (after he scored 13 in a win over Indiana). Do this list in a month and they may be in the top 10. But for now, let’s look at a dozen without them.
1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan (No. 1 in 247 Sports): Home run. He was a preseason No. 1 portal transfer and he’s easily the top addition. He scored 29 at Maryland, 20 and 11 in the win over Gonzaga, 17 in the win over Auburn, 14 and 10 in the win at TCU. He’s a first-team All-American so far and is leading the most dominant team in the country and a likely No. 1 seed.
2. Chad Baker-Mazara, USC (No. 21): Baker-Mazara was the MVP of the Maui Invitational and has saved the Trojans’ season after the injury to Rodney Rice. He’s the first player ever to win the Maui Invitational twice (won it last year with Auburn). He scored 23 in the title game win over Arizona State. He scored 31 in a win at San Diego, 25 at Oregon, 34 in a triple-overtime win against Troy. Baker-Mazara is the reason the Trojans have just one loss. Without him, USC would be searching for buckets.
3. Bennett Stirtz, Iowa (No. 3): Stirtz was picked third and that’s where I would keep him since he’s scoring for Iowa like he did for Drake. Stirtz is dropping buckets for the Hawkeyes (25 in a win over Maryland, 29 in a win over Ole Miss) and his game has translated well. If Iowa gets to the NCAA Tournament, it will be because of Stirtz.
4. Melvin Council Jr., Kansas (No. 123): Council was highly coveted in the portal. He was a scorer for St. Bonaventure and he’s doing the same for the Jayhawks, pouring in 36 in a win at NC State. Darryn Peterson has been hurt with a hamstring injury but Council has delivered in his absence.
5. Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska (No. 136): Sandfort was a scorer at Iowa but he wasn’t the featured player. He has been the perfect complement to Rienk Mast with the undefeated Huskers. Sandfort dropped 32 in the win at Illinois.
6. Rob Wright III, BYU (No. 8): The Cougars have a big three that is as good as any in the country. AJ Dybantsa is the best player in the nation. Richie Saunders is one of the top returnees to a team. And Wright was the needed playmaker. He also knows the Big 12 after playing at Baylor. His biggest contribution so far: He hit the game-winning three to beat Clemson in a comeback win at MSG.
7. Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee (No. 12): Gillespie was part of the tandem with Rodney Rice that led Maryland to the Sweet Sixteen. The Vols needed a scoring wing. Gillespie has delivered. He steps up in big games, scoring 23 in the win over Louisville and 22 in the win over Houston.
8. Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan (No. 26): Lendeborg gets the headlines but Johnson has been the rebounding glue for the Wolverines. He has flourished more so with Michigan than last season at Illinois, and his unselfish acceptance of his role is helping the Wolverines succeed.
8. Ryan Conwell, Louisville (No. 14): The Xavier transfer has been the scorer that Pat Kelsey needed. Conwell poured in 21 in a win over Indiana and was one of the lone bright spots in the loss to Tennessee with 22. He’s a nearly 20-point scorer for the Cardinals.
9. Malik Reneau, Miami (No. 48): Reneau has found his footing with the Hurricanes after transferring from Indiana, averaging 20 points a game for Jai Lucas’ crew. He put up 15 in the win at Ole Miss and 22 in a win over Georgetown.
10. Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana (No. 45): The Sam Houston transfer is a bucket getter and scored 44 with 10 threes in the win over Penn State. He’s shooting 42 percent on threes and averaging 18 a game. If the defensive focus shifts to Tucker DeVries, then Wilkerson will deliver the daggers on the perimeter. He has been a perfect pickup for Darren DeVries.
11. Henri Veesaar, North Carolina (No. 27): The former Arizona big has been huge for the Tar Heels in big moments (he had the pickup bucket on the loose ball for the decisive points over Ohio State). The focus has been on Caleb Wilson, but Veesaar has been a tough cover for opponents. He had 17 and 10 in two of the Tar Heels’ best wins — over Ohio State in Atlanta and at Kentucky.
12. Silas Demary Jr., UConn (No. 13): The Georgia playmaker is delivering dimes for Dan Hurley’s Huskies. He dropped 11 assists in the win over Butler, five against Texas and four against Kansas.
Katz' Corner: Every Question Left for the Season's Dark Horses
The Cornhuskers and Pirates have soared past their lowly preseason expectations and may have the talent necessary to keep the good times rolling
Shoutouts
Christian Anderson, Texas Tech: So much emphasis has been on Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, but Anderson will likely be the reason if the Red Raiders can be a Big 12 contender. He played for a gold medal with Team Germany in the FIBA U19 tournament this past summer, ultimately losing to the USA. Anderson was the primary reason the Red Raiders completed their 17-point comeback against Duke at Madison Square Garden, finishing with 27 points.
Gonzaga’s bigs: Spent time with Graham Ike and Braden Huff after Saturday’s practice at the Moda Center in Portland. The two of them form one of the top frontcourts in the country. Ike and Huff complement each other and have worked together for three seasons, which is a rarity in today’s game. Ike, a transfer from Wyoming, returned for his grad season while Huff, who redshirted as a freshmen, is back in a featured role as a redshirt junior. They clearly get along, enjoy each other’s company off the court, and it translates onto the floor.
Seth Trimble, North Carolina: Trimble missed eight games, including the loss to Michigan State in Florida, with a broken bone in his left forearm suffered in a freak weight room accident. He came back and was immediately an impact player for the Tar Heels in Saturday’s 71-70 win over Ohio State. Trimble was the difference maker in the win with 17 points and 3 assists. Clearly, his presence gave the Tar Heels a sense of confidence, especially on the defensive end.
Shelton Henderson, Miami: He’s yet another stellar freshman in this iconic class. Henderson dropped 30 in a win over Florida International and scored 18 in a win at Ole Miss. Henderson is averaging 13 and four a game and will be one of the main sources of production for Jai Lucas’ Canes in ACC play.
Houston’s scoring: Kelvin Sampson has his style — a tough, rebounding, hard-nosed defensive minded approach. But the Cougars can score, will score, and did score in the win over Arkansas in Newark. Houston tallied 94 points, led by Emanuel Sharp’s 22 and freshman Kingston Flemings’ 21.
Saint Louis and George Mason: The much-maligned A-10 has had teams take turns atop the standings. And there is concern that it may only be a one-bid league yet again. The Billikens and Patriots may be the best hope to be in the conversation for an at-large. If it happens it won’t be because of either of their nonconference schedules, as they don’t have wins against anyone who is projected to be in the field. The one loss was against Stanford. Mason’s one loss was at Virginia Tech. The Billikens join George Mason as the two teams that could be the best hopes for an A-10 squad to have a stellar league record. They meet once, at George Mason on March 7.
Seattle: The Redhawks beat Washington in Seattle, the second straight year they have taken down the Huskies. That hadn’t happened since 1953. They also won at Stanford. Seattle is 10-2 and is looking like they could be a top-three team in the WCC behind Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. The Redhawks have had a lift from Gonzaga transfer Junseok Yeo, with 12 against the Huskies and 15 in a win at UC Davis.
Tulsa: Chatted with coach Eric Konkol last week and his hope is to bring Tulsa back to being a regular contender in the conference. Tulsa has had a rich history in the sport, with Hall of Fame coaches like Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith and Bill Self walking the sidelines. Konkol worked as a student assistant for Buzz Peterson during his first stint with the Golden Hurricane when Tulsa won the NIT in 2001. Tulsa is currently standing atop the American in overall record at 11-1. The one loss was by one point at Kansas State. Don’t be shocked to see Tulsa as a No. 12 or 13 seed if they can win the league tournament, and they’d be a real pest in the first round. There is great fan support for this private school in a state that loves the sport.
Villanova: The Wildcats had a monster win over Wisconsin in Milwaukee Friday, and their two losses have come at the hands of two top-10 teams in BYU (Las Vegas) and at Michigan. The Wildcats play at Seton Hall Tuesday in Kevin Willard’s return to Newark, where he used to be head coach. But Villanova is clearly looking like it has a real shot (along with St. John’s and Seton Hall) to finish in the top two (likely behind UConn). One of the best pickups in the portal for Willard was Duke Brennan (Grand Canyon). Brennan has been the Glue Guy, 50-50 hustle player the Wildcats needed. He had a double-double (13 and 11) in the win over the Badgers.
Cal and Virginia: The ACC desperately needed both of these schools to be relevant. And they are. Mark Madsen has been a winner at each of his coaching stops, and he’s got the Bears at 11-1, with the one loss at Kansas State. Now, the schedule has been light, but that’s fine. We will know how good the Bears will be when they host Duke and North Carolina in mid-January for the first time as a conference member. Virginia, under another winner in Ryan Odom, is 10-1 with wins at Texas and over Northwestern (neutral), Dayton and Maryland. The only loss was on a neutral floor to Butler. The depth of the ACC is a concern, but if Cal and Virginia can join Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and maybe Miami (not sold yet on NC State), then the ACC can maybe get in the range of five or six bids.
AJ Dybantsa, BYU: I’ve seen enough. Dybantsa is the No. 1 draft pick in June. I know there are other contenders, like North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson. But my second eyewitness look at Dybantsa was clear that he is the unicorn for this class — a freak athlete, who can score in a variety of ways, handle the basketball as a point forward and post up anyone down in the lane. Also, seeing him work at his post-up game after practice on game day was another sign. He’s got the professional work ethic. He’s BYU’s best player, but he’s their hardest worker. And that’s the combination needed to be an elite leader at this level and beyond.
Meet your guide
