With close to 3,000 players in the men’s transfer portal — enough to fill half the rosters in Division I — college basketball is in flux. Week two of the portal has been a whirlwind of commitments, withdrawals and meltdowns, as some coaches build preseason favorites and others scramble for pieces.
This week’s top headlines include LSU’s zero-player roster, a de-commitment at North Carolina, Indiana’s resurgence and photos from the paparazzi. Here are the storylines you should be following as the sun rises on day 11 of the transfer portal.
1. Indiana dominates two portals
One season. That’s how long it took Darian DeVries to adjust to Big Ten basketball. After a transitional year in which his Hoosiers went 9-11 in conference play, DeVries hit the portal hard and recruited two of the top transfer big men in one day.
Alabama forward Aiden Sherrell is a three-level threat who operated Bama’s defense from preseason to the Sweet Sixteen. He made a leap from freshman to sophomore year, but hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. Joining his frontcourt, 7-foot-2 center Samet Yigitoglu will be the tallest IU player in two decades. The stretch big shot 58.3 percent from the field at SMU, the second highest in school history.
Sherrell and Yigitoglu are the latest editions to a stacked portal class, which also includes Notre Dame guard Markus Burton, Duke guard Darren Harris and Georgia Tech guard Jaeden Mustaf, all top-ranked transfers. As it stands, Indiana’s basketball and football transfer classes are both ranked No. 1 overall. Maybe DeVries has a little Curt Cignetti in him?
2. LSU loses every player ahead of Will Wade return
If Will Wade wanted a fresh start at LSU, that’s exactly what he’s getting. The outgoing NC State coach returns to a Louisiana which lost nine players to the transfer portal and five to eligibility. That means zero returners, zero recruits and zero direction for Wade in his second Geaux-round. Despite awkward starts to the offseason for many prestige programs — Kentucky, Kansas and Notre Dame stand out — LSU is the only power conference program with no players. Two of last season’s stars — Dedan Thomas Jr. and Michael Nwoko — signed with Houston and Xavier, respectively.
“We’re gonna make history one way or the other,” said Wade. “Try to hang a banner, win a national championship. Or I’m going to be the first coach fired from the same school twice.”
3. Dylan Mingo de-commits, reopens recruitment
From the recruitment trail: Five-star point guard Dylan Mingo reopened his recruitment this week after voiding his commitment to North Carolina. Whether UNC, under the new direction of coach Mike Malone, or Mingo was responsible for the break remains unclear. Mingo missed significant time in his final high school season with an undisclosed injury. According to a report from CBS’ Matt Norlander, Mingo was hurt again in March, and “probably” would have redshirted in 2026-27. If North Carolina was responsible for the split, it’s reasonable that Malone didn’t want to burn a roster spot on one of the nation’s priciest redshirts.
Mingo’s older brother, 6-foot-3 guard Kayden, signed with Baylor on Thursday after a productive freshman season with Penn State.
4. Cayden Boozer has unfinished business at Duke
After an ignominious end to his freshman season, Cayden Boozer has unfinished business at Duke. The 6-foot-4 guard spent time in twin brother Cameron’s shadow, but took on a key role after an injury to starting guard Caleb Foster. Boozer ignited in the postseason, and logged 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals while shooting 80 percent in Duke’s Elite Eight match versus UConn. With seconds to play, Boozer launched a contested downcourt pass — a blunder which opened the door to a buzzer-beater from UConn. With a knack for playmaking and a chip on his shoulder, Boozer could develop into a top point guard under coach Jon Scheyer.
5. Retention and recruitment at Illinois
Illinois is headed from the Balkans to the Baltic. With returns from David Mirkovic (Montenegro), Andrej Stojakovic (CA) and brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic confirmed, coach Brad Underwood is retaining four of his top scorers and a dominant frontcourt. Add to that Providence transfer guard Stefan Vaaks (Estonia), and you’ve got one of the finest preseason teams in the nation. Freshman phenom Vaaks made 22 starts for Providence last year. He’s a strong shooter, great ball handler and brings elite positional size — 6-foot-7 — to the tallest team in Division-I. Vaaks looks ready to make an instant impact, on and off the court.
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6. Dan Hurley, Mark Pope: Papped!
Storrs is a small town. Small enough that there are constantly eyes on UConn coach Dan Hurley. It’s no surprise then, that this photo of Hurley and the backside of Duke wing Nikolas Khamenia was floating around social media this week. Former five-star recruit Khamenia entered the transfer portal on April 8 and has been tied to UConn by insiders like Jeff Goodman. A diner visit with Hurley could be enough to seal the deal.
Across the country, Mark Pope was courting Utah star Terrence Brown — a three-level threat who ranked third in the Big 12 by scoring last year. With their meeting happening online, Pope must have felt insulated from an accidentally-viral moment — until Brown snapped a FaceTime photo. Two hours after sending it to a “close friends” circle, the photo of Pope and Brown made the rounds on social media. Brown remains uncommitted, but has been connected to Kentucky, Kansas and UNC.
Dan Hurley was spotted at a Storrs diner with Duke guard Nik Khamenia
Mark Pope was photographed on FaceTime with Utah Star Terrence Brown
7. Transfer trouble for Kentucky
FaceTime photos aside, Pope is struggling mightily this year’s portal. With seven outbound players, Kentucky is in dire need of a rebuild and Pope has been unable to secure a commitment. This week’s campus visits included recruit Tyan Stokes, Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman, Colgate guard Jalen Cox and BYU guard Rob Wright III, who withdrew from the transfer portal after visiting Lexington.
In order to build a competitive roster, Pope will need better visits and a lot of luck — he’s counting on the return of freshman center Malachi Moreno, who announced last week that he would test NBA Draft waters. After an ugly Year 2, the Wildcats need to shape up — for the sake of their returners and Pope’s job.
8. Tennessee‘s gameplan in the portal
Across the SEC, Rick Barnes’ Midas touch is putting Pope to shame. The Tennessee head coach is currently 4-for-4 on campus visit conversions, and has his eye on VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr.
Barnes has been outspoken about Tennessee’s need for outside shooting, and delivered in signing Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade and Cal guard Dai Dai Ames, two of the best three-point shooters in the nation. This week, Barnes added Loyola Chicago forward Miles Rubin — a defensive hound and Loyola’s single-season blocks leader — and Notre Dame forward Jalen Haralson, an elite midrange shooter.
Tennessee will return two rotation players. The status of freshman star Nate Ament, who seems likely to test NBA Draft waters, remains uncertain. In addition to Hill, Barnes will host four-star recruit forward Chris Washington Jr. in Knoxville this week.
9. Bells Tolls at Grant Canyon University
Dylan Darling came to St. John’s for Rick Pitino. The Big Sky Player of the Year was talented but bashful, in need of the training you don’t get in practice. Pitino fixed his confidence, fed him minutes and molded him into “Big Bells,” the machismo floor general whose game-winner sent St. John’s to the Sweet Sixteen. Performance-wise, the season was a step down for Darling, who played less and shot worse in the high-majors.
Bells announced on Monday that he was entering the transfer portal, on Thursday that he had visited Grand Canyon and on Friday that he had committed. The splashy guard will bring some Big East cojones to the Mountain West.
10. D-I Cabinet instating stricter penalties for transfer violations
Power to the portal! The NCAA Division I Cabinet has finalized new rules which will automatically penalize schools for tampering violations involving transfers. The process is designed to target “ghost transfers”: transfer players who are added to a roster without entering the portal. Under the new rules, the offending coach will be suspended for 50 percent of the season and fined 20 percent of his annual budget.
The Cabinet also moved to allow foreign tours annually, instead of on a once-per-four-years basis. Expect more overseas exhibition games in the coming seasons.
11. Louisville‘s triple threat transfers
Pat Kelsey didn’t miss a beat after losing Mikel Brown Jr. to the NBA Draft. Within a week of the portal opening, Louisville locked down Kansas forward Flory Bidunga, Arkansas wing Karter Knox and Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad, all top 50 transfers with three years of eligibility apiece. All three have NCAA Tournament experience, athleticism and an elite finish at the rim — an identity Kelsey will build around. Knox and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Bidunga will serve as defensive anchors while Shelstad brings outside shooting. Just days into transfer season, Kelsey has a contender on his hands.
12. Bryson Tiller snakes Kansas, commits to Mizzou
What’s worse: Losing your entire starting lineup, or watching them transfer to Mizzou? Kansas fans were having a tough time before their Border War rival robbed them of freshman phenom Bryson Tiller. The power forward started 31 games for the Jayhawks last season, including a dominant five-block performance versus Mizzou in December. Per sources, Tiller chose Missouri over Michigan, Arizona, NC State, Georgia Tech and Miami, a move that precipitated a social media firestorm. “At least (I) ain’t no rat @BrysonTiller,” Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga wrote on Instagram.
At 6-foot-11, Tiller is a stretch big who will provide coach Dennis Gates with some lineup flexibility. He’ll need it, considering the depth of his incoming class: Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey and Providence wing Jamier Jones from the transfer portal, plus three top recruits, including two McDonald’s All-Americans.
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