Kansas? Alabama? UConn? Who were the biggest winners of the

Jeff Borzello Close Jeff Borzello ESPN Staff Author Basketball recruiting insider. Signed up with ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware.Myron Medcalf Close Myron Medcalf ESPN Personnel Writer Covers college basketball Joined ESPN.com in 2011 Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato Jun 4, 2024, 09:13

• AM ET Last week, underclassmen
• had to withdraw from the NBA
• draft to maintain their college eligibility. Some of the decisions were made just minutes before the deadline. However those options could reshape the whole collegiate landscape in 2024-25. The return of Caleb Love to Arizona ought to strengthen a top-10 preseason spot for Tommy Lloyd’s team as it enters its very first year in the Huge 12. UConn’s odds at a three-peat increased with Alex Karaban’s return. Also, Mark Pope included previous BYU standout Jaxson Robinson. The name, image and similarity period

has restricted the number of borderline prospects who remain in the draft because top college stars understand they can make six-figure sums– and 7 figures in some cases– if they go back to school.Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf answer crucial questions about the impact of the draft due date on the 2024-25 season.33 signing out pic.twitter.com/GcCK4w6Zug!.?.!— Coleman Hawkins(@colehawk23) Might 12, 2024 Several standouts in the portal withdrew from the NBA draft, and now they’re back on the market. As a result, this offseason’s wild lineup modifications are ongoing. Of the players who are now available, which star has the very best opportunity to raise a potential competitor in 2024-25? Borzello: Coleman Hawkins is poised to be the greatest target left in the portal. The Illinois transfer is coming off the very best season of his profession, averaging 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds and shooting almost 37 %from 3-point variety. He likewise established himself as a versatile defender who can be an essential player on a Last Four contender

. Arkansas has long been linked to him; an interior duo of Hawkins and Jonas Aidoo would be elite. Louisville has actually been mentioned as a suitor; Hawkins could raise a borderline top-25 group. Could North Carolina return into the mix after missing on a couple prominent bigs?Medcalf: Florida State transfer Jamir Watkins might be a difference-maker for any program. While reports recommend he will choose in between a couple schools, the 6-foot-7 wing is a star who will be a welcome addition to any group he picks. He balanced 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.9 takes for a Florida State team that completed in the bottom half of the ACC’s standings last year after

two years at VCU. A huge, elite wing– he made 37%of his 3-point attempts in league play– might be a big increase for a team with second-weekend aspirations. John Calipari just recently informed ESPN’s Pete Thamel that you can no longer win a nationwide title with freshmen alone. To that end, previous Florida Atlantic star Johnell Davis withdrew from the draft to anchor Calipari’s very first Arkansas team. How will Davis impact Calipari’s squad in Fayetteville?Borzello: While the majority of Calipari’s first string in Fayetteville will be made up of players who either played for him at Kentucky or players he hired to Kentucky, the 2 most

important players are likely to be the 2 with no previous connection to the Wildcats: Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo. Davis will be the Razorbacks’go-to guy right off the bat, a recognized elite offensive player who made better than 41%of his 3-point attempts and scored 35 against Arizona last season. He’ll permit Boogie Fland and Karter Knox, 2 McDonald’s All-American freshmen, to be secondary options early in their careers.Medcalf: I believe Davis adds an essential level of experience for an Arkansas squad that will turn to several freshmen and other young skill in Calipari’s very first year. D.J. Wagner gets here in Fayetteville after a rocky very first season with Calipari in Lexington. First-class employees Knox and Fland have increased the skill level for the Razorbacks, too. But Davis is a winner who has led a team to a Last Four and then, a year later on, helped the same group win 25 games. That’s an essential addition that needs to assist Arkansas stay in the mix in a competitive SEC race.pic.twitter.com/E4DF2Tyrut!.?.!— Alex Karaban(@AlexKaraban)May 29, 2024 Kansas, Alabama and UConn have all made strong cases to hold the leading slot in the preseason rankings. How extreme is the race for preseason No. 1 after the withdrawal deadline?Medcalf: Those three groups all have strong cases for the leading spot going into the upcoming season, and their respective slots will boil down to choice amongst citizens. It’s hard to reject that area to UConn, which is looking for the very first three-peat national title run considering that UCLA won seven successive championship games from 1967 to 1973, after Alex Karaban withdrew from the draft and went back to Storrs. However Kansas has 3 veterans from last season’s group, previous Wisconsin star AJ Storr and Zeke Mayo, the Lawrence local who transferred from South Dakota State. That’s tough. Still, Nate Oats won huge in the portal and Mark Sears, who likewise withdrew from the draft, will get in next season as a strong Wood Award prospect. It’s a competitive race for No.

1. Borzello: Simply a few weeks back, there was a quite sizable space between Kansas and everybody else for the No. 1 area. Then UConn landed top-10 hire Liam McNeeley and Saint Mary’s transfer Aidan Mahaney and Alex Karaban withdrew from the draft. And Alabama got Grant Nelson back, signed Rutgers transfer Cliff Omoruyi and had Mark Sears withdraw from the draft. I still lean Kansas. The Jayhawks have the least questions, return 3 beginners and added three top-25 transfers. And the Jayhawks are still looking for another piece. But that gap between Kansas and the other contenders is essentially nonexistent now.Good Luck, #BuiltAtDayton// @DaRonagon pic.twitter.com/meH5gX6gIY!.?.!— Dayton Basketball (@DaytonMBB)May 29, 2024 The deadline didn’t help everybody. Several teams lost essential players who were expected to be strong contributors next season. Which team now has the greatest void to fill after recently’s decisions?Borzello: As the calendar approached the withdrawal due date, signs pointed to David Jones potentially going back to Memphis. He’s not projected to be drafted, he didn’t have a terrific integrate– and he would have been a preseason All-American had he returned. Now, Penny Hardaway is without his offensive focal point. There’s certainly skill on the Tigers’ lineup. Tyrese Hunter (Texas), PJ Haggerty(Tulsa) and Colby Rogers(Wichita State)are all good offensive players, however there will be instant pressure on Haggerty to take the next action and be the very best scorer on a team with NCAA tournament hopes.

He’s not an excellent shooter, however he gets to the totally free throw line at an exceptionally high rate and has experience. Without Jones, however, I don’t see Memphis as a preseason top-25 team.Medcalf: A year after helping the Dayton Flyers protect a 7-seed in the NCAA competition, Daron Holmes II chose to stay in this month’s NBA draft. Coach Anthony Grant had currently lost other key players from last season’s team, but

he added Zed Key (Ohio State)and Swank Alexander (Butler)from the website. The return of Holmes would have made Dayton a possible favorite to win a strong Atlantic 10. Instead, Anthony Grant lost among the leading players in school history. #BBN, satisfy @Robinsonjaxx https://t.co/sAk1qpFE4c pic.twitter.com/EP6EdZkyoR!.?.!— Kentucky Guys’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB)Might 31, 2024 Jaxson Robinson’s decision to withdraw from the NBA draft and join Mark Pope’s Kentucky squad was a major development for a Wildcats team that amassed a strong talent swimming pool this offseason. What will Robinson’s move mean for Kentucky’s rotation in Pope’s very first season?Medcalf: Maybe Pope will restore Calipari’s squad system? Joking. But Pope’s inbound transfer class– anchored by Robinson and Wake Forest standout Andrew Carr– is ranked 4th in the country by EvanMiya.com. An abundance of skill, however, doesn’t provide any assurances.

Calipari‘s last years at Kentucky proved as much. However Robinson is a future pro who helped Pope a year ago as a reserve for BYU. The addition provides Pope choices with his rotations and likewise gives him experience off the bench, which is something Calipari lacked in the last few years at Kentucky.Borzello: Pope has clearly prioritized boundary shooting in building his very first Kentucky lineup, and Robinson’s choice adds to a team with a deep group of shot-makers at the guard and wing positions. It will be intriguing to see

how Pope hands out minutes. Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia)and Lamont Butler(San Diego State)are very various players at the point player spot. Robinson will combine with Otega Oweh(Oklahoma)and Koby Brea(Dayton )to make up a trio filled with size and shooting on the wings. And after that there’s ESPN 100 freshmen Travis Perry and Collin Chandler, the latter of whom provides a various dimension off the bounce. Even with the rotation headaches, Robinson’s dedication

puts Kentucky into the preseason top 25. The word is out. The boys are back pic.twitter.com/xQfAtSK56z!.?.!— Alabama Men’s Basketball(@AlabamaMBB) Might 30, 2024 We’ve entered a new era in college basketball with the Power 5 now becoming the Power 4 following the end of the Pac-12. Which conference title race will be most impacted by recently’s withdrawal deadline?Medcalf: The SEC was already the race to see, but the returns of Mark Sears and Kentucky’s addition of Jaxson Robinson made the push for the 2024-25 SEC crown more competitive. Alabama will go into the season as the favorite to win the conference title. However Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Arkansas are all contenders. And Florida included previous Florida Atlantic star Alijah Martin to an intriguing Gators team. Plus, Dre Davis joins Ole Miss after leading Seton Hall to the NIT title. The skill in the SEC just increased after recently’s deadline.Borzello: The SEC is flat-out packed, as Myron mentioned. It will have the most teams in the preseason top 25 and potentially the NCAA tournament. However for me, there’s no contrast when it concerns elite depth at the top of the standings. I have Kansas at No. 1, Houston at No. 4, Baylor at No. 6, Iowa State at No. 7 and Arizona– with the withdrawal of All-American guard Caleb Love– at No. 9. That’s half of the preseason leading 10 from one conference. Regardless of being the deepest league in the country for most of the past decade, the Huge 12 hasn’t been represented in the Last Four given that 2022. That should change this season.