College basketball: 10 biggest winners of the offseason
By John Fanta
FOX Sports College Basketball Writer
When it comes to men’s college basketball, the offseason doesn’t come with many dull moments.
With a transfer count sitting at more than 1,400 players — not to mention more than 60 head coaching changes — compounded with NBA Draft decisions and the evolving layer of NIL, it has been a nonstop news cycle since Kansas cut down the nets on the first Monday of April.
It’s hard to believe critics questioned Hubert Davis five months ago — the North Carolina coach will now ride a title game appearance into next season and has four of his five starters back in Chapel Hill. Meanwhile, the reigning National Player of the Year is coming back to college for the first time since Tyler Hansbrough returned to UNC in 2008.
More on that below, as we look at 10 big offseason winners in college hoops. With how difficult it can be to distinguish on the scale, we deliver this list in alphabetical order.
In three seasons, Eric Musselman has built on his reputation as one of the best recruiters in the country and elevated the Razorbacks into a power. Arkansas enters 2022-23 coming off back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, the most recent featuring an upset victory over top-seeded Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.
While losing Jaylin Williams and Au’Diese Toney to the NBA Draft is significant, the Razorbacks are poised to reload. The “Muss Bus” will welcome the nation’s second-best recruiting class, along with five transfers.
The program might have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft coming to Fayetteville in five-star combo guard Nick Smith. Fellow five-star prospect Anthony Black announced his commitment to the program in late March. Add another five-star wing in Jordan Walsh and three additional four-star prospects, and the table is set for the Razorbacks to have arguably college basketball’s most compelling roster.
In the portal, Arkansas added Rhode Island‘s top two scorers from this past season, Makhel and Makhi Mitchell. The frontcourt duo powered the Rams with a combined 20.6 points, 12.9 boards and 3.8 blocks per game. Musselman also added length in Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile, as well as Arizona State transfer and All-Pac 12 forward Jalen Graham. Throw in American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year Ricky Council IV, and the Razorbacks have a full deck of talent.
Arkansas is primed to again be the top team in the SEC and could make another deep tournament run. Musselman’s ability to build a roster is as strong as any coach in college basketball at the moment.
In 12 seasons in Omaha, Greg McDermott has led the Bluejays to 276 victories and seven NCAA Tournament trips. He is the only active Big East coach to average more than 20 wins per season.
Last season was labeled a rebuilding campaign for Creighton, which was eighth in the league’s preseason poll. All McDermott did with one of the youngest power conference rosters in the country was make the Big East Championship Game, then take Kansas to the wire in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
With four starters coming back, the Jays already looked like a top-15 team. That was before Baylor Scheierman committed to the program. The South Dakota State transfer, who averaged 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this past season to lead the Jackrabbits to the NCAA Tournament, withdrew his name from the NBA Draft to suit up for CU in 2022-23.
With reigning Big East Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard, as well as Trey Alexander, the addition of Scheierman at the wing gives the Jays a perfect three-headed monster for McDermott’s offense.
Also, rising sophomore Arthur Kaluma is an intriguing talent at the power forward position, while 7-foot-1 junior Ryan Kalkbrenner is back after posting 13.1 points, 7.7 boards and 2.6 blocks per game.
The pieces are in place for the Big East to run through Omaha in the upcoming season.
The offseason started with questions to answer for the Gators, who saw head coach Mike White make the curious move of taking the coaching job at Georgia. But Florida locked up one of the rising stars in the industry in 36-year-old Todd Golden. Although some questioned the hiring, all Golden has done in two months is build a roster that is capable of being a factor in the SEC in his first season. It shouldn’t come as much surprise after he led the University of San Francisco to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998.
Golden kept the program’s top two players from transferring in 6-11 forward Colin Castleton (16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.2 blocks per game) and 6-6 guard Kowacie Reeves. Castleton will use his fifth year of eligibility to play in Gainesville.
Golden’s work in the transfer portal is headlined by bringing in one of the best available point guards in the country in former St. Bonaventure star Kyle Lofton. The All-Atlantic 10 selection averaged 12.8 points and 5.9 assists per game this past season. Lofton will be joined by Belmont transfer guard Will Richard. The 6-5 guard just scratched the surface in a season with the Bruins, averaging 12.1 points and 6.0 boards per game. With bouncy forward Alex Fudge transferring from LSU, Florida gains an additional versatile weapon who can defend.
Although Golden enters a league filled with Kentucky, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee at the top, his analytics-based approach and ability to build up a program makes him and this roster a fascinating storyline entering the 2022-23 campaign.
Gonzaga
The Zags were the big winners of NBA Draft decision day. With the 11:59 p.m. ET deadline inching closer on June 1, All-American forward Drew Timme announced that he would be back for his senior season in Spokane, bringing 18.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with him.
In addition to Timme, guards Rasir Bolton and Julian Strawther (23 PPG combined last season) also announced their returns after testing the draft waters, likely giving Mark Few the consensus No. 1 team in the country heading into the season.
A day after the Timme news, Few and his staff added the cherry on top. One of the top transfers available, Southern Conference Player of the Year Malachi Smith, announced he would be joining this loaded group in Spokane. The 6-4 guard was one of the best scorers in college hoops this past season, leading Chattanooga to the NCAA Tournament by averaging 19.9 points on 49% shooting.
That elusive national title is once again in play for Gonzaga. Could this be the year of the Zags?
After another first-weekend exit from the NCAA Tournament and losing star center Kofi Cockburn, senior leader Trent Frazier and point guard Andre Curbelo, Illinois started the offseason in a challenging fashion. This should not take away from what Brad Underwood and his staff have accomplished.
Illinois has made three Big 12 transfer splashes in Texas Tech guard Terrence Shannon Jr. plus Baylor’s Matthew Mayer and Dain Dainja. Shannon, a 6-6 guard from Chicago, helped the Red Raiders to the Sweet 16 this past season, averaging 10.4 points per game. He is a versatile, playmaking guard from one of the best defensive teams in the country.
As for Mayer, the versatile 6-9 forward chose Champaign over North Carolina and Texas Tech after being a key part of Baylor’s program. The interesting element with Mayer is which version of the talented wing the Illini will get. In 2020-21, Mayer shot 49 percent from the field. That figure went down to just more than 40 percent this past season. In both, he averaged nearly double figures in scoring with 4-5 rebounds per game. That said, Mayer is one of the most interesting transfer adds in the country and has been such a major part of winning, with the Bears going 55-9 the past two seasons.
Dainja, a former four-star prospect from Minnesota, played in just three games this past season but is brought in to be a part of a fresh frontcourt.
At the point guard spot, Underwood ushers in a four-star prospect from Montverde Academy, Skyy Clark, who picked the Illini over Kentucky and Auburn, among others. It will be a big undertaking for Clark to help take over a retooled backcourt, but his skill set carries major intrigue.
The Illini will look different, but with the additions of winning players such as Shannon and Mayer, Underwood should have one of the top teams in the Big Ten again.
Could the Hoosiers win the Big Ten championship next season? The mere topic is healthy for college basketball. The reason for Indiana’s high expectation level: Trayce Jackson-Davis is returning to Bloomington for a fourth season after testing the NBA Draft waters.
After averaging 18.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Hoosiers last season, Jackson-Davis returns to IU as the program’s all-time leading offensive rebounder. He’s trending toward becoming one of the program’s top-five scorers, rebounders and shot blockers of all time.
With Race Thompson (11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game) back for a sixth season to play alongside Jackson-Davis in the frontcourt, Indiana will have plenty of experience in the paint. That’s a trend for the Hoosiers, who will return four starters from an NCAA Tournament team with senior Xavier Johnson (12.1 points and 5.1 assists per game) leading the backcourt. There’s a great mix of talent for Mike Woodson, as he and his staff have assembled a top-10 recruiting class.
The Hoosiers will welcome five-star guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, one of the best backcourt players in the 2022 freshman class. He is joined by a fellow five-star recruit in 6-8 forward Malik Reneau.
With the Big Ten going through some roster overhaul, and Indiana having stability plus the most efficient defense in the conference this past season, there is a path for the Hoosiers to have major March potential.
In one of the biggest return announcements the sport has seen in years, Oscar Tshiebwe went on national TV on April 20 to make it known that he would run it back in Lexington for the 2022-23 season.
The reigning national Player of the Year’s decision puts the benefits of name, image and likeness in college athletics on full display. Tshiebwe will reportedly earn $2 million in NIL deals in his fourth season of college basketball. After averaging 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds per game this past season, the 6-9 Congo native will come back to Kentucky to lead the Wildcats with an additional motivating factor on his mind.
The Wildcats were on the other end of one of the greatest upsets in NCAA Tournament history when they fell to Saint Peter’s in the first round. After the program did not appear in the tournament in 2021, it means there’s pressure on Calipari and his staff to get Kentucky back on a deeper March run.
Tshiebwe’s return gives the Wildcats one of the best rebounders in modern college hoops history and makes them a threat against anyone. With point guard Sahvir Wheeler (10.1 points, 6.9 assists per game) and forward Jacob Toppin (6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds per game) returning, the Wildcats have veteran pieces in place to help a traditional Kentucky recruiting class.
A pair of top-15 recruits, 6-4 guard Cason Wallace and 6-6 small forward Chris Livington, headline Calipari’s class and figure to fit into the starting backcourt with Wheeler. If they can make progress, there won’t be a question of what Kentucky is doing on the interior with Tshiebwe.
In a crucial season for Big Blue Nation, the Wildcats have the best player in the country surrounded by future NBA Draft picks.
At 72 years young, Jim Larranaga has the Hurricanes riding plenty of momentum. Coming off its first Elite Eight appearance in program history, Miami possesses a top-25 recruiting class and welcomes in two impact transfers. Perhaps the biggest piece of news for Miami is that star guard and All-ACC selection Isaiah Wong (15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game) is coming back to the Hurricanes for his fourth season.
In the portal, Larranaga and his staff bring in a fitting replacement for Charlie Moore with Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack, who averaged 17.4 points per game this past season on 45 percent shooting. NIL played a role in Pack’s decision, as he will make a two-year total of $800,000 after agreeing to a deal with LifeWallet.
The Hurricanes also bolstered their frontcourt with Arkansas State transfer Norchad Omier, an intriguing 6-7 forward who put up huge numbers (17.9 PPG, 12.2 RPB) this past season and figures to start. Acquiring length was a priority with the recruiting class, as the ‘Canes welcome four-star big men 6-8 AJ Casey and 6-11 Favour Aire.
Although North Carolina and Duke lead the way in the ACC, Miami has a core that can be among the top five in the conference in what should be a better year for the league.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels are the hottest blue blood in college basketball at the moment. After a run to the national championship game, North Carolina will be a top-five team in the preseason polls entering the season.
Hubert Davis brings back four starters in Armando Bacot, R.J. Davis, Caleb Love and Leaky Black. Those four combined for 65 percent of the Tar Heels’ scoring this past season. If not for Tshiebwe’s return to Kentucky, Bacot’s choice to come back would have made the biggest splash of those decisions in college basketball. The 6-10 center was third in the nation with 13.1 boards per game.
Although losing stretch-four man Brady Manek will change some of the things they do, the Tar Heels welcome in a top-20 recruiting class featuring a trio of four-star prospects. It will be interesting to see how point guard Seth Trimble, center Jalen Washington and power forward Tyler Nickel fit into the equation with a heavy veteran core back. That’s a good problem for Davis and his staff to have, as the Heels ride a massive wave of momentum into the season.
The ACC runs through Chapel Hill.
Here’s a statement you don’t normally read: The TCU Horned Frogs are a preseason top-15 team. Just as he built Pittsburgh into a power, Jamie Dixon has worked wonders in Fort Worth. Before 2018, TCU had not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1998. They’ve hit the dance floor twice in the past four tournaments, and enter the 2022-23 season with expectations of making a deep March run.
TCU returns all five starters from a team that accounted for the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 35 years. The most recent development is the return of 6-4 guard Damion Baugh, who announced May 29 that he would withdraw from NBA Draft consideration. This decision means Baugh and Mike Miles, who combined for 257 assists, will be back to anchor the backcourt. Miles withdrew from the NBA Draft as well, and the junior will look to build off an All-Big 12 Second Team season in which he averaged 15.4 points per game.
With Chuck O’Bannon Jr. and Emmanuel Miller back in the fold as well, the Horned Frogs have two dynamic forwards who averaged in double figures. An underrated weapon is rising junior center Eddie Lampkin, who posted 20 points and 14 rebounds against Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In total, the Horned Frogs will welcome back their top six scorers from a year ago. In the portal, Dixon and his staff have added 6-4 guard Rondel Walker, an intra conference transfer from Oklahoma State.
The Big 12 is always a gauntlet with Kansas and Baylor at the top, but TCU is in a position to be in the top three of a league that has accounted for the past two national championships.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
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