Northwestern
Chris Collins could have used a big offseason after athletic director Derrick Gragg indicated changes were necessary inside the program. Instead, the ‘Cats lost their top two big men in Pete Nance and Ryan Young to the transfer portal as well as former highly-touted wing Casey Simmons, without any major splash additions to replace them. Nance had blossomed into one of the best players in the Big Ten as a senior, and Collins ran much of the Northwestern offense through him. Meanwhile, Young was productive in more limited minutes as an energy big man with the ability to score on the block, and Simmons showed flashes as a rotation player on the wing thanks to his length and athleticism.
The only spring additions made by Collins were UTEP transfer big man Tydus Verhoeven and freshman forward Luke Martinelli, who decommitted from Elon after a coaching change. Northwestern seems likely to finish under .500 for the sixth straight season since going to the men’s NCAA tournament for the first time in 2017.
Wake Forest
Wake exceeded all expectations in Steve Forbes’s second year at the helm, but an ACC tournament loss to Boston College sent the Demon Deacons to the NIT rather than the NCAAs. Then, to make matters worse, star forward Jake LaRavia became one of the biggest stock-risers of the NBA predraft process and departed with eligibility remaining. All of a sudden, Wake almost feels back to square one with LaRavia and Alondes Williams gone and no NCAA tournament berth to show for it. Forbes is known for his ability to find under-the-radar gems in the portal, and perhaps additions like Jao Ituka (Marist) and Andrew Carr (Delaware) can exceed expectations.
Arkansas
The Razorbacks did a lot right this spring: I’m particularly excited about Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile, who brings NBA-level athleticism to the frontcourt. But it’s hard not to wonder what could have been if Jaylin Williams had returned for one more year in Fayetteville. Williams, who went No. 34 overall to the Thunder, would have been one of the SEC’s best players and a perfect fit to complement this star-studded Arkansas freshman class thanks to his high basketball IQ and skill level. So while you can still pencil the Hogs in as a top-10 team in the preseason (SI’s summer rankings have Arkansas at No. 5), this could have been the best team in the sport if Williams returned.
Clemson
Brad Brownell’s seat is heating up at Clemson, and this offseason hasn’t done his job security many favors. The Tigers lost their two best ballhandlers to the transfer portal in Al-Amir Dawes (Seton Hall) and Nick Honor (Missouri) and did little to soften that blow in the portal themselves, adding only Brevin Galloway (Boston College). To make matters worse, star big man PJ Hall went down earlier this month with a subluxed patella that will require surgery. While Hall’s return timetable is unknown at this point, it’s a serious injury that will at minimum eat away most of his offseason and could impact his availability during the season. None of that bodes well for the Tigers to compete for an NCAA tournament bid in 2022–23.
St. Bonaventure
This was always going to be a turnover-filled offseason for the Bonnies after starting five seniors, but there was some hope at least a few of the team’s core contributors would take advantage of their extra year and stick around. Instead, a mass exodus sent point guard Kyle Lofton to Florida, Jaren Holmes and Osun Osunniyi to Iowa State and Dominick Welch to Alabama, while fifth starter Jalen Adaway turned pro. Several bench players also departed, leaving the Bonnies with just four total points scored returning from last season.
Mark Schmidt has rebuilt before, and there’s some promise in this incoming transfer class. But St. Bonaventure could finish under .500 for the first time in a decade if those newcomers don’t exceed expectations.
Colorado State
It will certainly help the Rams program long-term to produce a first-round NBA pick in David Roddy, but there’s little a school at Colorado State’s level can do to prepare for losing a talent like Roddy a year earlier than expected. The Mountain West Player of the Year would have been a preseason All-American for the Rams, who were in SI’s way-too-early top 25 back in April but fell out once Roddy decided to turn pro ahead of the June 1 deadline.
Niko Medved’s staff did well to add Division II star Patrick Cartier and Illinois State transfer Josiah Strong this spring, and they’ll still be among the better teams in the Mountain West thanks to the presence of elite point guard Isaiah Stevens. Still, it’s hard not to wonder how good this team could have been with one more year of Roddy in Fort Collins.
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