The new-look Big Ten is a league of extremes in men’s basketball, both geographically and philosophically.
On one side are Purdue’s Matt Painter and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, long-tenured coaches who don’t feel the need to rely on the transfer portal. The Big Ten also has new blood in USC’s Eric Musselman and Michigan’s Dusty May, coaches who aggressively flipped their rosters. In between, every team in the Big Ten had gains and losses in the portal that will add to the sense of newness as USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington join the conference.
Here’s a look at how each Big Ten team fared in the portal, with teams placed in tiers based on their gains and losses.
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Tier 1
Indiana
Additions: Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Myles Rice (Washington State), Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford), Luke Goode (Illinois), Langdon Hatton (Bellarmine)
Departures: Kaleb Banks (Tulane), CJ Gunn (DePaul), Payton Sparks (Ball State)
The upcoming season is a big one for Mike Woodson, and Indiana attacked the portal accordingly. Ballo averaged a double-double last year at Arizona (13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds) and should be among the best big men in a post-Zach Edey Big Ten. Rice and Carlyle were two of the best freshman guards in the Pac-12, and if both can get their shooting percentages up, Indiana will have enough scoring in the backcourt to complement its imposing front line.
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Ohio State
Additions: Meechie Johnson (South Carolina), Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky), Sean Stewart (Duke), Micah Parrish (San Diego State)
Departures: Felix Okpara (Tennessee), Zed Key (Dayton), Roddy Gayle Jr. (Michigan), Scotty Middleton (Seton Hall), Bowen Hardman (Akron)
Welcome back, Meechie Johnson. Johnson spent two years at Ohio State before transferring to South Carolina, where he averaged 12.7 points last season. He’ll join forces in the backcourt with Bruce Thornton, the Buckeyes’ leading scorer and one of the national leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Along with Johnson, first-year coach Jake Diebler added two massive talents from the Class of 2023 in Bradshaw and Stewart. The 7-1 Bradshaw was ranked No. 4 in the class in the 247Sports Composite and averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds as a freshman at Kentucky. Stewart, ranked No. 17, is a 6-9 forward who broke Zion Williamson’s record for standing vertical jump at Duke. Neither player cracked the regular rotation last season, but the upside for this Ohio State team is intriguing.
Michigan
Additions: Vladislav Goldin (USF), Roddy Gayle Jr. (Ohio State), Danny Wolf (Yale), Rubin Jones (North Texas), Tre Donaldson (Auburn), Sam Walters (Alabama)
Departures: Dug McDaniel (Kansas State), Tarris Reed Jr. (Connecticut), Terrance Williams II (USC), George Washington III (Richmond), Youssef Khayat (Bowling Green)
Adding Jamir Watkins would have been the final piece of a home-run transfer class for Michigan, but Watkins decided to stay at Florida State after withdrawing from the NBA Draft. Still, the team May assembled has a shot to contend in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have size from Goldin and Wolf, shooting from Walters, scoring from Gayle, defense and versatility from Jones and a point guard to run the show in Donaldson.
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The only name missing from this list is Johnell Davis, the leading scorer for May at FAU. Davis, the No. 2 player in The Athletic’s portal rankings, committed to Arkansas, meaning the Wolverines may not have a go-to scorer they can lean on for instant offense. Multiple players will need to share that responsibility.
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Washington
Additions: Great Osobor (Utah State), DJ Davis (Butler), Mekhi Mason (Rice), Tyler Harris (Portland), Luis Kortright (Rhode Island), KC Ibekwe (Oregon State), Tyree Ihenacho (North Dakota), Chris Conway (Oakland)
Departures: Braxton Meah (Nebraska), Wesley Yates III (USC), Koren Johnson (Louisville), Nate Calmese (Washington State)
Washington made one of the biggest splashes of portal season by landing Osobor, the Mountain West player of the year and the No. 4 player in The Athletic’s portal rankings. Osobor, a 6-8 center who followed coach Danny Sprinkle from Utah State, will have to adapt to playing against Big Ten size but has all-conference potential.
Davis was the best free-throw shooter in the country last season at 95 percent and averaged 13.5 points at Butler. Mason is a slasher who can get to the basket, and Harris is a 6-8 wing with great length who averaged 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds as a freshman at Portland.
Tier 2
Nebraska
Additions: Berke Buyuktuncel (UCLA), Gavin Griffiths (Rutgers), Connor Essegian (Wisconsin), Braxton Meah (Washington), Rollie Worster (Utah), Andrew Morgan (North Dakota State)
Departures: C.J. Wilcher (Texas A&M), Eli Rice (Penn State), Jamarques Lawrence (Rhode Island), Blaise Keita (Western Kentucky), Matar Diop (Loyola Marymount)
Fred Hoiberg assembled one of the Big Ten’s sneaky-good transfer classes with five players from high-major programs. Griffiths was a top-50 recruit from the Class of 2023 known for his shooting range, and Essegian averaged 11.7 points and shot 36 percent from 3 as a freshman at Wisconsin. Both should be excellent floor-spacers in Hoiberg’s system.
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Buyuktuncel, a 6-9 lefty from Turkey, didn’t have a great freshman season at UCLA but can score from anywhere on the floor and brings NBA upside. Worster had one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the Pac-12, and Meah is a 7-1 center who excels as a defensive rebounder and shot the highest percentage in the country on 2-point attempts among qualifying players.
UCLA
Additions: Skyy Clark (Louisville), Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State), Kobe Johnson (USC), Eric Dailey Jr. (Oklahoma State), William Kyle III (South Dakota State), Dominick Harris (Loyola Marymount)
Departures: Berke Buyuktuncel (Nebraska), Jan Vide (Loyola Marymount), Will McLendon (San Jose State), Ilane Fibleuil (undecided)
The players UCLA lost in the portal were reserves who averaged fewer than five points per game. The incoming transfers should upgrade the roster, assuming Mick Cronin can make the pieces fit. Clark can run hot and cold but had some big scoring performances last year at Louisville, including 36 points in his final game. Kyle, the reigning Summit League defensive player of the year, is an athletic dunker and shot blocker who should fit in perfectly with Cronin’s hard-nosed defensive mentality.
USC
Additions: Desmond Claude (Xavier), Wesley Yates (Washington), Terrance Williams (Michigan), Chibuzo Agbo (Boise State), Saint Thomas (Northern Colorado), Bryce Pope (UC San Diego), Matt Knowling (Yale), Rashaun Agee (Bowling Green), Josh Cohen (UMass), Clark Slajchert (Penn)
Departures: Kobe Johnson (UCLA), Brandon Gardner (Arizona State), Arrinten Page (Cincinnati), Vincent Iwuchukwu (St. John’s), Oziyah Sellers (Stanford), Kijani Wright (Vanderbilt)
How many transfers is too many? Musselman might be able to answer that question after overhauling USC’s roster with 11 players from the portal. Claude, a 6-6 wing who can attack the basket, was named most improved player in the Big East after averaging 16.6 points for Xavier. Agbo shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range in both of his seasons at Boise State, and Thomas is a 6-7 stat-stuffer who averaged 19.7 points and 9.8 rebounds at Northern Colorado.
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Illinois
Additions: Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Carey Booth (Notre Dame), Tre White (Louisville), Jake Davis (Mercer), Ben Humrichous (Evansville)
Departures: Coleman Hawkins (Kansas State), Dain Dainja (Memphis), Luke Goode (Indiana), Sencire Harris (West Virginia), Amani Hansberry (West Virginia)
After several years of regular-season success and NCAA Tournament disappointment, Illinois reinvented itself and made its first trip to the Elite Eight since 2005. Now the Illini have to reinvent themselves again after losing, who committed to Kansas State last week.
As part of its evolution, Illinois said goodbye to Dainja, a 255-pound big man who took most of his shots in the paint, and added Booth, a 6-foot-10 forward who attempted 61 percent of his shots from behind the 3-point arc last year at Notre Dame. Boswell, who grew up in Champaign, averaged 9.5 points as Arizona’s starting point guard last season, and White is a 6-7 wing who’s on his third school in three years after playing for USC as a freshman and Louisville as a sophomore.
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Tier 3
Maryland
Additions: Selton Miguel (USF), Rodney Rice (Virginia Tech), Tafara Gapare (Georgia Tech), Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Belmont)
Departures: Mady Traore (undecided), Jamie Kaiser Jr. (Butler), Noah Batchelor (Buffalo) Jahnathan Lamothe (North Carolina A&T), Caelum Swanton-Rodger (Old Dominion)
After a disappointing Year 2 under Kevin Willard, Maryland had work to do in the portal to replace leading scorer Jahmir Young. Enter Gillespie, a high-scoring guard who averaged 17.2 points per game and shot 56 percent from the field last season at Belmont.
Rice, a 6-4 combo guard, is another intriguing addition. He was a top-100 prospect in the Class of 2022 who started his career at Virginia Tech but didn’t play last season because of a string of injuries.
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Michigan State
Additions: Frankie Fidler (Nebraska Omaha), Szymon Zapala (Longwood)
Departures: A.J. Hoggard (Vanderbilt), Mady Sissoko (Cal)
Izzo has been reluctant to go all-in with the portal, but after a season that fell short of expectations, he seems open to trying new things. As proof, Michigan State went into the portal this offseason and nabbed Fidler, one of the top small-school scorers available.
He’s not necessarily a high-flier, but Fidler is a savvy scorer who averaged 20.1 points as a third-year starter. He adds size on the wing at 6-7 and has a polished mid-range game with the ability to knock down 3-pointers. He’ll help Jaden Akins pick up the scoring slack with Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Malik Hall moving on.
Oregon
Additions: TJ Bamba (Villanova), Brandon Angel (Stanford), Ra’Heim Moss (Toledo)
Departures: Brennan Rigsby (Minnesota), Kario Oquendo (SMU)
As they transition to the Big Ten, the Ducks will be counting on scoring from Moss, a 6-4 guard who can get to the rim and averaged 15.5 points last season at Toledo. Oregon added defense and shooting from Bamba, who started in the backcourt for Villanova last season after transferring from Washington State. At 6-8 and 240 pounds, Angel was one of the most efficient shooters in the country last year at Stanford. He shot 56.7 percent from the floor and 44.7 percent from 3 and ranked 12th nationally in true shooting percentage, according to KenPom.
Rutgers
Additions: Jordan Derkack (Merrimack), Tyson Acuff (Eastern Michigan), Zach Martini (Princeton), PJ Hayes (San Diego)
Departures: Gavin Griffiths (Nebraska), Clifford Omoruyi (Alabama), Mawot Mag (BYU), Derek Simpson (Saint Joseph’s), Antonio Chol (Howard)
At Rutgers, it’s all about an incoming freshman class headlined by forward Ace Bailey (No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite) and guard Dylan Harper (No. 3). Do the Scarlet Knights have enough talent returning to make a run at the Big Ten title? Rutgers lost Omoruyi, one of the most athletic big men in the Big Ten, but added Derkack, who was named player of the year and defensive player of the year last season in the Northeast Conference.
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There are questions about how Derkack’s offensive game will translate to the Big Ten, but he’s an above-average on-ball defender who should fit Steve Pikiell’s style. Acuff started his career at Duquesne and averaged 14.3 points last season at Eastern Michigan. Martini, a 6-7 wing, takes the majority of his shots from behind the arc and hit 38.5 percent of his 3s last season at Princeton.
Tier 4
Iowa
Additions: Seydou Traore (Manhattan), Drew Thelwell (Morehead State)
Departures: Patrick McCaffery (Butler), Tony Perkins (Missouri), Dasonte Bowen (St. Bonaventure)
The big news at Iowa was the return of Payton Sandfort, who led the Big Ten in 3-point makes and attempts. With Perkins on the move to Missouri, Iowa addressed point guard by adding Thelwell, a two-year starter at Morehead State who averaged 6.2 assists per game last season. Traore is a 6-7 wing with a solid mid-range game who can knock down the occasional 3-pointer, though he shot 25 percent from behind the arc as a freshman at Manhattan.
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Northwestern
Additions: Keenan Fitzmorris (Stony Brook), Jalen Leach (Fairfield)
Departures: Parker Strauss (UC Riverside)
It’s the end of an era at Northwestern as Boo Buie bids adieu to college basketball. Replacing the program’s career scoring leader won’t be easy, but Northwestern will have help from Leach, who was a role player for three years at Fairfield before he jumped to 16.2 points per game last season. Fitzmorris, a 7-footer who started his career at Stanford, had a productive per-minute scoring average in roughly 25 minutes per game the past two seasons at Stony Brook.
Penn State
Additions: Freddie Dilione V (Tennessee), Kachi Nzeh (Xavier), Eli Rice (Nebraska), Yanic Niederhauser (Northern Illinois)
Departures: Kanye Clary (Mississippi State), Jameel Brown (Temple), Demetrius Lilley (La Salle), Favour Aire (undecided), Bragi Gudmundsson (Campbell)
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Mike Rhoades signed nine transfers in his first year at Penn State, and the Nittany Lions will be counting on several of those players to deliver improvement in Year 2. VCU transfer Ace Baldwin is back for a fifth season, as is North Carolina transfer Puff Johnson. Gone is Clary, who was the team’s leading scorer before he was dismissed from the program in February. Penn State will need Dilione, a top-50 recruit from the Class of 2022, to pick up some of the slack.
Purdue
Additions: None
Departures: Mason Gillis (Duke), Ethan Morton (Colorado State)
This will be the shortest entry on the list. Painter has proven he can build a Final Four team without relying heavily on the portal, and now he’ll try to do it again.
The Boilermakers started the same five players in all 39 games last season and got starter’s contributions from Gillis, the Big Ten’s sixth man of the year. Replacing Zach Edey is a gargantuan task, but with three starters returning, there’s a foundation in place at Purdue and no reason to mess with what’s working.
Tier 5
Minnesota
Additions: Femi Odukale (New Mexico State), Frank Mitchell (Canisius), Brennan Rigsby (Oregon), Trey Edmonds (UTSA), Lu’Cye Patterson (Charlotte)
Departures: Elijah Hawkins (Texas Tech), Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M), Joshua Ola-Joseph (Cal), Braeden Carrington (Tulsa), Isaiah Ihnen (Liberty)
The good news is that Minnesota is getting players that other schools want. That’s also the bad news. The Gophers lost a promising big man in Payne and a veteran point guard in Hawkins, who tied for the Big Ten lead with 7.5 assists per game last season. They also lost Cam Christie, who declared for the NBA Draft after averaging 11.3 points per game as a freshman.
On paper, it will be tough for the Gophers to replace everything they lost with the transfers they have coming in. They’ll need Patterson and Rigsby to fill supporting roles alongside Dawson Garcia, who’s back for a fifth season after averaging 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds last year.
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Wisconsin
Additions: Camren Hunter (Central Arkansas), Xavier Amos (Northern Illinois), John Tonje (Missouri)
Departures: Chucky Hepburn (Louisville), AJ Storr (Kansas), Connor Essegian (Nebraska), Gus Yalden (Seton Hall), Isaac Lindsey (South Dakota State), Ross Candelino (Lipscomb), Luke Haertle (Winona State)
The Badgers could have been a preseason Top 25 team if Hepburn and Storr had returned, but instead they’re in rebuild mode. Hunter, the Atlantic Sun freshman of the year, is a combo guard who takes more than 50 percent of his shots in the paint. Tonje had a productive four-year stint at Colorado State before missing much of last season at Missouri with a foot injury. Amos, a 6-8 forward, is an efficient 3-point shooter off the catch and an active shot blocker.
(Top photo of Meechie Johnson: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
