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The key moments of the men’s college basketball offseason have already taken place: The opening and closing of the transfer portal, the deadline to enter the NBA draft, hundreds and hundreds of commitments.
But the final critical date on this part of the calendar is approaching: May 27. Players currently going through the NBA draft process need to withdraw from the draft by 11:59 p.m. ET on that day in order to maintain their college eligibility.
A handful of players — Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, Texas’ Dailyn Swain, North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar, Duke’s Isaiah Evans — made it clear at the NBA draft combine that they had zero intention of withdrawing from the NBA draft, effectively closing the door on a return to college. What about other participants from last week’s combine? Here are the players whose decisions we’re watching closely over the next eight days — and how they would impact their respective college programs.
Not included in the following lists are players who were not invited to the combine; typically when a player with remaining college eligibility doesn’t receive an invitation, it’s a clear sign he should return to college. We also didn’t include Luigi Suigo, the international player who is also considering joining a college program next season, mostly because he didn’t fit neatly into any of the below categories. The Italian big man told ESPN at the combine that Villanova and BYU are the two schools involved, with several programs having reported they can’t wait until the withdrawal deadline for his decision.
Christian Anderson, PG, Texas Tech
Anderson is squarely in the middle of the first round of mock drafts, and he reported at the combine that he was focused on the draft. He was one of the elite guards in college basketball last season, averaging 18.5 points and 7.4 assists.
Grant McCasland has prepared for Anderson’s likely departure by adding two high-scoring guards from the portal: Hofstra’s Cruz Davis and UNLV’s Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. The Red Raiders also have talented top-25 recruit Dakari Spear entering the fold.
Morez Johnson Jr., PF, Michigan
Johnson left the door open for a return more than expected at the combine, saying he wanted to talk to his agents to gather feedback before making a final decision. Still, all signs point to him staying in the draft after starting 40 games and helping the Wolverines win a national championship.
Dusty May, who found great success reloading his frontcourt last spring via the transfer portal with Johnson, Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg, is looking to do the same thing next season with Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam and Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella.
Editor’s Picks
Koa Peat, PF, Arizona
Peat began his college career looking like a future top-10 pick: 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists in a win over then-reigning national champion Florida. But he never quite reached those heights again the rest of the season and is now a projected late first-round pick (No. 27) in ESPN’s post-lottery mock draft.
Peat’s return would give Tommy Lloyd, who lost his starting backcourt of Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley, one of the best frontcourts in the country once again. Both Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas are returning. Arizona was already No. 10 in the last Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings; Peat going back to school would make the Wildcats a title contender.
Tyler Tanner, PG, Vanderbilt
Tanner’s decision might have the biggest impact of anyone else on this list. He didn’t have an ideal combine, measuring in at shorter than 5-foot-11 and then struggling in his second scrimmage (two points, five assists) after a 13-point, five-assist outing in the first. He’s projected just outside the first round.
Tanner was the catalyst for Vanderbilt’s surprising season, leading the Commodores to 27 wins and a 5-seed in the NCAA tournament. A return would make him a preseason All-American and one of the elite point guards in the country. He would also be enough for Vandy to be a top-15 team on paper. Without him, though, the Commodores’ floor and ceiling both take a massive hit, and they might be outside the Top 25.
Meleek Thomas, SG, Arkansas
Thomas reported at the combine that he was “TBD” on his decision after showcasing his playmaking and shotmaking ability on the heels of a stellar freshman season as Darius Acuff Jr.’s sidekick. He played mostly off the ball at Arkansas but can create for others while also shooting nearly 42% from 3.
John Calipari did sign the nation’s best high school guard in Jordan Smith, and brought in a proven high-major backcourt scorer in Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson. But Thomas withdrawing from the draft would give Arkansas the most explosive backcourt in the country. The Razorbacks could be knocking on the door of the preseason top five.
Amari Allen, SF, Alabama
Allen had a mixed showing at the combine, surprisingly measuring at just over 6-5 but also showing off a 42.5-inch vertical leap. He wants to hear he’s a first-rounder before opting to stay in the draft, but he also acknowledged that another year at Alabama could significantly boost his production — and has pointed to Labaron Philon Jr.’s jump up into the top 20 after an addition season in college.
Nate Oats will have plenty of wing talent on his roster in the fall, but Allen would have the highest ceiling and be the most proven of the group. If he did return to Tuscaloosa — and if Aden Holloway is also back on the team following his arrest in March — there’s certainly a case to be made that Oats would have a top-10 team on paper.
Allen Graves, F, transferring from Santa Clara
Tounde Yessoufou, SF, transferring from Baylor
Milan Momcilovic, SF, transferring from Iowa State
Three of the best players to enter the transfer portal this spring are still uncommitted and could change the offseason trajectory of any number of programs. The buzz at the combine was that Graves was leaning toward staying in the draft, while Yessoufou could go either way and Momcilovic would ultimately return to college. Graves is No. 22 in ESPN’s most recent mock draft, while Yessoufou and Momcilovic are early second-rounders.
Graves has reported his two favored landing spots for a potential return to college are LSU and Duke, although it remains to be seen if the Blue Devils are still interested given the state of their roster. Yessoufou wouldn’t share any school information, but UCLA and Kentucky were rumored to be involved when he initially entered the portal in April. Momcilovic also wouldn’t talk about schools, but Kentucky, Louisville, St. John’s and UCLA are all perceived to be involved.
Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky
When Moreno entered the draft, the prevailing wisdom had him going through the process and then returning to Kentucky. While that could still be the case, Moreno withdrew from the 5-on-5 scrimmages at the combine, and he is continuing to weigh both options. A first-round guarantee would be enough to get him to stay, but he’s currently projected to go No. 36.
Moreno’s return would provide some stability to what has been a tumultuous roster build for Mark Pope, filled with multiple public misses. A backcourt of Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo, along with talented Senegalese forward Ousmane N’Diaye and the return of Moreno, would provide a high-ceiling core, with Pope still taking some big swings.
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Matt Able, SG, North Carolina
Able had one-and-done buzz entering his freshman season at NC State but averaged just 8.8 points and didn’t start a single game. He transferred to North Carolina after the season ended, looking to regain some of his stock — and got an early start on generating draft buzz with a standout performance at the combine. He played well in both scrimmages and shot the ball very well. He’s still likely heading to Chapel Hill, but he’s also closer to the first round than initially thought.
Under first-year coach Michael Malone, Able would be expected to become one of the offensive focal points for the Tar Heels on the perimeter, alongside fellow transfers Neoklis Avdalas (Virginia Tech) and Terrence Brown (Utah). If Able returns to college and builds off his combine performance, he could be one of the better scorers in the ACC next season.
Rueben Chinyelu, C, Florida
Chinyelu had a very strong combine, particularly in the 5-on-5 scrimmages, and measured in with a plus-10.25-inch wingspan. Yet he’s still projected as a second-round pick and has the opportunity to return to a team that will likely be preseason No. 1 chasing its second national championship in three years. If he’s back in Gainesville — after potential first-rounders Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon opted not to go through the draft process — Todd Golden will have the best frontcourt in the country.
Flory Bidunga, C, Louisville
The best portal commitment of the offseason so far, Bidunga told ESPN at the combine that he hasn’t completely ruled out the idea of staying in the draft but would like to be a projected first-round pick before making his final decision. That doesn’t appear likely at this point, meaning a return to college to play for Pat Kelsey would be the next step. Bidunga is one of the best defensive players in the country and would immediately anchor the Cardinals’ frontcourt, alongside Iowa transfer Alvaro Folgueiras.
Jeremy Fears Jr., PG, Michigan State
One of the elite point guards in college basketball last season, Fears has a chance to be a preseason All-American with a return to Michigan State. He measured in at 6-0 without shoes and didn’t shoot the ball great at the combine but did dish out 11 assists in the second scrimmage. There’s clearly room for him in the NBA, but he would more than likely be picked in the middle of the second round if he stayed in the draft. A return to East Lansing would put Tom Izzo and the Spartans inside the preseason top 10.
Billy Richmond III, SF, Arkansas
While most eyes in Fayetteville are on Meleek Thomas, don’t overlook Richmond, who very likely has a role at the next level, given his talent and two-way ability. But he could also further develop his all-around offensive game with another season under Calipari. He’s currently a projected second-round pick, and if he opts to return, he’ll be the Swiss Army knife for a Final Four contender. If not, Calipari will have to lean on freshmen Abdou Toure or JaShawn Andrews to start a little earlier than expected.
Andrej Stojakovic, SF, Illinois
Stojakovic was one of the last players to declare for the NBA draft, though the expectation when he declared was that he would likely return to Champaign. That remains the case, even though he didn’t participate in the 5-on-5 scrimmages at the combine. If he does go back to play for Brad Underwood, Illinois will be right back in the national discussion as a Final Four team. ESPN’s most recent Way-Too-Early Top 25 had the Illini ranked at No. 4, with Stojakovic combining with Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and returnee David Mirkovic to cause matchup nightmares all over the floor.
John Blackwell, SG, Duke
Blackwell wasn’t in ESPN’s mock draft entering the combine, and though he played very well in Wednesday’s scrimmage (16 points, showed a high-level scoring ability) all signs point to him following through on his transfer from Wisconsin. Moreover, there’s every chance he will lead the Blue Devils in scoring next season, after averaging more than 19 points and earning All-Big Ten honors this past campaign for the Badgers. Blackwell is the type of scorer who can go get a bucket when things get bogged down in the half court; the Blue Devils missed that at times last season.
Jacob Cofie, PF, USC
Cofie earned a call-up from the G League combine to the draft combine and proved why he deserved it, with 12 points in the second 5-on-5 scrimmage. He has a high ceiling and face-up ability and made plays at both ends of the floor. But he wasn’t in ESPN’s pre-combine mock draft and told ESPN he would like to be in the first round in order to stay in the draft. That remains unlikely, so the expectation is he will return to an absolutely loaded USC frontcourt, alongside four McDonald’s All Americans in freshmen Christian Collins, Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff, and sophomore UConn transfer Eric Reibe.
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