And then there were four. Duke, Houston, Auburn and Florida are gearing up for one of the most anticipated Final Fours in the history of the sport, but the offseason is firmly underway for everybody else. There’s pain in the end. It’s even more gutting when you come up just short of a Final Four berth.
Texas Tech still might not be over how it lost a nine-point lead with less than three minutes to go. Purdue might still not be over that inbounds play that gave Houston the buzzer-beating, Sweet 16 win. Michigan State wants that first half back against Auburn.
It’s cruel how the end can sour a brilliant season, and then in the blink of an eye, there’s no closure to be found with the portal looming. Over 1,600 players have already entered the transfer portal in eight days. Championships are won by decisions made … right now.
Let’s dive into a handful of topics surrounding some of the big-name rosters that saw their season come to an end on the doorstep of the Final Four.
Buy/Sell: Same ‘ole Rick Barnes?
Trotter — Sell: The tired Rick Barnes tropes circulated again after Tennessee missed out on that elusive Final Four appearance, but I’d argue that this iteration of Tennessee basketball that earned the top spot in the polls for multiple weeks and made the Elite Eight was a wild success story. Barnes lost a first-round pick, his two best bigs and two other program pillars … and still managed to build one of the best teams in the country.
Tennessee is losing Zakai Zeigler, Jahmai Mashack, Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey, but the last two years should give plenty of credence that Barnes can build another contender. Tennessee is already making inroads with Maryland transfer point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who is one of the best players in the portal. The Vols are going to be one of the best teams in the SEC again next year and give themselves another chance to make a run.
If anything, Barnes is getting better with age.
Buy/Sell: Michigan State’s best player next year will come via the portal
Trotter — Buy: The portal looms like a thief in the night for everybody, including Michigan State. Dynamic sixth man Tre Holloman entered the transfer portal on Tuesday. There’s a real world where Michigan State’s best three scoring guards are all gone (Holloman, Akins and Jase Richardson).
Tom Izzo loathes the negatives of the portal, but it can be a life-saver for numerous teams, too. Michigan State needs scorers and the portal has ’em. Parachute a John Tonje-archetype onto MSU and the Spartans will be one of the best teams in the Big Ten next year.
Buy/Sell: Texas Tech has another transfer portal coup coming
Trotter — Buy: Grant McCasland has earned the benefit of the doubt. The Texas Tech staff is one of the best in the business at finding the right fit for their schemes. Darrion Williams and JT Toppin transformed from Mountain West Freshmen of the Year into Big 12 superstars in Lubbock. Every addition for Texas Tech has been a hit, lately. The pieces just seem to work. If Toppin is not a pro, getting him back for a second season is the No. 1 priority for this brass.
Texas Tech feels like it should still be playing for a title, but with another strong April, Texas Tech could be well-positioned to be one of the best Big 12 teams next year again.
Buy/Sell: Purdue’s the Big Ten’s best bet to break the title streak in 2025-26
Trotter — Buy, for now: The last Big Ten team to win a national championship was Michigan State in 2000. Purdue indeed looks like the best bet to snap that how-in-the-world streak.
Purdue is going to be outstanding if it can get Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn back. But the Boilermakers also need to address some of their flaws. South Dakota State transfer Oscar Cluff is a big start to buff up the interior rebounding that plagued Purdue often in 2024-25. Matt Painter may need one more wing to stretch the floor for the Smith/Kaufman-Renn unguardable pick-and-roll and offset the loss of Myles Colvin, but Purdue is in strong shape right now. Purdue may have the best two players in the Big Ten next year, but hitting on the role players will be essential for Purdue’s national championship case.
Buy/Sell: This will be Kentucky’s least-talented roster under Mark Pope
Trotter — Buy: Pope’s first roster was filled with veterans who cherished every moment playing for Kentucky. They banded together to make the Sweet 16 and have an incredible year, but there were zero no-doubt pros on this roster. That’s going to change in Year 2. There’s a little kerfuffle in Bluegrass country after the Cats missed out on top portal point guards like Donovan Dent (UCLA) and Dedan Thomas (LSU), but Mark Pope will be just fine. The ebbs and flows of portal combat is just the nature of the business.
Kentucky is going to have pros again from here on out.
Buy/Sell: Michigan made the right move to target UNC transfer Elliot Cadeau as its next PG1
Trotter — TBD: Fit is everything in the transfer portal, and this Michigan roster is in major flux. A big man is the top priority for Dusty May with First Team, All-Big Ten center Vlad Goldin exhausting eligibility and Danny Wolf looking like a potential first-round pick.
The Cadeau addition looks a bit odd right now, but it could make way more sense once this roster is filled out. Michigan needs a lob threat. It needs more shooting. Judging this fit right now feels unfair. Let’s check back in on it after a few more weeks of portaling.
This news was originally published on this post .
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