By Aidan Joly
The 2024 NBA Draft deadline has come and gone, and many players took it right down the wire.
With several huge NIL packages handed out, many of the big names that were on the fence elected to return to college basketball, giving teams clarity on what their rosters will look like for the 2024-25 season.
That being said, here are some of the biggest winners and losers from Wednesday’s deadline.
Winners
Alabama
The Crimson Tide were perhaps the biggest winner from this week. Alabama will bring back Mark Sears, who was perhaps the biggest 5o-50 name. He averaged 21.5 points per game on an Alabama team that went to the Final Four in 2023-24.
This propels Alabama into being a prime contender for the preseason No. 1 slot with an absolutely loaded 1-13 roster. That roster includes rising sophomore Jarin Stevenson, who is also back for another year after a solid freshman season after testing the NBA waters. He will be one of the most notable breakout candidates for 2024-25.
Arizona
Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats have had some good pickups in the portal this off-season, but the biggest name dropped as Caleb Love elected to come back to Tucson for his final season of college basketball.
It’s a massive addition to a roster that’s already pretty good. He averaged 18 points per game and was an AP All-American. His shot selection is indeed flawed at times, but there’s no doubting that he is one of the best guards in the country. He’s done just about everything there is to do in college basketball – except win a national title, which Arizona has not done since 1997.
UConn
The two-time defending national champions got an essential piece back in the program’s quest for a threepeat, with Alex Karaban announcing he will return to Storrs.
He will be the only Husky starter from 2023-24 to return, making his return pivotal. It gives UConn a proven star heading int0 2024-25, a guy who would have likely heard his name called if he stayed in the draft. Instead, he’ll come back to keep winning and try to improve his draft stock.
Wake Forest
Wake Forest got its biggest name back, with Hunter Sallis announcing he will return to Winston-Salem after averaging 18 points per game for a team that was a late-season collapse away from making the NCAA tournament. He did this after playing two seasons at Gonzaga.
Wake did pretty well in the portal too and looks solid for 2024-25, but having Sallis back is the key as the Demon Deacons try to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. Much less, it would be the first tournament appearance under Steve Forbes.
Iowa
Payton Sandfort will return to Iowa City after taking his decision down to the last few hours before the deadline.
Sandfort was second in the Big Ten in scoring with 16.4 points per game and shot 37.9% from three, one of the better sharpshooters in the country. His return will give Iowa a boost it really needs to try to do well in the Big Ten. He will have plenty of talent around him, too.
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders didn’t have any players that were 50-50 to stay, but they were able to grab JT Toppin out of the portal right after he withdrew from the draft.
Toppin had a fantastic freshman season at New Mexico, averaging 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game on his way to winning Mountain West Rookie of the Year. It’s a big win for Grant McCasland after he won 23 games and reached the NCAA tournament in his first year at the helm. Toppin should have a significant role at Texas Tech, while likely also helping his future draft position.
Kentucky
Kentucky was in a similar spot of Texas Tech, with no big names really on the fence, but the Wildcats were able to grab Jaxson Robinson after he withdrew from the draft after a very good season at BYU.
Robinson, who averaged 14.2 points per game in 2023-24, was seen as one of the biggest 50-50 names still on the board in the final days and hours before the deadline. It gives Kentucky a roster that will get top 25 consideration in Mark Pope’s first season at the helm. Robinson was one of those high-level players Pope needed.
Losers
Memphis
Memphis’ chances of getting back to the NCAA tournament took a hit as star wing David Jones elected to stay in the draft after averaging 21.8 points per game for the Tigers in 2023-24.
It will be interesting to see where Jones lands in the draft as not a lot of mocks are high on him, and by all accounts he did not do as well at the combine. Memphis and Penny Hardaway have had a decent off-season in the portal but seemed to be hopeful that Jones would come back. Replacing his production this late in the portal cycle will be difficult.
Kansas
Kansas still has a very good roster, that should not be doubted, and it always seemed like it was unlikely that he would stay, but the Jayhawks were one of the few teams to not retain their 50-50 guy as Johnny Furphy elected to stay in the draft.
Furphy had quite the rise, from a little-known prospect a year ago to a solid season at Kansas, averaging 9.0 points per game and getting better as the season went on. His stock is anywhere from mid-late first round to early second round, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up going.
Kansas is still in a solid position, using the transfer portal to bring in Zeke Mayo, Rylem Griffin and AJ Storr, on top of DaJuan Harris and Hunter Dickinson sticking around. It’s a loss, but far from the end of the world.
Illinois
Coleman Hawkins did withdraw from the draft and will be back in college basketball in 2024-25, but it will not be with the Illini as he decided to stay in the transfer portal, too.
Hawkins has not committed anywhere yet, but he is one of the top targets still available. He is a veteran who can play multiple positions, and played a key role on an Illinois team that reached the Elite Eight.
As for Illinois, it will be nearly an entirely new roster, highlighted by portal adds Tre White (Louisville), Kylan Boswell (Arizona) and Ben Humrichous (Evansville). Four-star prospect Morez Johnson and Lithuanian Kasparas Jakucionis will likely play sizable roles as freshmen.
Dayton
DaRon Holmes, the 2024 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and a three-time all-league selection, made the right decision to stay in the draft. He will join Obi Toppin as the second Dayton Flyer to be a first round pick in recent years.
Dayton did land two solid portal adds in Posh Alexander (Butler) and Zed Key (Ohio State) so the Flyers will remain competitive in 2024-25. However, neither of those guys will replaces Holmes’ production.
AJ Hoops 