#15- Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu (UT Arlington —> Memphis)

In two seasons with the UT Arlington Mavericks, Kaodirichi averaged just under 3.0 BPG and shot an unbelievable 87-127 from the field (68.5%). Kao is a great pickup for a Tigers front court that has lost soon to be lottery pick Jalen Duren and another NBA prospect in Josh Minott. He stands at 6’10”, with crazy measurables of a 7’4” wingspan and a 47.5 inch vertical jump; he can be seen in videos on instagram dunking the ball with his chin over the rim, that’s just how much of an athletic freak he is. So If Penny Hardaway can develop his skill on the offensive end to match his unteachable athleticism and shot blocking ability, Kaodirichi easily has the potential to become a star in the AAC and a future NBA draft pick.

#14- Grant Basile (Wright State —> Virginia Tech) 

Virginia Tech just recently lost 6’9” star forward Keve Aluma when he announced he would be staying in the NBA draft, and to help fill the void they are bringing in another 6’9” skilled, experienced big man. Basile averaged 18.4 PPG and 8.5 RPG last season for a Wright State team that won the Horizon League tournament and appeared in the NCAA Tournament. He proved he could produce against the ACC competition he’ll be facing next season by scoring 23 points and 16 rebounds in a win over NC State. He also put up 21 points against 1 seed Arizona in the big dance. Basile scored over 1,000 points in the last two seasons with the Raiders. He was a 2nd Team All-Horizon League selection last year, and was named to the league’s 2022 All-Tournament team as well. 

#13 D.J. Burns (Winthrop —> NC State)

NC State landed a hidden gem in the reigning Big South POY D.J. Burns. The 6’9” forward has been an extremely efficient low post scorer since his days in high school where he was the #3 recruit out of the state of South Carolina, behind only NBA superstars Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. Burns scored 15.0 PPG last season and shot 62.6% from the field. He has NCAA Tournament experience from the Eagles historic 23-2 season in 2021 and has averaged at least double-figures in all three seasons in Rock Hill, never finishing with a FG percentage under 58%. He is a lefty with incredible footwork and touch for a player his size, and can score all the way out to the mid range level. In four contests against power conference schools last year (Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Washington, and Washington State), Burns averaged 16.0 PPG on 60% shooting.

#12- Efton Reid (LSU —-> Gonzaga)

Reid is just what the doctor ordered for a Bulldogs team that will lose their two best big men in Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme. He is a legitimate 7-footer that was an ESPN Top 20 recruit in last year’s freshman class. Reid was the only player that started all 34 games for an LSU team that was filled with turmoil last season, averaging 6.3 PPG and 4.3 RPG. He shot 51.9% from the field and the Tigers were 7-0 when he scored in double-figures. The commitment for the Zags will allow Anton Watson to play the 4 and for Reid, heading to a program with much more stability, he should turn out to be a dominant force in the WCC and help Gonzaga in their pursuit for an 8th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and beyond. 

#11- Manny Bates (NC State —> Butler)

In just his second month as the head coach of the Butler Bulldogs, Thad Matta reeled in one of the most prolific shot blockers in the country. Bates is 6’11”, a former McDonald’s All-American nominee and had the highest FG% and most blocks in NC State history through his first two seasons. Bates missed all of the 2021-22 season with an injury, but in the two previous seasons he averaged 2.7 BPG (Led the ACC, 10th in the country), and 2.9 BPG (Led the ACC, tied for the 5th best in the country). If he is back to full strength, he will be a problem in the Big East and make life difficult for opponents trying to score at the rim. Just ask the UNC Tar Heels, who had 15 shots blocked by Bates in the last 3 matchups with the Wolfpack that he appeared in. Along with the 2.7 BPG in his last full season, he posted 9.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and a 64.1 FG%. 

#10- Souley Boum (UTEP —> Xavier)

Xavier was 16-5 headed into February last season, yet failed to make the NCAA Tournament after falling into a 1-7 stretch before the Big East Tournament. They recovered nicely to win the NIT Championship, but they were clearly lacking a high scoring guard that could fill it up on a consistent basis, which cost them the opportunity of playing in the tourney that they expect to be competing in. They found their guy to fill that role next season in UTEP transfer Souley Boum, who finished 2nd in C-USA with 19.8 PPG last season. He will hit the 2,000 point plateau early next season and can shoot the 3-ball at a near 40% rate, something that not one Xavier player could do in 2021-22. Boum has 44 performances of 20+ points in his career to date, and should be the missing piece to help the Musketeers secure a trip to the big dance in 2023 for the first time in a half decade.  

#9- Kevin McCullar (Texas Tech —> Kansas)

McCullar averaged 10.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, and 1.4 SPG for the Red Raiders on their way to a Sweet 16 appearance a few months ago. A lot of what he does even goes beyond the box score; with his leadership qualities, his ability to handle the ball at 6’6”, and the fact that he can guard multiple positions at any time on the defensive end. McCullar had 17 points in the Sweet 16 matchup with Duke, and also had an impressive 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists on a bum ankle in an upset of then #1 Baylor in their building back on January 11th. McCullar choosing Kansas created much controversy on social media considering it is an intraconference move, and the fact that Bill Self went out of his way to condemn the transfer portal, yet was targeted a rival player less than a month later. If anything, the matchup between Kansas and Texas Tech in Lubbock next season should be high intensity, get your popcorn ready, must watch television. 

#8- Matthew Mayer (Baylor —> Illinois)

Brad Underwood is starting to develop the Big 12 of the North up in Champaign, IL. Last month, he added Texas Tech guard Terrence Shannon and former Top 50 recruit Dain Dainja from Baylor. This time around, he struck with a third Big 12 transfer and a second former Baylor Bear, Matthew Mayer. This was another big time commitment for the Illini. Mayer has great size for a wing at 6’9” and was a key piece to Baylor’s 2021 National Championship team, averaging 8.7 PPG during their tournament run. He has been a part of a winning culture for four straight seasons, and finally got an opportunity as a full-time starter in 2021-22, putting up career highs of 9.8 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.2 SPG. Mayer is a very capable defender, with the ability to switch on ball screens and stay in front of smaller guards or defend large wings and forwards. Overall, he should be an exceptional piece to an Illinois team that has aspirations to compete for another Big Ten title. 

#7- Grant Sherfield (Nevada —> Oklahoma)

The Sooners addition of big time scorer Grant Sherfield should put them in the conversation of potential NCAA Tournament teams next season. Oklahoma was one of the first four teams left out of the big dance in 2022, thanks to a 2-11 stretch from January 11th to February 22nd. The common theme in all of those losses? They couldn’t reach the 70 point mark, only getting there once in the 11 games, and the time they did was in OT at that. Sherfield should significantly improve that inability for the team to score, as he averaged 19.0 PPG over the last two seasons with the Nevada Wolfpack. He also opens up the floor and creates plays for his teammates, posting over 6.0 APG in each of those two campaigns. Jalen Hill and the Groves brothers should get a ton of easy looks with Sherfield running the point, especially in pick and roll or pick and pop situations. Sherfield is a 2x Mountain West All-Conference selection, including a first team nod in 2020-21. 

#6- Osun Osunniyi (St. Bonaventure —> Iowa State)

The Cyclones were one of the top 3 defensive teams in the Big 12 last season, without even having a true rim protector. Now add to the mix Osun Osunniyi, the reigning Atlantic 10 Defensive POY who set the record for the most blocked shots (305) in the history of St. Bonaventure, and the potential of T.J. Otzelberger’s squad on the defensive end jumps tenfold. Osunniyi is 6’10” with a wingspan of 7’8”, which would currently measure as the 2nd longest in the NBA behind Mo Bamba. Osunniyi was on the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team all four seasons with the Bonnies, averaging anywhere from 2.5 to 2.9 BPG for a season in those four campaigns. He had very solid numbers of 11.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.9 BPG, and 61.3 FG% in 2021-22, and was honored as a 2nd Team All-A10 selection for the second consecutive season. He should thrive in Ames and be in the running for the Big 12 Defensive POY in 2023.

#5- Xavier Pinson (LSU —> New Mexico State)

I absolutely love this move for the Aggies. They lost Teddy Allen, who was a former power conference transfer that came to Cruces and averaged nearly 20.0 PPG and won the WAC Player of the Year last season. Now, they bring in another high level transfer in Xavier Pinson, who started 53 games between LSU and Missouri over the last two seasons. He made the NCAA Tournament with both programs, and now heads to a New Mexico State team coming off their first NCAA Tournament win since the early 1990’s. Pinson had 26 points and 8 assists at #6 Kentucky last year, and dropped 36 on TCU back in a 2020-21 OT win for the Missouri Tigers. He doesn’t quite have the size that Teddy Allen does, but Pinson can still light it up on a nightly basis, and should see his name in the WAC Player of the Year discussion at the end of the 2022-23 season. 

#4- Kyle Lofton (St. Bonaventure —> Florida)

Lofton is the type of player that any team in the country would love to have; an experienced veteran (23 years old, 116 career starts), a high IQ/steady PG (5.2 APG to just 2.4 TO/game for his career), an 82% career FT shooter, and a 3x All-Atlantic 10 selection. Lofton had a phenomenal career in Olean, NY with the Bonnies, scoring over 1,600 career points, while setting a school record for the most minutes played and finishing top 5 in school history for total assists, assists per game, and steals for a career. He can do a little bit of everything to fill the statsheet; he can give you 20-25 points when needed, he has solid size at the PG position to rebound the ball, and he even set a single game Bonnies record with 17 assists vs UMass last season. Most importantly, he is a proven winner, helping St. Bonaventure sweep the A-10 regular season and tournament championships in 2021 to make the NCAA Tournament, then led them to their first Top 25 ranking in over 50 years and an NIT Final Four appearance this past season. Expect the Gators to immediately become an NCAA Tournament level team with Lofton steering the ship. 

#3- K.J. Williams (Murray State —> LSU)

The 6’10” K.J. Williams is a mismatch nightmare at the 5 position. He has the low post skill and strong body frame to overpower opposing bigs, but can also step out beyond 22 feet to drill multiple 3-pointers at any given time. There’s a reason he won the 2022 OVC Player of the Year, putting up 18.0 PPG and 8.4 RPG for a Racers team that went 31-3 and advanced to the Round of 32 for just the 5th time in school history. He terrorized all levels of competiton, gashing OVC opponents for 30+ points on multiple occasions, while also averaging 15.3 PPG and 8.8 RPG over four contests against high level teams in #12 Auburn, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, and then San Francisco in the NCAA Tournament. He is following his head Coach Matt McMahon to Baton Rouge, along with other Murray State teammates Justice Hill and Trae Hannibal. It will certainly be a step up in competition, but those guys have proven they can play with the best of them, and K.J. has the talent to be an SEC All-Conference player in 2022-23.

#2- Tyrese Hunter (Iowa State —> Texas)

The Big 12 Freshman of the Year is staying in the conference, taking his talents from Ames, IA to Austin, TX to play for head coach Chris Beard and the Longhorns. He is one of the most gifted point guards in the country; with big time athleticism, savvy playmaking instincts, and the ability to drop dimes from all sorts of passing angles. Hunter posted 11.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 4.9 APG, and can lockdown on the defensive end, chipping in 2.0 SPG last season for the Cyclones. He showed he belonged in the Iowa State starting lineup from day one, recording 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in the season opener. He could start for just about any team in the country if he wanted to, so Texas should be grateful they landed the rising star. The one weakness as a freshman was his perimeter shooting ability, but he showed much promise by going 7-11 from deep against LSU in the NCAA Tournament, so if he resembles anything close to that from game to game, the entire country will be in trouble.

#1- Baylor Scheierman (South Dakota State —> Creighton)

The Bluejays went from a trendy pick to be the Big East favorite to potential National Title contenders with the commitment of the reigning Summit League POY Baylor Scheierman. The 6’6” playmaker can do it all, putting up 16.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 4.5 APG, and 1.3 SPG, with impressively efficient shooting splits of 51-47-80. He led the Jackrabbits to their first 30 win season in school history and an undefeated conference slate, the first team in the history of the Summit League to run through unscathed. Creighton already had a loaded roster coming back to play for Greg McDermott, and now Scheierman should be the straw that stirs the drink. He made 83 three-pointers at a 46.9% rate last season, the highest total made for a South Dakota State team that was one of the most potent 3-point shooting teams in the last 25 years of college basketball. Now, Creighton will have that type of shooting ability, which is dangerous for the Big East. Scheierman is a native of Aurora, NE, which is less than 2 hours from where the Bluejays play in Omaha; so the perfect fit for both parties is exactly why the move is deserving of the top transfer commit from the month of May.