Men’s college basketball buzz: State of blue blood rebuilds

Roster overhauls are not uncommon in today’s era of men’s college basketball.

This offseason is no different, with nearly a dozen power-conference schools returning zero or just one player from this past season. This has been a growing trend as the game has become more dependent on the transfer portal, the salary cap is dictating roster construction and teams adding seven to eight players in the spring has become the new norm.

Last week, we looked at how the Final Four teams – and Duke – fared offseason is coming. This week, we’re putting an equal focus on the three winningest programs in college basketball history: Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina. None made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and each faced massive rebuilding the following season.

All information by April 20 at 9 am ET

Players are going: Bill Self is facing arguably the biggest rebuild of the three programs featured here.

potential number 1 pick darrin peterson Even though he was gone, the All-Big 12 big man flory bidungaThe decision to enter the portal and go to Louisville was a tough loss. starting wings melvin council jr. And tray white were seniors, and six more players joined Bidunga in the portal. The biggest loss among that group was bryson tillerWho started 31 games and looks poised for a breakout season in 2026-27. To make matters worse, Tiller committed to rival Missouri.

Staying or visiting players: The retention list is small. Kohl RosarioJoe, who started the first six games of this past season before seeing his role diminish as the year progressed, is back and still at a high level.

have oneself Fifth best class of incoming freshmenLed by five-star point guard tylane kinney. two more sc next 100 recruits, davion adkins And trent perryand four-star guard Luke Barnett End group.

Kansas also has two players out of the portal so far: Utah transfers Keanu Dawes and toledo transfer Leroy Bleiden Jr.. Dawes was one of the Big 12’s best rebounders last season, ranking in the top 50 nationally at 8.8 per game. Bleiden, a 6-foot-1 point guard, was MAC Freshman of the Year.

Players in limbo: new big man Paul Mbia Has been an interesting follow up. He suddenly played a key role in the NCAA Tournament, reports surfaced that he planned to enter the portal… and yet, he’s still on the Jayhawks and hasn’t entered the portal yet.

Things to do: Kansas has a tremendous amount of work to do to build a roster that can compete next season. Jayhawks’ top target is No. 1 recruit tyrann stokeswhom he appeared to be on track to take down until a recent trip to Kentucky cast doubt on his status as the front runner.

However, Kansas has hosted a long list of players from the portal terence hill jr. (Tennessee) and desean goode (Miami) has committed crimes elsewhere. charlotte big man Anton Bonnke Was on campus last week, as was Utah transfer terence brownHowever, UNC appears to be the favorite for Brown.

With Bleiden’s commitment, Self needs a scorer with size on the wing. Victorious Miller (Oklahoma State) is one of the players on the Jayhawks’ roster for that role. In the frontcourt, transfer to Cincinnati mustafa thiam — one of the best veterans left in the portal — is in their crosshairs, though he is visiting Michigan this week.

Players are going: A roller-coaster season that began with the nation’s largest payroll and ended with a second-round loss to Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament prompted a roster overhaul.

starting backcourt of Otega Oweh And denzel aberdeen is out of eligibility (although Florida is attempting to secure an extra year for Aberdeen), while jayden quantance Was expected to declare for the NBA Draft. Six more players, including the starting guard, also entered the transfer portal Colin Chandler and frontcourt mainstays Andrija Jelavic, mohammed diaubet And Brandon Garrison.

Staying or visiting players: Two key contributors return from last season: starting center Malachi Moreno and rotation wing kam williamsJoe missed most of the second half of the campaign due to a broken foot. Moreno has a chance to become one of the best centers in the country next season.

role player trent noah and red shirt brayden hawthorne And reece potter Have also come back. And Kentucky’s only high school commitment is a four-star guard mason williamsSon of new assistant coach Mo Williams.

After missing some early portal goals like BYU’s Robert Wright III and Georgia’s Jeremiah WilkinsonMark Pope finally landed his 2026-27 backcourt last week with Washington transfer zoom dial and furman transfer Alex Wilkins. Diallo averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists last season for the Huskies, while Wilkins was one of the country’s most electric first-year point guards and boosted his stock with 21 points against UConn in the NCAA Tournament.

Players in limbo: Barring a surprise comeback from Quantense, Pope is not waiting for any stay-or-go decision.

Things to do: Kentucky still has plenty of targets left on the board, with No. 1 overall recruit Stokes topping the list.

Stokes is subject to the Wildcats and Jayhawks and a decision is expected any time. Pope could use a statement signing to help the overall atmosphere in Lexington, and they don’t come much bigger than Stokes. Kansas was the leader in Stokes’ recent visit to Kentucky; Did the Pope slow down the pace of travel?

Kentucky needs shooting and NC State transfer Paul McNeil Jr.. Is on the short list. utah transfer terence brown Also was a goal but has not visited North Carolina and Kansas and rescheduled a trip to Kentucky. First up, the Wildcats are prioritizing Syracuse transfer donnie freemanOne of the best players available. East USC Center gab dynes The visit is expected this week; The 7-foot-5 Dynes will provide interior depth.

Players are going: With Hubert Davis out and Michael Malone in, extensive roster turnover was inevitable.

Projected top-five selection Caleb Wilson Whereas, headed to the NBA regardless Seth Trimble Is out of eligibility. Nevertheless, nine players entered the portal following the coaching change. derek dixon And luka bogavac Most notably, however, two have opted to withdraw and return to Chapel Hill to play for Malone.

It’s also worth noting that Carolina received commitments from top-10 incoming freshmen dylan mingo Until it reopened its recruitment last week.

Staying or visiting players: Is the only starter guaranteed to return from last season jaryn stevensonHe helped fill in for Wilson after his injury and played well, averaging 10.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in the Tar Heels’ final 10 games. jaden young And isaiah dennis Returning after initially exploring the portal. And while Mingo opted to decommit, the top-25 recruit maximo adams Maintained his commitment to the Tar Heels after the coaching change.

Since portal opened, Malone adds Virginia Tech transfer neoklis avdalas. The 6-foot-9 guard was inconsistent for most of his freshman season, but was a first-round NBA draft pick at the beginning of the campaign and has an interesting combination of size and playmaking ability.

Players in limbo: All-ACC big man henry vissar has not yet announced its intentions.

The proven big man could return to Carolina, enter the NBA Draft or enter the transfer portal. Vissar is essentially the pivot of Malone’s first season, who will be in the preseason All-American conversation upon returning to college after averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds last season.

Things to do: There are two priorities for Malone right now.

One, as we just mentioned, is keeping the vicar. He provides an anchor on the interior and will give the new head coach a player to groom. But given the timing of Vissar’s pending decision, the lack of legitimate replacements in his position is apparent.

The second focus is on a couple of perimeter scorers and playmakers, and the Tar Heels have a few players on their shortlist. utah transfer terence brown is above the board; He has visited UNC and Kansas. wake forest transfer juke harris Met with the Carolina staff a few weeks ago, although he is also going through the NBA Draft process. of nc state matt able And Paul McNeil Jr.. Also has been linked to the Tar Heels.