College basketball as a whole proved to be a winner Wednesday as several big-name stars took their NBA Draft decisions down to the wire. Players were required to withdraw from the draft before Thursday if they wished to preserve their NCAA eligibility, and a handful of the top names did exactly that as the dust settled on the 2024 draft pool.
Among the big-names opting to return to college were All-Americans such as Caleb Love of Arizona and Mark Sears of Alabama. Each have been college basketball stars for years and reached Final Fours during careers that are already considering illustrious. Now, both will be back to use their fifth and final season of eligibility.
Just like Zach Edey’s decision in 2023 to return for a fourth season at Purdue proved to be consequential, the decisions Sears and Love announced Wednesday could still be reverberating through the sport when the 2025 Final Four arrives. But of course, it wasn’t all good news for everyone around the country.
A handful of programs, including Kansas and Memphis, saw major contributors opt to stay in the draft. Given the relative scarcity of talent remaining in the transfer portal, replacing an NBA-bound player at this point in the year can be tough.
Here are the winners and losers from a draft deadline day that brought us one step closer to a full picture of what college basketball rosters will look like in the 2024-25 season.
Winner: Tide rolling with return of Sears, Stevenson
The Crimson Tide secured the biggest win of their offseason on Wednesday when Sears announced he would be withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to school. Sears was one of the top players in college basketball last season, and his return could have Alabama in contention to be the preseason No. 1 ranked team this fall.
In addition, Jarin Stevenson — a formerly highly touted recruit from the 2023 recruiting cycle who starred in Alabama’s Elite Eight win over Clemson — will also be returning. Stevenson primarily came off the bench during his freshman season and should see his role increase because of his ability to stretch the floor. Alabama reached the Final Four for the first time in program history last month, and they’re on track to get back to the final weekend in college basketball. — Cameron Salerno
Loser: Memphis loses potential AAC POTY
With 2023-24 AAC co-Players of the Year Chris Youngblood (South Florida to Alabama) and Johnell Davis (FAU to Arkansas) both transferring out of the league, David Jones was in prime position to be AAC Preseason Player of the Year if he’d returned to Memphis. Instead, the 6-5 guard is staying in the draft. Jones led the league in scoring at 21.8 points per game during the 2023-24 season, and his departure leaves the Tigers with a significant hole to fill. Seventh-year coach Penny Hardaway has done a nice job rebuilding his team with big-time transfer additions such as PJ Haggerty (Tulsa), Tyrese Hunter (Texas) and Dain Dainja (Illinois). But there may now be some pressure on him to round out this roster with an additional dose of portal pop. — David Cobb
Winner: Arizona gets some Love heading into the Big 12
Tommy Lloyd and company got a massive boost on Wednesday when Pac-12 Player of the Year Caleb Love announced his return to Arizona. Love had a chance to turn pro but will return to school to help usher in a new era of Arizona basketball as the program will join the Big 12 ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Love would’ve had an uphill climb in carving out a significant role in the NBA during his rookie season and instead will be one of the favorites to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award. Kylan Boswell, Pelle Larsson Oumar Ballo and Keshad Johnson may be gone, but getting Love back assures the Wildcats will be competing for the Big 12 title in Year 1. — Salerno
Loser: Illinois will see Hawkins play elsewhere
Illinois star Coleman Hawkins withdrew from the NBA Draft on Wednesday but will play his final college season elsewhere. After going through the pre-draft process for the second consecutive year, Hawkins elected to return to school and will be one of the top transfer portal targets available. Hawkins is a veteran forward who has shown an ability to stretch the floor and defend multiple positions. Hawkins played a key role in Illinois reaching the Elite Eight this past season, and he will now focus on finding his next (and final) home. — Salerno
UConn’s Alex Karaban will be the only starter returning from this year’s title team.
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Winner: UConn gets at least one starter back
Had Alex Karaban elected to stay in the NBA Draft, UConn would have launched its bid for a national title three-peat without a single starter back from its 2023-24 roster. But with Karaban’s announcement that he’s withdrawing from the draft, the Huskies have a reliable veteran forward to anchor their 2024-25 lineup. Karaban averaged 13.3 points on 37.9% 3-point shooting for UConn as a redshirt sophomore and was particularly effective from beyond the arc against Big East foes.
The Huskies recovered impeccably well from the losses of stalwarts Andre Jackson, Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo following the 2022-23 season. Karaban’s return helps position them to be national competitors yet again, even after another heavy wave of losses from the 2023-24 season. — Cobb
Loser: Dayton’s Holmes stays in the draft
DaRon Holmes made the right decision and should be rewarded once the draft arrives. Still, it’s a tough day for Dayton. Holmes was the 2024 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and a three-time all-conference performer. Without him, the Flyers will be entering a new era with a massive hole to fill. Coach Anthony Grant landed Butler transfer guard Posh Alexander and Ohio State transfer forward Zed Key in the portal, so the Flyers should remain competitive. But there isn’t a scorer or rim protector of Holmes’ caliber projected to be part of next year’s team, let alone someone who can do both. — Cobb
Winner: Texas Tech lands a young star in Toppin
JT Toppin didn’t enter the transfer portal until April 30, just one day before the deadline. But after winning Mountain West Rookie of the Year, the 6-9 forward immediately became one of the hottest names on the market.
However, there was one big problem for the collegiate teams vying for his services: he also chose to explore the NBA Draft. While doing so, Toppin made an impression on NBA scouts and established himself as a draft-worthy prospect. But this week’s news that he signed with Texas Tech marked a huge win for second-year coach Grant McCasland as he seeks to build off a 23-11 debut campaign, which included a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Toppin should play a prominent role for the Red Raiders and could play his way into an even better draft position in the years ahead. — Cobb
Winner: Wake Forest brings back Sallis
In one of the surprising decisions of the day, Wake Forest star Hunter Sallis elected to bypass the NBA Draft to return to school for another season. The former Gonzaga forward found a home with the Demon Deacons this past season and averaged 18 points and 4.1 rebounds. Sallis immediately becomes one of the top contenders to win ACC Player of the Year. Sallis ranked No. 50 in CBS Sports’ NBA Draft Prospect Rankings. — Salerno
Loser: Kansas takes a hit
The idea of Johnny Furphy declaring for the NBA Draft after one year at Kansas seemed far-fetched early in the 2023-24 season. The Australian prospect was a late addition to KU’s signing class and looked a bit overmatched early in the season. But as his freshman campaign progressed, Furphy offered more frequent glimpses at his pro potential while playing an increasingly prominent role for a Jayhawks team lacking depth. Ultimately, Furphy was able to establish himself as a potential first-round pick in a weak draft class and decided to turn pro while his stock was high. While Kansas is better positioned from a roster standpoint for the 2024-25 season than it was for the 2023-24 season, Furphy’s departure leaves the Jayhawks a bit lean on wing.
Winner: Iowa’s leading scorer returns
Payton Sandfort waited until late Wednesday to announce that he is returning to Iowa for his senior year. The 6-foot-7 wing led the Hawkeyes in scoring at 16.4 points per game while hitting 37.9% of his 7.3 attempts per game from beyond the arc last season. His return improves the outlook for a program that is losing its No. 2 and No. 3 scorers from a team that missed the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The door is open for Sandfort to build on his offensive output from last season and become a potential first-team all-Big Ten performer after he earned a third-team spot in 2023-24.
