The Winners And Losers Across College Basketball Following NBA Draft Decision Deadline Date

The deadline to announce whether you’re staying in the NBA Draft or coming back to college is officially over. That time was 11:59 pm last night and we didn’t have the last major decision made until 11:30. So with that in mind we’re going to get into the winners and losers across the country.

Winners

Nevada – I don’t know if there’s a bigger winner this offseason than Nevada. They were the ones that we were waiting for all night as Cody and Caleb Martin were the last two to make their decision. By getting those two back along with Jordan Caroline, the Wolf Pack immediately put themselves as a legit national title contender.

Gonzaga – Another ‘mid-major’ that is a legit national title contender coming into the year. The Bulldogs were able to keep Rui Hachimura and Killian Tillie in Spokane to form one of the best frontcourts in the country next season. Both Hachirmura and Tillie are NBA players, but they did announce their decision to stay very early in the process giving Gonzaga fans a sense of relief.

Syracuse – For Syracuse it started as a disaster with Darius Bazley deciding to skip college and go right to the G League. However, Cuse was able to save itself with the return of Oshae Brissett and more importantly Tyus Battle. By getting Battle back, Syracuse should be a NCAA Tournament team – and by that I mean one that isn’t playing in Dayton on Tuesday. Losing Battle would have sent Syracuse to the NIT and its offense would have been, uh, well, to put it politely, not good.

Kentucky – Kentucky did lose Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo. That was all expected. However, it came down to PJ Washington, Jarred Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel to announce yesterday. PJ Washington, who can be a sneaky All-American pick this year, was the first to announce and decided that he was coming back to Kentucky. That solidifies that frontcourt as Washington now gives Kentucky someone who can be a bully in the paint. Oh, throw in the fact that they are the favorites to land Reid Travis and this was a good day for Calipari and staff.

Nebraska and Tim Miles – Nebraska was close to making the NCAA Tournament this past season after finishing 4th in the Big 10. That essentially gave Tim Miles an extension at Nebraska, but it was very important for him to get James Palmer Jr., and Isaac Copeland back. The two transfers from last season were two of the main reasons Nebraska had the season it did. They should be a NCAA Tournament team with them back, which would save Tim Miles job even more.

Kansas – For Kansas it all came down to one player. Udoka Azubuike. Sure, he’s not the biggest name out there, he’s not even going to be the best player on the team next year. However, Kansas desperately needed a post player as they don’t have that on the roster without him. The addition of Azubuike now will likely move Kansas to the No. 1 spot in the majority of preseason polls.

St. John’s – St. John’s is desperate for a good team. They looked to be going that way last year before injuries absolutely derailed the season. Now, they were stuck waiting for Shamorie Ponds, who announced that he would be returning to college. Ponds will be on All-American teams, but now he has a chance to give Chris Mullin the chance to make the NCAA Tournament.

The ‘others’ in the SEC – When people talk about SEC basketball it’s typically Kentucky and the rest – sometimes Kentucky, Florida and the rest. Well, the ‘others’ all had a strong day as LSU got back Tremont Waters, Tennessee got back Grant Williams and Adam Schofield, Missouri got back Jontay Porter and Arkansas got back Daniel Gafford. The SEC is going to be a top-3 conference in America next season and there is plenty of talent across the league.

Losers

Villanova – It’s rare to see Nova on this side of the list here, but they lost four players and it’s no surprise. Brunson and Bridges declared real early on in the process. Donte DiVincenzo had a big time combine, which essentially guaranteed him a late first round selection. Omari Spellman was the last one, who announced yesterday, which wasn’t a surprise when you talked to most people. Spellman is who he is as a prospect, so go get paid now before your stock falls anymore. Nova now loses four of its top-6 from a championship team.

Brian Bowen – Say what you want about the kid but he caught a raw deal in how the NCAA handled the process here. It’s absolutely ridiculous that they haven’t given a ruling on whether or not he was going to be suspended for next season or a portion of it or whatever. I’m not surprised, the NCAA is a complete joke and I will blast them whenever the hell I can, this is one of those cases. Because of that, Bowen had to declare for the NBA Draft. As always, fuck the NCAA.

Maryland – Maryland looked to be primed to be the favorite in the Big 10 and a top-15 team in the country. That looked the case when it was announced Bruno Fernando was coming back. Then, Kevin Huerter’s stock kept rising and rising. He eventually announced yesterday that he was staying in the NBA Draft, which will knock Maryland back down to maybe a top-25 team in the country. Huerter coming back would have giving Turg arguably his best team since he took over in College Park as the roster would have fit a bit better than the team in 2015-16.

Wake Forest – Weird things keep happening down in Winston-Salem. Wake had a good season two years ago then lost a handful of starters. Heading into this season, Wake looked to have a decent roster with guys like Bryant Crawford and Doral Moore returning and a strong recruiting class. However, Crawford and Moore decided to go pro and Keyshawn Woods is a grad transfer at Ohio State now. It’s another blow for Danny Manning, who Wake fans are starting to get impatient with and wanting to see more results.