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Contributor to Pickswise for College Basketball. Former Illinois basketball manager. Top ranked Bracketologist
  • 2025 NBA Mock Draft: Spurs Eye Dylan Harper With #2 Pick

    2025 NBA Mock Draft: Spurs Eye Dylan Harper With #2 Pick

    Cooper Flagg is the consensus #1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but Dylan Harper is clearly the second-best player in the class. The Spurs lucked out for the second consecutive year in the NBA Draft Lottery and are in position to land the top guard available.

    Rumors suggest that the Spurs are strongly considering taking Dylan Harper with the #2 overall pick, unless they trade it for a superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo. Last year, the Spurs drafted guard Stephon Castle and traded for De’Aaron Fox, but I still don’t see them moving this pick.

    The smart move is to draft Harper and continue building an already talented backcourt. He’s the best guard in the draft, making this selection a no-brainer.

    The five-star prospect had a standout freshman season at Rutgers, despite the team missing the NCAA Tournament. He played in 29 games and averaged a team-high 19.4 points per game.

    Harper is an elite ball handler who can play both guard positions. While his three-point shooting percentage (33.3%) could raise concerns, he’s shown a strong ability to drive and finish at the rim.

    Barring a major surprise, Dylan Harper will go second overall and join a Spurs team poised to be a serious contender for years to come.

  • Mock Draft Season is Here – First-Round Breakdown Coming Soon!

    The NBA Draft is set for Wednesday, June 25th at 7:00 PM CST. For the fourth consecutive year, the two-day event will be held at the Barclays Center.

    In a shocking turn of events, the Dallas Mavericks landed the #1 overall pick, defying the odds with just a 1.8% chance. With the top pick, the Mavs are expected to select one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA history: Cooper Flagg.

    Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is the consensus #1 pick after winning National Player of the Year honors and leading the Blue Devils to a Final Four appearance. Flagg is a force on both ends of the court – an elite shot-blocker, a capable ball handler, and a skilled passer at 6’9″. He’s expected to make an immediate impact in the NBA.

    While Flagg is a lock for the top spot, the rest of the draft remains wide open. I’ll be releasing a full first-round NBA mock draft, complete with detailed notes and insights on every prospect.

    Stay tuned for my official mock draft posts and check out my TikTok, where I’ll be breaking down each pick and providing in-depth analysis on every player leading up to draft night on June 25th.

    Sneak peek: The projected #2 pick won’t be the only one from his college team to hear his name called early…

  • ACC Cuts Conference Schedule: Smart Move or Desperation?

    The ACC announced Wednesday that the conference will return to an 18-game conference schedule for the 2025–26 season, ending a six-year run with a 20-game slate.

    This change follows one of the ACC’s most disappointing seasons in recent memory and marks the fourth consecutive year in which only four teams from the league earned NCAA Tournament bids. The conference has faced criticism in recent seasons, and it’s clear that adjustments are needed.

    According to KenPom, the ACC hasn’t ranked among the nation’s top four conferences since the 2019–20 season. In 2022–23, the ACC even ranked below the Mountain West in KenPom’s metrics.

    By reducing the number of conference games, top programs like Duke, Louisville, Clemson, and North Carolina will have more flexibility to schedule high-quality non-conference opponents, potentially boosting their tournament resume. One of the ACC’s major issues has been a lack of Quadrant 1 opportunities for its top teams.

    For example, Clemson recorded five Quad 1 wins last season, which was tied with Gonzaga and one more than Saint Mary’s. However, the ACC didn’t help itself in non-conference play last season, winning just one game TOTAL in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

    Still, the root of the ACC’s struggles lies deeper than scheduling. The conference has undergone a significant coaching turnover in recent years. Legendary coaches such as Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, Tony Bennett, and Mike Brey have all stepped down. Aside from Duke, their programs have yet to fully recover.

    The ACC’s national standing depends heavily on its traditional powerhouses like North Carolina and Syracuse being consistent NCAA Tournament contenders. Going forward, coaching hires will be critical in restoring the league’s prominence. Moves like bringing Will Wade to NC State and Pat Kelsey to Louisville may prove to be transformative examples – other programs need to follow.

  • Early Rankings Just Dropped — Let’s Overreact

    The transfer portal is nearly complete, and the 2025–26 outlook for teams has already begun. It’s only May, but the great analytic mind Bart Torvik dropped his first 2026 rankings of the season on his website. These rankings might be premature, but they’re giving fans something to get excited about.

    Some big fish in the portal have yet to make their decision, but we can still get a good idea of what rosters will look like going into next season. Bart Torvik is another site that uses adjusted offensive efficiency and adjusted defensive efficiency to predict results.

    The top of the rankings features some familiar faces, as Houston is slotted as the preseason No. 1 team. They return just 27.5% of their minutes from last year’s Final Four team, but it’s hard not to trust head coach Kelvin Sampson.

    Purdue is ranked No. 3 overall, and they would be my pick as the No. 1 team in the nation as it stands today. The Boilermakers bring back 69.7% of their minutes, including the best guard in the entire country, Braden Smith.

    The Duke Blue Devils are just behind at No. 4 following their Final Four run. They’ll lose numerous first-round picks and National Player of the Year Cooper Flagg, but they’ll bring in the Boozer twins (yes, those Boozers—Carlos’ kids), who should pick up where Flagg left off as two of the best freshmen in the sport.

    Rosters aren’t fully set, and it’s probably way too early to be talking preseason rankings, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited. The current 2025–26 top 10 rankings, courtesy of Bart Torvik, are highlighted below:

    1. Houston
    2. BYU
    3. Purdue
    4. Duke
    5. Michigan
    6. UCLA
    7. St. John’s
    8. Illinois
    9. Arkansas
    10. UConn

  • The Transfer Portal Dries Up: Just a Handful of Stars Remain

    The transfer portal officially closed last Tuesday, and many of the top-tier players have already committed to new programs. Over 2,000 student-athletes entered the portal this offseason in search of fresh opportunities. With the growing financial incentives tied to transferring, this trend is expected to continue unless new regulations are introduced.

    Today, top 50 transfers Chad Baker-Mazara, Andrej Stojakovic, Derrion Reid, and Cedric Coward announced their new destination for next season. That leaves only six players from 247 Sports top 50 transfer rankings still uncommitted, which includes PJ Haggerty, RJ Luis, Darrion Williams, Jamir Watkins, Boogie Fland, and Desmond Claude. Notably, five of these six players are ranked within the top 10, meaning several programs still have a shot at landing a proven star. However, for teams still on the hunt for a star, the window is rapidly closing.

    The portal has thinned out considerably. Rylan Griffen from Kansas is now the only remaining player ranked in the top 100 (outside of those previously mentioned) who has yet to commit. While value can still be found deeper in the rankings, we’re clearly approaching the final stretch of this year’s transfer cycle.

    Despite some of the negative consequences the transfer portal brings to the sport, the drama and excitement of this offseason has been unmatched. Stay tuned to see where the remaining stars land and just how much NIL money they’ll command. Early estimates suggest several could secure deals worth $3 million or more.

  • The Two-Big Lineup Works

    In an era where traditional big men are becoming increasingly rare, the two-big lineup made a comeback this season. Houston, Auburn, Florida, and Duke (if you count Cooper Flagg) all reached the Final Four while using lineups featuring two bigs. According to Evan Miya, all four of those teams ranked in the top 20 nationally in effective margin when using a two big lineup.

    A consistent theme among these Final Four teams was dominance on the offensive glass. Per KenPom, Houston and Florida both ranked in the top 11 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, while Auburn and Duke weren’t far behind, ranking within the top 54. Winning the rebounding battle not only leads to extra scoring chances but also gives your team a crucial edge in total possessions over the opponent. This has become increasingly crucial factor in the college game, even more so than winning the turnover battle.

    Florida and Duke also finished in the top 24 in total offensive possessions this season, demonstrating how maximizing possessions played to their advantage. Houston wasn’t far off either, ranking #38.

    While it’s clear that guard play wins in March, this year has raised an important point that having multiple reliable big men might be just as vital. Going forward, we may see more teams prioritizing having two or even three bigs capable of making a real impact on both ends of the floor.

  • Michigan’s Unlimited NIL

    Dusty May wasted no time this offseason replacing his two All-Big Ten Second Team frontcourt players. Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf are out of eligibility, but their success together last season may have positioned Michigan as a top destination for big men.

    The Wolverines made a massive splash in this year’s transfer portal by landing three extremely talented bigs. The No. 1 overall transfer according to 247 Sports, Yaxel Lendenborg, is headed to Ann Arbor—assuming he doesn’t stay in the NBA Draft. They also picked up No. 23-ranked Morez Johnson Jr. and No. 43-ranked Aday Mara, giving Michigan one of the most stacked frontcourts in the country.

    Rumor has it that Morez Johnson Jr. received close to $1.8 million, and it’s expected that Lendenborg will demand over $3 million if he returns to college basketball. That’s a hefty price tag when you add those two to Mara and former North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau.

    Evan Miya recently tweeted estimates of what schools have spent on incoming transfers, and Michigan tops the list at a projected $8.8 million—over a million more than any other team in college basketball.

    So, where did all this Michigan money come from? Dusty May turning down the Indiana job gave him leverage to secure enough NIL funding to build an elite roster. He signed a contract extension to stay in Ann Arbor through 2030, which significantly boosted the program’s NIL budget starting this offseason. Indiana may have been the biggest spender in the Big Ten last year, but it looks like Dusty May won’t let his alma mater outspend him again.

  • Time for Illinois to Pay Up

    Illinois has done a great job retaining players this offseason as Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic, Jake Davis and potentially Ben Humrichous are all back. #TheRetention has been on full display (besides Morez Johnson Jr.), but the Illini still need to land a big fish to make it a successful offseason.

    Josh Dix considered Illinois as an option but ultimately chose Creighton to stay close to home. Dix is ranked #18 in the current 247 Sports transfer portal rankings and would have been an instant starter on this team. Ian Jackson, who is a former 5-star recruit and is ranked #7 on 247 Sports, had a zoom call with the Illini staff but seems to be out of their price range. Jackson is the type of player that I would pay big money for, but the staff must see differently.

    Has Illinois spent even close to their budget? I don’t think so. Zvonimir Ivisic and David Mirkovic cost money of course but nowhere near the amount Josh Dix was requesting. It is rumored that Kylan Boswell is being brought back for less than 1.3 million dollars (steal) and both euro bigs most likely combined to cost less than Morez would have needed as well. There seems to still be money left to be spent on a star…

    It is time for Illinois to pay whatever it takes to get Dame Sarr. 2-3 millon dollars is worth it to get your star guard. Sarr is on FC Barcelona and just played for Team World in the Nike Hoop Summit. He finished with 17 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the field and 6 of 6 from the charity stripe. The Italian native proved that he belonged and is one of the best international prospects out there.

    At 6’6, Sarr can fill right in at the shooting guard position and be a playmaking type player like what we saw in Kasparas Jakucionis last season. Jakucionis and Sarr share the same agent, and KJ was in attendance on Saturday night to watch his former teammate play. It makes too much sense for the staff to get this done, no matter what the cost is.

  • Cooper Flagg’s Legacy

    Cooper Flagg lived up to the hype. That might be an understatement for the best Freshman to play college hoops since another Duke legend, Zion Williamson. Flagg is just the fourth Freshman ever to win the Wooden award and joins a list of NBA All-Stars that have done it. Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Zion Williamson are the only other Freshman to ever do it.

    The soon to be #1 overall pick led the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. The only problem is that Flagg did not finish the job and win the NCAA Tournament like Anthony Davis did in 2011 and Carmelo Anthony did in 2003. His team finished with a 35-4 overall record and will go down as one of the best teams of all time to never win the title. A Freshman leading his University to the Final 4 is a great accomplishment, but not winning the big one will be a debate for years to come.

    It will be impossible to rank Cooper Flagg over Carmelo Anthony and Anthony Davis in my all-time Freshman ranking, simply due to the result of the NCAA Tournament. Both Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony were All-Americans that led their team to a championship as a Freshman. It will not surprise me one bit if Flagg has an NBA career like those two players though.

    Flagg will go down as one of the best Freshman to ever play college basketball. He brought the excitement back to fans for an American born NBA prospect, after two straight years of foreign #1 overall picks.

  • A Champaign Homecoming

    I am choosing to believe the rumors on Adam Miller coming back to Champaign to play his final season in Orange and Blue. Highly connected Trilly Donovan on Twitter and Derek Piper both reported that there is serious buzz about Miller entering the transfer portal and returning to Illinois. Surely enough, he entered the transfer portal this morning.

    There has been no new news since Miller entered the portal, but Illini Nation seems like they would be willing to welcome him back with open arms. The Peoria native played for the 2020-21 Illinois team that won the Big 10 Tournament and earned a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. His experience in college basketball alone, makes a homecoming worth it.

    Miller’s numbers over the past four seasons do not jump off the page but his experience and scoring ability off the bench would be valuable. He is 23 years old and will turn 24 in January, which gives Illinois an experienced guard they desperately needed last year. He shot a career best 42.9 percent from three-point land with an average of 1.9 makes per game last season on Arizona State.

    The way I see Adam Miller excelling during his second stint in Champaign is being a backup guard and a scorer off the bench. He has potential to be a Big 10 6th man of the year type player, but he would have to be willing to accept that role.