Wednesday was the deadline for players to opt out NBA Draft They retained their collegiate eligibility, and many of the big names made their decisions over the phone. Among the most notable was Kentucky center selection Oscar Chipuis remain in the draft and Purdue star Zack Eddy they chose Back for another season with boilers.
Eddie and Chibui are the most recent national players of the year, so their decisions loomed especially large on the collegiate scene. But across the sport, coaches and fans have waited with nervous anticipation for players from their schools to officially announce their intentions.
There have been some solid hits for college teams, like UConn forward Andre Jackson Jr. to stay in the draft. There was also a lot of good news for college teams as some programs learned that several major contributors would drop out of the draft and return to college.
As the dust settles on a big day for college sports and basketball rosters for the 2023-24 season, let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from the draft deadline.
WINNER: FAU brings back all five starters from the Final Four team
The 2023 NCAA Tournament Darlings cleared one hurdle when they managed to keep key players from their Final Four out of the transfer gate. On Wednesday, the Owls crossed another hurdle as leading scorers Elijah Martin and Jonelle Davis announced they were withdrawing from the draft. With all five starters coming back from a 35-4 team, FAU will start the 2023-24 season ranked and likely a favorite to win the AAC title during its first season in the conference.
Loser: Kentucky is hurt by the leavers
Not only did Kentucky lose Chippui in recruiting, but it also lost winger Chris Livingston. Although Antonio Reeves withdrew from the draft, his future in the UK remains uncertain. Whatever happens with Reeves, the departures of Tshiebwe and Livingston leave manager John Calipari with some work to do at the transfer gate in order to deliver a competitive roster. While the Wildcats welcome the No. 1 rated recruiting class in the country, the UK is sorely lacking in proven collegiate production and has many scholarships open to fill a point in the calendar when there is a shortage of quality talent available.
WINNER: Purdue gets good news from Eddie
Eddie made up his mind until Wednesday night before letting every Purdue fan breathe a sigh of relief. The reigning National Player of the Year returns for some redemption after the Big Ten regular season and the tournament champions were knocked out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson. No single player’s decision had greater impacts on their team than the one Eddie faced. The 7-foot-4 Boilermakers star will return to competition at the highest level of college basketball for the 2023-24 season.
Winner: Michigan State takes back the pair of keys
With news on Wednesday that AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins have dropped out of the draft, the Spartans are on track to bring back five of their top six scorers while adding a freshman class that includes three of their top 35 players. The last time Michigan State did better than a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament was in 2019, but that should change completely with the roster compiled by legendary coach Tom Izzo for the 2023-24 season.
Loser: UConn loses another in the draft
The Huskies were already losing the most statistically productive players from their national title in the draft in Jordan Hawkins and Adama Sanogo. Then came Wednesday’s news that veteran Andrew Jackson Jr. would be staying in the draft as well. This is a brutal trio to lose to coach Dan Hurley, although the returning group of Tristen Newton, Alex Karapan and Donovan Clingan is a nice trio to rebuild.
WINNER: Creighton welcomes back key players
It’s been a rollercoaster for the Bluejays since they made their deepest ever NCAA Tournament to the Elite Eight. First, it looked like all five newbies might return. Then, once Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma got into the gate while Trey Alexander and Ryan Kalkbrenner scouted for the NBA draft, it looked like maybe only one player would come back. This week’s news of Alexander and Kalkbrenner’s running backs means head coach Greg McDermott will be back with three starters. He’s also added a powerful move class to help atone for the departed. This team will compete for the Big East title.
Loser: Baylor loses his start
Baylor is replacing its entire backcourt after Adam Flagler officially joined Keyonte George in the NBA Draft by keeping his name in the pool on Wednesday. With LG Cryer moving to Houston, coach Scott Drew will rely on a new group of guards to carry the offensive burden of a Bears team that will be powerless to reproduce. Forward Jalen Bridges pulled his name from the draft, but he would be the only player to return to the team.
WINNER: Illinois takes back Shannon, Hawkins
Terrence Shannon and Coleman Hawkins are ranked No. 45 and No. 53, respectively, in the CBS Sports NBA rankings. Getting them back is a coup for coach Brad Underwood. Without them, this list would have been hazy. With them, it looks like it has the right mix of veterans and newcomers to make the Illini a factor in the Big Ten race.
WINNER: Sears, Quinnerly is back at Alabama
Alabama needed good news from veteran guards Mark Sears and Jahvon Quinnerly. They got it. Both dropped out of the draft and came back to anchor a group losing some key first-team pieces in program history to earn the top seed in the NCAA Tournament.