Massive roster churn is unfolding in Pac-12 basketball
The rosters of Pac-12 basketball teams in the 2023-2024 season are going to be dramatically different compared to this past season. This is less a product of graduations and used-up eligibility, more a product of a lot of transfers in and out of the conference.
We know that the transfer portal — especially within the context of COVID-year eligibility — has democratized college basketball. This is how Florida Atlantic, San Diego State, and Miami have all gained key transfer pieces which helped fuel a first run to the Final Four at those three schools.
Yet, even though we know the portal is a whirlwind of activity, it might still be startling to grasp just how busy and volatile the portal already is, with many more movements (and player decisions) left to come. Players are flying out the door at several Pac-12 programs, and in some cases, they’re transferring from one Pac-12 team to another. Consider the example of Colorado’s Lawson Lovering transferring to rival Utah.
High-profile transfers are part of the Pac-12 landscape, too. Take — for instance — Kel’el Ware transferring out of Oregon.
The pace at which Pac-12 players are hitting the portal is faster than a 1990 Loyola Marymount basketball game, an Indianapolis 500 race, or Usain Bolt in the 100-meter dash.
Nearly half of several Pac-12 rosters are already in the portal:
That's 6 Washington players in the portal, tied with Colorado for most of any Pac-12 school. Utah has 5 in the portal, ASU and Washington State 4 each.
UCLA (so far) only one without a portal entry https://t.co/x29YfuNXNO
— Brian Pedersen (@realBJP) March 27, 2023
More Pac-12 transfers have occurred since this March 27 tweet. Adding these transfers to graduated players points to a radically reshaped Pac-12 which — in terms of roster construction — will bear very little resemblance to the past season at several programs. USC is actually retaining most of its core rotation, but with Reese Dixon-Waters and Malik Thomas in the portal, the Trojans are in the market for a high-end shooter and/or a power forward who can address the remaining weaknesses on the 2024 roster.
