As soon as the transfer portal opened, there was a mad rush to rebuild rosters, with players being added and subtracted at a dizzying rate.
Now three weeks later, with the portal closed and the NBA draft early-entry deadline passed, the picture of 2026-27 men's college basketball rosters is coming into focus -- including where the remaining holes are.
Which would-be contenders are one player addition away from entering the national discussion for next season? With fewer than 10 of the top 100 transfers in ESPN's rankings uncommitted, and every five-star high school senior off the board following Tyran Stokes' commitment to Kansas, let's take stock of the missing pieces for five teams.
Arizona: Koa Peat insurance
The answer to this issue could be... Koa Peat himself. Peat is projected to go No. 24 overall in ESPN's latest mock draft, although, according to NBA draft expert Jeremy Woo, "some teams viewed [Peat] as an excellent candidate to return to school and improve his stock." If the former five-star forward is still projected in that range after the NBA draft combine, might he return to Tucson? Tommy Lloyd would welcome him back with open arms.
If Peat stays in the draft, however, Lloyd and his staff desperately need to find a starter in the frontcourt. The Wildcats received positive news when Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov withdrew from the draft and returned to school, and they're well-stocked in the backcourt with Derek Dixon, JJ Mandaquit and Caleb Holt. But they lack pieces up front.
Lloyd has been the best international recruiter in the country over the past 20 years, though -- he could go that route to replace Peat.
St. John's: One more starter-caliber player
Rick Pitino had success in the transfer portal last spring, but the Red Storm have not been as aggressive so far this offseason. They've been far more active internationally instead, adding three European prospects with professional experience, headlined by British point guard Quinn Ellis. Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman was a big get up front, while Ian Jackson and Ruben Prey should be back as potential starters.
The Johnnies still have one more spot in the starting lineup, whether it's another big man or a high-level wing. They hosted Moustapha Thiam for a visit before he committed to Michigan, and they were battling Gonzaga for Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop, but lost out. The question is whether they continue their pursuit of a high-ceiling center, or pivot to the wing and look to land one of the top players left in the portal.
Kentucky: Star power on the perimeter
It's been an offseason of misses for Mark Pope and the Wildcats, from BYU point guard Robert Wright III returning to the Cougars earlier this month to Stokes' commitment to Kansas.
Kentucky does have a talented young group, with transfers Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman) in the backcourt as well as overseas pro Ousmane N'Diaye and returning starter Malachi Moreno up front. But there's a noticeable lack of shooting and high-level scoring on the wing. Stokes would have certainly solved the latter problem.
Fortunately for Kentucky, there are still a few options in the portal that could fill both voids. Milan Momcilovic, Juke Harris, Tounde Yessoufou and Allen Graves are all in the NBA draft, but could potentially be persuaded to return to college with a high enough offer. Otherwise, Pope could opt for the high school reclassification or European market.
BYU: A starting center
In the first season of the post-AJ Dybantsa era in Provo, Kevin Young again has the makings of a talented offensive team. Convincing Wright to return after he'd entered the portal was a huge win -- as was landing top-10 recruit Bruce Branch III, a skilled scorer. The Cougars also landed Kentucky transfer Collin Chandler, who had committed to BYU out of high school. There are plenty of options on the perimeter.
Up front, Keba Keita is gone after anchoring the frontcourt the past couple of seasons, and former top-50 recruit Xavion Staton barely saw the floor before transferring to Oregon State. Power-conference transfers Tyler Betsey (Syracuse) and Jake Wahlin (Clemson) can play next to a true 5, while high-motor rising sophomore Khadim Mboup is better as a complementary player. To potentially solve this, BYU recently hosted elite 2027 center Obinna Ekezie, a major reclassification candidate, and has also been connected to international NBA draft prospect Luigi Suigo.
Villanova: Starter up front
After producing one of the surprise seasons nationally last season -- going from seventh in the preseason Big East poll to the NCAA tournament -- Kevin Willard has done a stellar job rebuilding this offseason, despite losing starting point guard Acaden Lewis. Tyler Perkins is back as a starter and Willard added power-conference starters Devin Royal (Ohio State) and Kwame Evans Jr. (Oregon), as well as a slew of high-scoring mid-major guards.
Still, the Wildcats need a frontcourt stalwart to start next to Evans, especially as freshman starter Matt Hodge recovers from a torn ACL suffered in early March. They've missed out on multiple options, including Georgetown transfer Julius Halaifonua, who committed to Oklahoma State.
