Over 1,000 College Hoops Players Flooded the Portal in the First 10 Hours, and the List Keeps Growing

Michigan cut down the nets at 11:20 p.m. ET on Monday night. Forty minutes later, the transfer portal opened. By the next morning, more than 1,000 Division I men's basketball players had already entered their names into the portal. Yeah, you read that right. Four figures in less than ten hours.

This isn't some surprise either. Coaches across the country are bracing for the portal to absolutely explode this offseason. After drawing around 2,100 players in 2024 and nearly 2,700 last year, most are expecting this cycle to cross the 3,000 mark. The floodgates are open, and teams everywhere are scrambling to figure out who's staying and who's heading for the exits.

The NCAA Changed the Rules, and Now the Chaos Has a Schedule

The NCAA enacted new rule changes earlier this year that overhauled the transfer portal window across all sports. For men's basketball specifically, the portal is open for exactly two weeks, April 7 to April 21. That's it. Two weeks for players to make one of the biggest decisions of their careers, and for programs to pitch their case to keep their stars or land someone else's.

It's a compressed timeline that's already creating urgency. Programs have to move fast. Players have to decide fast. And the top talent in the country knows exactly what they're worth.

The Elite Talent in This Portal Is Actually Stacked

Flory Bidunga from Kansas is sitting at the top of everyone's board. The 6-10 sophomore went from averaging 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds to 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds this season, and he's blocking 2.6 shots per game. He's a legit post defender who shot 64% from the floor and racked up 13 double-doubles. Already all-conference in the Big 12 as a sophomore. That's the kind of guy who can plug in and change a team immediately.

John Blackwell from Wisconsin is another name everyone's watching. The 6-4 junior averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds and is knocking down nearly 39% of his 3-pointers. He wants to be more of a playmaker at his next stop after running off the ball next to Nick Boyd in Madison.

Then there's Juke Harris from Wake Forest. This kid exploded as a sophomore, jumping from 6.1 points as a freshman to 21.4 points per game. He had three 30-plus point performances, including a 38-point night against Boston College in 39 minutes. Top 20 nationally in scoring as a sophomore.

Paulius Murauskas from Saint Mary's entered the portal after Randy Bennett left to coach at Arizona State. The 6-8 junior forward is another piece moving around in what's shaping up to be a wild two weeks.

Keep your eyes on ESPN's portal tracker as this unfolds. The list is expanding daily, and the next two weeks are going to reshape college basketball entirely.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.