March Madness Meets Roster Roulette As Transfer Portal Intensifies

When it comes to the transfer portal in men’s college basketball, there are no easy answers. 

The 30-day transfer portal opened Monday, and by Wednesday afternoon, more than 1,300 players had declared their intent to change schools, a pace similar to the initial days of last year’s window. This year’s transfer portal includes a slightly delayed start compared to last year’s, a shorter overall window, and some different rules around COVID-19-era eligibility for players.

Much of the inherent tension around the transfer portal, however, has heightened this year as it’s established itself as a fundamental fixture of college basketball—for better and for worse. 

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, who last week was much more sanguine about the transfer portal, was among those expressing such frustration this week as he prepares for a March Madness game Friday against Ole Miss in the Sweet 16.

“Tom Izzo isn’t cheating the people that he has, that have been loyal to him, for this chaos that is going on out there,” he said. 

Izzo’s remarks highlight some of the core conflicts surrounding the transfer portal. More than 90% of Division I schools are already done with their basketball seasons, and they are rather eager to rebuild their rosters for next year—and do so within a tight window before many colleges start to conclude their academic years in early May. 

For those still competing, however, it requires multitasking between preparing for next year while also playing the climactic competition of this season, whether it be March Madness or lesser events such as the National Invitation Tournament or the new College Basketball Crown. In Izzo’s case, though, it means not thinking about the 2025–2026 campaign at all—at least for now.

“I’m going to worry today about the guys I’ve got in this program, and that’s it,” Izzo said. “If that costs me later, so be it.”

Even ESPN’s Dick Vitale, often a noted champion for the positive elements of college basketball, sounded off on the current state of the transfer portal.

“It’s a better free agency than what the pros have,” Vitale said on The Pat McAfee Show. “At least in the pros, you have a contract. I think they’ve got to think about a contract. The kids deserve money; I have no problem with that, but the bottom line is this chaotic movement. There’s no stability.”