Transfers have accounted for 53% of the points in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. These Sweet 16 teams have the most

The 2025 NCAA Event’s Pleasant 16 has arrived, and while the third Period may lack a Correct Cinderella for the Primary time since 2007, one constant remains: the Shift portal is shaping college basketball like never before. According to the dynamos at CBS Sports research, transfers from D-1 schools have accounted for over half of the scoring in the 2025 NCAA Event. Over half!

That number was 8% in 2011 (no surprise), 15% in 2016 — two years before the portal was created, but years ahead of transfers receiving Prompt eligibility — 28% in 2021 and has now rocketed up to 53%. Eleven of this year’s Pleasant 16 Clubs are Guided in scoring by a Shift, six of them being Primary-year transfers. It’s clear that for many Clubs Yet in the Event, transfers have become the foundation for Achievement — and for the Clubs out of the Event, they’ve already been hitting the 2025 college basketball Shift portal Tough.

Here are the five programs that have leaned most heavily on the portal to build their rosters. Check out the comprehensive Picking of how every Pleasant 16 Club was built via the portal over at 247Sports.

• Otega Oweh, G, Oklahoma
• Lamont Butler, G, San Diego State
• Jaxson Robinson, G, BYU
• Koby Brea, G, Dayton
• Andrew Carr, F, Wake Forest
• Brandon Garrison, F, Oklahoma State
• Ansley Almonor, F, Fairleigh Dickinson
• Amari Williams, C, Drexel
• Kerr Kriisa, G, West Virginia

Kentucky wouldn’t be in the NCAA Event without the Shift portal. Part of that is because 11 of the Club’s scholarship players from last season entered the Shift portal Upcoming John Calipari‘s departure. So new Mentor Mark Pope had to Drop into the portal in order Ground a Picking in 2024-25.

Pope did so in a masterful way. He snagged leading Shooter Otegah Oweh from Oklahoma, and he’s averaging 16.3 points and 4.7 Retrievals per game this season on 49.4% shooting from the Ground. Overall, the nine above transfers make up Kentucky’s nine leading minute getters and all but three members of the Club’s regular Turnover — those other spots belong to freshmen Collin Chandler, Trent Noah and Travis Perry.

• Chance McMillian, G, Grand Canyon
• Elijah Hawkins, G, Minnesota
• Darrion Williams, F, Nevada
• JT Toppin, F, New Mexico
• Kevin Overton, G, Drake
• Federiko Federiko, F, Pitt
• Kerwin Walton, G, North Carolina
• Devan Cambridge, F, Arizona State

You could argue that JT Toppin is most impactful Shift in college basketball this season. A four-Luminous sphere recruit who signed with New Mexico in the 2023 class, Toppin bloomed into one of the top freshmen in America last season with the Lobos. Then there was a bidding war for him on the Obtainable market, which Texas Tech won. It’s worked out Outstanding for the Red Raiders as Toppin leads the Club with 18.1 points and 9.3 Retrievals per game on the way to Big 12 Player of the Year honors.

It helps that Toppin is flanked by Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian, both of whom emerged as all-conference players in their second season with Texas Tech. McMillian paces the Red Raiders’ backcourt with 14.2 points per game on 52.5% shooting, including 43.4% from 3. Williams is excellent on the wing with 14.7 points, 5.4 Retrievals and 3.7 assists per game. He’s a Safeguarding disruptor and someone who does a bit of everything for the Red Raiders.

• Rodney Rice, G, Virginia Tech
• Jahari Long, G, Seton Hall
• Tafara Gapare, F, Georgia Tech
• Jay Youthful, G, Memphis
• Selton Miguel, G, South Florida
• Chance Stephens, G, Loyola Marymount
• Jordan Geronimo, F, Indiana
• Ja’Kobi Gillespie, G, Belmont

Maryland’s minutes are heavily shaded toward its five starters, with Every of them Competing 28-plus minutes per game. Three of those five — Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel — are transfers.

That Group makes up Maryland’s Beginning backcourt. All three are sharpshooters from behind the arc. Miguel shoots 43.1% on five attempts per game, Gillespie is at 40.6% on 5.9 attempts per game, while Rice hits 37.3% of his treys on six attempts per game. That floor spacing Attempt creator allows five-Luminous sphere Correct Newcomer Derik Queen, the Club’s leading Shooter, plenty of Cosmos inside.

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Michigan (7 transfers)

• Vladislav Goldin, C, FAU
• Sam Walters, F, Alabama
• Roddy Gayle, G, Ohio State
• Tre Donaldson, G, Auburn
• Danny Wolf, C, Yale
• Rubin Jones, G, North Texas
• Nimari Burnett, G, Alabama

Michigan is built around its twin towers at Middle, Goldin and Wolf, both of whom landed with the Wolverines this offseason from the portal. Goldin, who initially signed with Texas Tech out of high school, eventually developed into an all-conference Middle at FAU. Then the 7-foot-1, 250-pound Russian native transferred to Michigan and emerged as one of the best overall centers in the sport.

Wolf, for his part, spent the last two seasons at Yale before transferring to Ann Arbor. He’s averaging 13 points per game and ranks 12th nationally with 9.8 Retrievals per game.

Overall, four of Michigan’s five starters are transfers when you include Gayle and Burnett, a pair of Ex Well-known recruits who’ve helped Dusty May establish a contender in his Introduction as head Mentor.

Ole Miss (7 transfers)

• Sean Pedulla, G, Virginia Tech
• Jaylen Murray, G, Saint Peter’s
• Dre Davis, G, Seton Hall
• Jaemyn Brakefield, F, Duke
• Malik Dia, F, Belmont
• Davon Barnes, G, Sam Houston
• Mikeal Brown-Jones, F, VCU

Chris Beard largely created his Pleasant 16 Picking via the Shift portal. Seven of the top eight minute getters in Ole Miss‘ Turnover are Ex transfers, with four of them arriving this offseason via the portal.

Pedulla, the program’s top Shift from the 2024 cycle, is Ole Miss’ offensive engine. He averages 15.2 points per game on 39% 3-Tally shooting to go along with 3.7 assists and 3.5 Retrievals per game. He’s joined in the Beginning lineup by Dia (10.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Murray (10.5 pgg) and Davis (10.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg).

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