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Hickey: Biggest transfer portal losses for every Big Ten basketball team
By Alex Hickey
Published:
Michigan basketball is having a heck of an offseason — and not in a good way.
The Wolverines lost Hunter Dickinson, who is the best Big Ten player to enter the transfer portal this offseason.
Now to top it off, Michigan’s presumed top addition is no longer enrolling at the school. Former North Carolina guard Caleb Love’s recruitment opened back up this week due to a reported admissions issue at Michigan involving credits.
Not every Big Ten program is reeling to the extent Michigan is, but all of them have lost a player in the portal.
In most cases, those defections have been offset by the addition of equal or greater talent. We’ve already covered the top transfer to join each B1G team this spring.
Now, we take a look at the best players to leave each team.
Illinois: PG Jayden Epps (Georgetown)
Epps originally committed to Ed Cooley at Providence before signing with Illinois. Now that Cooley is at Georgetown, the duo is finally together.
Epps assumed the role as Illinois’ starting point guard after fellow freshman Skyy Clark quit the team midseason. But by the end of the season, Brad Underwood had more trust in Terrence Shannon handling the point even though Shannon’s strong suit is playing off the ball.
Epps is certainly a loss — he averaged 9.5 points per game. And he’s likely to be a better player next year. But Underwood seemed prepared to absorb the loss come the end of last season.
Indiana: SG Tamar Bates (Missouri)
Bates could get red-hot at home — he hit 5 3-pointers against Nebraska and Michigan State — but for some reason that skill never traveled outside of Assembly Hall. In 2 seasons as a Hoosier, Bates never made more than 2 3-pointers on the road.
He was a beloved presence in the Indiana locker room, though, and will no doubt bring those intangibles to Mizzou. And perhaps SEC arenas will be more amenable to Bates discovering his stroke on the road.
Iowa: PG Ahron Ulis (Nebraska)
Ulis had 3 points and no assists in his final 3 games as a Hawkeye even though he started all 3 games and averaged 15.3 minutes per game. So there was reason for Iowa to move on.
As for Ulis, a fresh start with Fred Hoiberg might do wonders. Don’t be shocked if he puts together a career performance against the Hawkeyes next year.
Maryland: SF Hakim Hart (Villanova)
Hart is the best B1G player to enter the portal behind Dickinson.
The 6-8 wing averaged 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and was Maryland’s top player behind point guard Jahmir Young. The chance for the Philly native to play his final college season back home was too much to resist.
Michigan: C Hunter Dickinson (Kansas)
As Dickinson stated, this move was all about the money.
Kansas was willing to make things happen with NIL that Michigan wasn’t willing to match. The Wolverines are likely better off without Dickinson’s immaturity, but they are going to miss his scoring output — especially now that Love isn’t coming in to help replace it.
Michigan State: Wing Pierre Brooks (Butler)
With Jaden Akins and Tyson Walker back in the fold, there’s not much of a place for Brooks in Michigan State’s lineup next season if he actually wants significant playing time.
Hence, he’s no longer on Michigan State’s roster. Brooks will actually get a chance to start for Thad Matta at Butler.
Minnesota: SF Jamison Battle (Ohio State)
Battle is a significant departure for Ben Johnson’s talent-starved roster. Battle averaged 17.5 points per game after transferring to the Gophers from George Washington in 2021-22, but dipped to 12.4 ppg last season.
Battle can play small or power forward, though given Ohio State’s current roster makeup he seems best suited for the wing.
At any rate, the Gophers look like a stone-cold lock to stay in the B1G cellar without Battle.
Nebraska: PF Wilhelm Breidenbach (TBA)
Breidenbach averaged around 3 points and 3 rebounds per game in his 2 seasons as a Cornhusker, and Hoiberg has already landed better replacements in the portal. Nebraska will miss Breidenbach’s Kurt Rambis-caliber goggles game, though.
Ohio State: F Eugene Brown (Georgia Southern)
Brown was a part-time starter for the Buckeyes in 2022, but his role eroded in 2023 behind Brice Sensabaugh and Roddy Gayle. The Georgia native gets to go back home to a potential starring role in the Sun Belt.
Penn State: SF Evan Mahaffey (Ohio State)
Virtually every Nittany Lion to log significant minutes last season was a senior, so it’s hard to call anything a major loss. Especially with Mike Rhoades bringing in an entirely new system from Micah Shrewsberry.
But Mahaffey would have been a building block if Shrewsberry had stuck around Happy Valley, and he’ll have a chance to contribute at Ohio State.
Purdue: SG Brandon Newman (TBA)
Newman flashed star potential as a freshman, but instead ended up a role player in his next 2 seasons. He did play a key role for Matt Painter, particularly on defense. But it’s understandable that Newman would like to finish his career somewhere he can return to his roots as a scorer.
Though Newman has power conference talent, one can’t help but wonder how he might shine playing for hometown Valparaiso.
Rutgers: SG Cam Spencer (TBA)
In a stunning move given both the calendar and his role on the team, Spencer entered his name in the transfer portal on Friday afternoon. Though it was done past the deadline, Spencer is still eligible to play elsewhere next season because he is a graduate transfer.
Spencer was Rutgers’ scoring co-leader with 13.2 points per game and led the team with 78.2% of total minutes played. His shot to hand No. 1 Purdue its first loss of the season will forever live in Rutgers lore.
Spencer’s departure makes it imperative that Paul Mulcahy returns to Piscataway after testing the NBA Draft waters.
Wisconsin: SG Jordan Davis (Illinois State)
Iowa’s twin transition from Keegan to Kris Murray ended up being pretty seamless. Kris will join Keegan in the NBA next year.
Wisconsin’s twin transition from Johnny to Jordan Davis … was not. Jordan began the season as a starter, but by mid-January it was clear he’s just not that player. Maybe he can be at Illinois State.
Alex Hickey is an award-winning writer who has watched Big Ten sports since it was a numerically accurate description of league membership. Alex has covered college football and basketball since 2008, with stops on the McNeese State, LSU and West Virginia beats before being hired as Saturday Tradition's Big Ten columnist in 2021. He is an Illinois native and 2004 Indiana University graduate.