{"id":33784,"date":"2022-06-02T17:00:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T17:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/2022-nba-draft-arizona-gonzaga-and-kansas-among-winners-and-losers-from-underclassmen-deadline\/"},"modified":"2022-06-02T17:00:42","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T17:00:42","slug":"2022-nba-draft-arizona-gonzaga-and-kansas-among-winners-and-losers-from-underclassmen-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/2022-nba-draft-arizona-gonzaga-and-kansas-among-winners-and-losers-from-underclassmen-deadline\/","title":{"rendered":"2022 NBA Draft: Arizona, Gonzaga and Kansas among winners and losers from underclassmen deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"
The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw or remain in the 2022 NBA Draft came and went Wednesday night with lots of noise and major implications, both for the draft and for the 2022-23 college hoops season. <\/p>\n
There were plenty of teams that benefited from the deadline, with Kansas perhaps leading the way by getting a starter back from last season’s national title team and (officially) adding another star transfer. Soon-to-be conference foe Houston had its own deadline-night victory with Marcus Sasser announcing his college return than him.<\/p>\n
Of course, there were plenty on the other end of the spectrum to emerge as losers from the deadline. Michigan comes to mind here after losing both of its players who were testing the draft waters. Same for Arizona, which in a bit of a surprise lost Dalen Terry late in the process in addition to Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko.<\/p>\n
That’s just a sample of some of the programs and players who were affected as the deadline drew to an end Wednesday at midnight. Below is a full rundown of each – from KU to Gonzaga, Memphis to Michigan and everyone in between.<\/p>\n
Kansas was likely never running back its entire title-winning roster – Ochai Agbaji is a lottery pick and Christian Braun was expected to stay in the draft, as he did, because of his first-round prospects – but it recovered about as well as expected . KU got back soon-to-be junior Jalen Wilson, who started 27 games last season, after he took his pre-draft decision down to the wire. Wilson led Kansas in rebounding last season.<\/p>\n
That alone might’ve lifted KU into the winner’s circle, but of course Bill Self and KU tallied another dub on deadline day as Kevin McCullar Jr. officially announced he was Kansas-bound. An elite glue guy and defender, McCullar, the point man for the No. 1 defense last season at Texas Tech, was weighing a transfer to KU or staying in the draft – and he chose the former.<\/p>\n
Replacing Agbaji and Braun is a tall task even for a coach of Self’s stature – not to mention big man David McCormack, who was the team’s best player down the stretch – but the Jayhawks are certainly on the right track here. Wilson has NBA talent if he can improve as a shooter. McCullar Jr., too. They’ll be the old heads on a really interesting, and really talented, remade KU team. They won’t be the favorites to repeat as champs, but they’ll no doubt have the talent that makes them impossible to ignore on that front.<\/p>\n
Marcus Sasser played in only a dozen games last season for Houston before a crushing season-ending injury shot down a potential All-American campaign. But he announced on Wednesday that he’s back for more in 2022-23 in arguably the most impactful and simultaneously underrated stay-or-go decision of the week.<\/p>\n
Sasser popped at the combine and made his decision a tad more challenging than expected. However, in returning, he’ll likely resume his place di lui as the star for the Cougars, which has made two straight Elite Eights (and a Final Four in 2021). This is a team that has a real case to be considered the preseason No. 1. <\/p>\n
Just over a month ago, Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson announced in a huge boost for the Wolverines’ 2022-23 prospects that he would be coming back to school and putting the chase for a professional career on hold. That was the last of the good news. All throughout the pre-draft process, most believed Michigan may split the baby with Caleb Houstan and Moussa Diabate – get one back, probably lose one to the draft. Not the case. Instead, both opted to remain in the draft.<\/p>\n
Dickinson gives Michigan a solid foundation on which to build for next season, but Houstan and Diabate peacing out pushes Juwan Howard into instant-rebuild mode. His incoming recruiting class has tons of potential, but with Diabate and Houstan gone it just doesn’t look as if the Wolverines will be major factors in the Big Ten next season barring a surprise. <\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Gonzaga sharpshooter Rasir Bolton announced his decision to return to school next season. Big domino. <\/p>\n
On Wednesday evening, Gonzaga wing Julian Strawther did the same. Bigger dominoes.<\/p>\n