The 2025 transfer portal cycle is not fully wrapped up yet, but Miami is the only high-major program that does not have double-digit guys on the roster right now. That speaks to the calendar shifting and numerous players opting to take the money from the college ranks instead of testing the NBA Draft waters. Also, we’ll cut Miami first-year coach Jai Lucas some slack. He hasn’t made a ton of moves yet, but landing Indiana’s Malik Reneau and pilfering five-star Shelton Henderson from Duke have been large for Lucas.
For most staffs, the idea of a team is mostly in place while the rest of the portal stragglers try to find a spot and studs like Darrion Williams, RJ Luis, Boogie Fland, PJ Haggerty and Jamir Watkins go through next week’s NBA Draft Combine before making their final stay-or-go decisions.
READ MORE: College basketball transfer portal favorite fits, Part 1.0
With the rosters starting to settle, let’s dive into some of the fits we like and don’t like from the 2025 portal cycle. Here is a breakdown of the transfer fits of Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras, Kentucky’s Mo Dioubate, Arkansas’ Malique Ewin, UCLA’s Donovan Dent, and LSU’s Marquel Sutton.
F Alvaro Folgueiras
Transferring from: Robert Morris
Transferring to: Iowa
Buy or sell: Buy. Utah, Howard and Abilene Christian were the only Division I teams that used cuts to create buckets more often than Ben McCollum’s Drake club.
If he wants to replicate that at Iowa, McCollum needs versatile bigs who can pass the leather off the rock. Alvaro Folgueiras certainly checks off that box. But Folgueiras is such a terrific fit because he’s more than just a stretch 5 who can pass a little bit. It’s the type of 3s you can dial up for Folgueiras that should entice McCollum.
Robert Morris used Folgueiras as a real movement shooter, especially when he was guarded by unsuspecting centers who aren’t used to chasing a shooter around a screen or two for a triple. Most traditional 5s are likely going to take fellow Iowa big man Cam Manyawu, but McCollum is still going to use Folgueiras’ on-the-move shooting to unlock different levers for this Iowa attack. Folgueiras’ feathery jumper is one thing, but the advantages he will create for others might be most important.
Of course, All-American candidate Bennett Stirtz, 247Sports’ No. 3-ranked transfer, will be the maestro behind everything, but this Iowa offense has some pieces to be dangerous. Brendan Hausen is an elite movement shooter who will gobble up attention. Folgueiras can do the same, albeit to a lesser degree. When defenses sell out with hard-hedges or blitzes against Stirtz, Folgueiras’ playmaking should shine in those 4-on-3 scenarios. His cutting should also be elevated in McCollum’s scheme.
Combining numerous smart basketball players is usually a recipe for success. Iowa so clearly has ’em.
RELATED: Final ranking for the top 150 players in the college basketball transfer portal
F Mo Dioubate
Transferring from: Alabama
Transferring to: Kentucky
Buy or sell: Buy. Defense is the name of the game for Mo Dioubate. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward can guard literally anybody. Alabama usually had him tangle against those do-it-all forwards like Duke’s Cooper Flagg or South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles, but he was more than comfortable swallowing up shifty point guards like Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler or Vanderbilt’s Jason Edwards.
Opponents shot just 27% when driving against Dioubate, per Synergy. That’s an unconscious number. Defense will so clearly get Dioubate on the floor, but Alabama’s offense was quietly way, way better with Dioubate on the floor, even though he shot just 60% from the charity stripe and made only 12 treys.
- Alabama’s offensive rating with Dioubate vs. top-100 teams, per hoop-explorer: 122.8
- Alabama’s offensive rating without Dioubate vs. top-100 teams: 115.3
A lot of the actions that Alabama used to make Dioubate successful can be replicated by Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff. That scheme similarity is a big reason why I’m bullish on this transfer portal fit. Alabama and Kentucky are heated rivals on the floor but kindred brethren in X’s and O’s. Dioubate should have no issues picking up these schemes rather quickly.
Dioubate is Kentucky’s Andrew Carr replacement at the 4, but he may operate more as the Amari Williams replacement when the ‘Cats have the rock. Kentucky should be able to use Dioubate as a counter in the heavy dribble-handoff actions that are littered in Pope’s schemes. Dioubate is terrific at reading the defense, faking those dribble handoffs and slicing to the cup for jams. Kentucky can also use him for big-on-big pick-and-rolls or some inverted actions to create more advantages.
Dioubate’s vicious defense and revved-up motor are excellent intangibles, but his decision-making offensively should only get better with time and help this Kentucky offense hum.
C Malique Ewin
Transferring from: Florida State
Transferring to: Arkansas
Buy or sell: Sell. Arkansas, smartly, landed two competent centers to bolster its frontcourt. On paper, Florida State transfer Malique Ewin looks like the favorite to start with South Carolina transfer Nick Pringle coming off the bench. But I think Pringle is a far better scheme fit for what John Calipari wants to do defensively. Ewin’s defense in space was a real problem last year. Smart offenses routinely tried to bait him into a switch and easily drove past him.
