After the passing of Wednesday’s NBA withdrawal deadline, the college basketball world now knows exactly who’s in and who’s out for 2025-26. The Big Ten, in particular, will welcome back a handful of talented, impactful players – two of which recently withdrew from the draft.
And while the transfer portal offers an opportunity to cherry-pick the best talent in the country, experience in a system is irreplaceable. Perhaps not surprisingly, each player on this list possesses exactly that.
2024-25 averages: 14.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 4.9 win shares*
*Win shares are an estimated number of wins contributed by an individual player
A 7-footer with a complete game, Bittle is a capable three-point shooter, a load to defend with his back to the basket and can even effectively put it on the floor at times.
Last season, Bittle knocked down 1.0 triples per game (33.6 percent) to keep defenses honest but did much of his work around the hoop. With next-level footwork and a soft touch, he gets to his spots effectively and connects at a high rate (58.4 percent on two-pointers).
Defensively, Bittle is a game-changing shot-blocker and help-side defender, while being a tough one-on-one defender in the post. He figures to be the key returner, alongside Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans, for an Oregon squad that is a darkhorse contender for a Big Ten title.
2024-25 averages: 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 blocks, 4.0 win shares
Eerily similar to Bittle, Ivisic is a do-it-all 7-footer. A long range marksman, Ivisic connected on 1.7 threes per game last season (35.7 percent), constantly stretching defenses and consequently opening up driving and cutting lanes for his teammates. In the mid-post and on the block, Ivisic is a magician as a passer and finisher.
Defensively, Ivisic’s impact can’t be captured by any single statistic. Both on the ball and off, Ivisic is a difference-maker, serving as a dominant interior complement to Kylan Boswell’s exterior defense. He’s a shot blocker and a shot changer around the paint, and he is only out of his element when defending more mobile centers or non-centers in switches.
Ivisic and Boswell highlight the returners for the Illini, and they’re joined by a pair of talented international prospects and high-scoring Cal transfer wing Andrej Stojakovic.
2024-25 averages: 17.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 5.7 win shares
Nowadays, with players guided by skills trainers practically the moment after emerging from the womb, the level of talent – and the number of sheer bucket-getters – in the college basketball game is nearly incomprehensible. Still, Thornton is one of a kind. Long distance bombs, pull-ups, floaters, step-throughs around the rim, finishes with either hand – you name it, Thornton has it in his bag. Toss in his otherworldly efficiency (50/42/85 shooting splits) and you have potentially the most impactful scorer – especially on the perimeter – in the country.
To top it off, Thornton is a valuable facilitator (4.6 assists per game), and turns over the ball at an exceptionally low rate (1.5 turnovers).
The returning trio of Thornton, John Mobley and Devin Royal, plus a solid supporting cast procured through the transfer portal (Brandon Noel and Christoph Tilly) position Ohio State firmly at the top of the Big Ten’s second tier.
2024-25 averages: 20.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 5.5 win shares
If Thornton is fire, then Kaufman-Renn is ice. While Thornton has an almost unimaginable number of tools in his kit, Kaufman-Renn has few – but they are of the highest quality. His short-roll push shot, drop step and baby hook are unstoppable. The beauty of his game is its simplicity. He always knows when he’s going to score and how he’s going to score – evident in his impressive efficiency (20.1 points per game on 59.5 percent shooting).
Kaufman-Renn enters next season as 50 percent of college basketball’s premier duo. His (slightly) better half: the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and first team All-American …
2024-25 averages: 15.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 2.2 steals, 5.8 win shares
Smith’s genius on the court can’t be put into writing – but we’ll try our best. A playmaking savant who seemingly sees the game unfold in slow-motion, Smith always makes the right play. He picks apart defenses seemingly at will, and coaches never have an answer for it. His capabilities in the pick-and-roll are second to none – and arguably the best the college game has seen in quite a while (although it certainly helps to have Kaufman-Renn so often as his dance partner).
Smith – a 38.1 percent three-point shooter (he knocked down 2.3 per game last season) with a midrange pull-up and an uncanny ability to work his way to the cup – is a fantastic scorer, facilitator and offensive lead. But he also added 2.2 steals per game and put up a stunning defensive box/plus minus (3.5) lasts season, despite standing just 6-foot-0.
Smith, Kaufman-Renn and shooting guard Fletcher Loter head up an experienced Purdue squad set to enter next season as the preseason favorite to cut down the nets in 2026.
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