The 2024-2025 Final Four was nothing short of an epic clash between what many considered to be four of the best teams in college basketball. Yet, one of the most underrated elements of the final three games of the season was the abundance of high-level guards who got their start at mid-major programs. Walter Clayton Jr., Denver Jones, Sion James and Alijah Martin all were huge contributors to their respective programs.
Now, James Madison transfer Bryce Lindsay looks to be the next player to make an impact at a new program. The 6’2″ guard posted averages of 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while eclipsing double figures in scoring on 21 separate occasions. Earlier today Lindsay narrowed his list of suitors down to a pair of SEC teams, two ACC programs, two members of the Big 10 and a team in the Big East.
The Final 7 Potential Landing Spots for Bryce Lindsay
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are fresh off claiming the national championship in large part thanks to the play of a trio of veteran guards. Will Richard, Walter Clayton Jr., and Alijah Martin all got their collegiate starts at mid-major programs yet combined to average 46 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.
All three will be gone next season, leaving a massive void along the perimeter for the Gators.
Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar will likely be tasked with stepping into larger roles, while four-star freshman Alex Lloyd will also be joining the program. Todd Golden has shown an outstanding knack for identifying and developing mid-major guards who can thrive at the highest levels of the sport.
Lindsay only played a single high major program, Wake Forest, and struggled in that game. But Golden could help Lindsay reach a new level of play.
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Commodores were incredibly reliant on their perimeter play during the 2024-2025 season. Six players, all six-foot-five or shorter, logged an average of 18 minutes or more per game.
Unfortunately for head coach Mark Byington, four of his guards have entered the portal, including leading scorer Jason Edwards. In addition, both AJ Hoggard and Chris Manon have exhausted their eligibility.
The Commodores have landed a commitment from TCU guard Frankie Collins who averaged over 11 points and four assists per game. Bryce Lindsay could view Vanderbilt as an opportunity to instantly make an impact and contend for a starting role alongside Collins right away.
Miami Hurricanes
Newly named head coach Jai Lucas is looking to rebuild the Miami basketball program and has already added four impact transfers, including point guard Tre Donaldson and shooting guard Tru Washington.
Both players were important pieces to winning program,s with Washington starting for the 27-8 New Mexico Lobos and Donaldson averaging over 11 points per game for the Michigan Wolverines.
Lindsay undoubtedly has a role at Miami, but if he is looking to start immediately, there will likely be stiff competition for a starting role in the backcourt with Donaldson and Washington in town.
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers were one of the few teams to suffer an upset during the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers deployed a strong backcourt tandem in Jaeden Zackery and Chase Hunter but both players look to be out of eligibility heading into next year. On top of this Jake Heidbreder and Del Jones have both entered the portal leaving Dillon Hunter as the lone returning guard who was actively in the rotation.
At six-foot-three Lindsay has the positional size the Tigers could be looking for and statistically posted numbers that are well within the production of both Zackery and Hunter. Clemson will also be bringing in four star freshman guard Zac Foster. With Lindsay just finishing up his redshirt freshman season, he and Foster could form an interesting, young duo.
USC Trojans
It is no secret that USC’s head coach, Eric Musselman, is always active in the portal. After an up-and-down year that resulted in a 17-18 final record, there looks to be lots of changes for the Trojans. The trio of Chibuzo Agobo, Isaiah Elohim, and Wesley Yates will not be suiting up for the Musselman next year. Leading scorer Desmond Claude has not made his intentions for next season known. There is a definite need for a player of Lindsay’s ability in southern California.
The only question is if Claude is back, along with the incoming freshman duo of Alijah Arenas and Jerry Easter, Lindsay could find himself in a battle for a starting job.
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Indiana Hoosiers
Another program that will be employing a new head coach, the Hoosiers, has had a lot of roster movement recently. Jakai Newton, Gabe Cupps, Kanaan Carlyle, and Myles Rice have all hit the portal. New coach Darian DeVries will need to reinforce his backcourt to compete in the Big 10.
As it stands, DePaul’s Conor Enright has committed to the Hoosiers, but there is still plenty of room for improvement, and Lindsay will likely earn a significant role with Indiana right off the bat.
Villanova Wildcats
The final team looking to secure the services of Bryce Lindsay will be Kevin Willard’s Villanova Wildcats. Out of all the aforementioned programs, Villanova is in flux, losing quite a bit of talent, and has yet to make any additions.
Aleksandar Gavalyugov and Chris Parker are in the portal. The Wildcats are planning on hosting Rodney Rice, who played for Willard at Maryland last year, but other top programs, such as Tennessee and Gonzaga, are also making a run at Rice.
Willard needs talent, and he needs to add it quickly. Lindsay may not have proven his ability to play at the highest level consistently, but his production was solid in the Sun Belt Conference. Terrance Edwards Jr. is an outstanding example of how guards from James Madison can compete at the higher levels of college basketball.
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