The NIL and transfer portal era of college athletics turns every student-athlete in the nation into a free agent when the portal opens. Nowadays, it’s incredibly commonplace to see several players leave and join new schools in the spring, with some schools building their rosters mainly from incoming transfers.
One of the most important traits in a coach now is the ability to retain players during the offseason. It’s a demonstration of the coach’s ability to sell the project and keep the players motivated.
A few programs have achieved this so far this offseason. Here’s the list:
Top 5 Teams With Zero Transfer Portal Entries
#1 Arizona Wildcats
Tommy Lloyd’s men were the favorites to win this year’s national title, but in the end, they fell short, losing in the Final Four to Michigan. Regardless, they were one of the better programs in the nation, winning the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles and finishing as the No. 3 team in the AP Poll.
#2 Illinois Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini made it all the way to the Final Four, too, where they lost to UConn. Possibly the underdog of the Final Four, the Fighting Illini also had a great season by their own standards. While they finished third in the Big Ten standings and had arguably a disappointing Big Ten Tournament outing, falling in the quarterfinals, they finished as the No. 5 team in the nation. A great improvement from their middle-of-the-road 2024-25 season.
# 3 Iowa Hawkeyes
The Iowa Hawkeyes had, arguably, a quite mundane regular season, finishing ninth in the Big Ten standings. They were also kicked out of the Big Ten Tournament in the third round, falling to Ohio State. They sort of made up for it in the NCAA Tournament, where they reached the Elite Eight round, and they managed a signature win in the second round, where they defeated then-reigning champions Florida. In the end, the AP ranked them as the No. 15 program in the country.
#4 Michigan State Spartans
Michigan was the team on this list that was eliminated the earliest in this year’s March Madness. The Spartans only reached the Sweet 16 round, where they lost to eventual runners-up UConn. In the regular season, they finished fourth in the Big Ten, and in the conference tournament, they were eliminated in their first game in the quarterfinals by UCLA. Regardless, they’re the No. 11 program in the country, according to the AP’s Top 25.
#5 Purdue Boilermakers
Possibly the biggest disappointment of this list, in terms of what was expected of them in the Big Dance and what they actually achieved. While they reached the Elite Eight round, where they fell to Arizona, they were certainly expected to compete for the national title after winning the Big Ten Tournament. It was just plain bad luck that they had to face the Wildcats in the Elite Eight. They finished the year as the No. 6 team in the nation.
Tommy Lloyd to stay at Arizona for the 2026-27 season
Tommy Lloyd will be staying with the school for next season, despite being linked to several jobs in college and the NBA.
Lloyd revealed his decision in a press conference on Friday.
“I’m staying at Arizona,” he said at a Friday news conference. “Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart.”
Asked about his links to the Charlotte Hornets, Lloyd said:
“I made a decision that my Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr, and I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat,” joked Lloyd.
The Arizona Wildcats failed to win the national title, despite arriving at the Final Four as favorites. Lloyd’s offseason will center around how to turn Arizona into national title contenders for 2026-27, likely using the transfer portal.
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