Wednesday marked the last chance for college basketball players to withdraw from the NBA Draft, and deadline day delivered with some drama as several big names took their decisions down to the wire. But as the dust settled and the 2024 draft pool became crystalized, college basketball as a whole proved to be a winner.
Among the big-names opting to return were All-Americans such as Mark Sears of Alabama and Caleb Love of Arizona. Both have been getting buckets in college basketball for years and have been to Final Fours during their already illustrious careers. Now, both will be back to use their fifth and final season of eligibility.
Just like Zach Edey’s decision in 2023 to return for a fourth season at Purdue proved to be consequential, the decisions Sears and Love announced Wednesday could still be reverberating through the sport when the 2025 Final Four arrives. But of course, it wasn’t all good news for everyone around the country.
A handful of programs saw major contributors opt to stay in the draft. Given the relative scarcity of talent remaining in the transfer portal, replacing an NBA-bound player at this point in the year can be tough.
Here are the winners and losers from a draft deadline day that brought us one step closer to a full picture of what college basketball rosters will look like in the 2024-25 season.
Winner: Tide rolling with return of Sears, Stevenson
The Crimson Tide secured the biggest win of their offseason on Wednesday when Sears announced he would be withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to school. Sears was one of the top players in college basketball last season, and his return could have Alabama in contention to be the preseason No. 1 ranked team this fall.
In addition, Jarin Stevenson — a formerly highly touted recruit from the 2023 recruiting cycle who starred in Alabama’s Elite Eight win over Clemson — will also be returning. Stevenson primarily…
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