We’ve got exactly two weeks to go until underclassmen players who are currently going through the NBA Draft process are forced to make their final decision about whether they’re going to keep their name in the draft or return to college basketball.
Here are the 12 most crucial decisions that will be made between now and then:
1. Carter Bryant (Arizona)
Bryant averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game and just 6.5 points per game in his freshman season at Arizona, but his extremely high ceiling and explosive athleticism were on full display in the final weeks of the year. Should he return to a Wildcat team that will have far fewer proven veterans than it did last season, he should be an obvious breakout sophomore star in the Big 12.
With most NBA mock drafts having Bryant solidly in the middle of the first round, it’s understandable that Arizona fans aren’t exactly holding their collective breath. SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell has Bryant going to San Antonio with the 14th pick in his latest mock.
2. Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB/committed to Michigan)
One of college basketball’s ultimate do-it-all players, Lendeborg hit the portal and committed to Michigan back in early April, but is still firmly on the fence about whether or not he’ll ever actually ever suit up for the Wolverines. He recently told Andy Katz that he plans on waiting all the way until the May 28 deadline to make his final decision, and that he’s firmly 50/50 on the decision … or maybe 60/40 towards playing for Dusty May.
With Lendeborg — who averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game last season at UAB — Michigan likely has the best transfer portal class in the country and should be a preseason top 15/10 team. Without him, the road to being a legitimate Final Four threat is much rockier.
3. RJ Luis (St. John’s/Transfer Portal)
The reigning Big East Player of the Year and a Second Team AP All-American, Luis is one of the few players on this list who hasn’t given any indication as to what he plans to do if he doesn’t keep his name in the draft. The schools involved figure to be high-profile and the dollar amount safely in the world of seven figures.
Don’t Luis’ poor performance in St. John’s second round loss to Arkansas or the drama surrounding him being benched for the last four minutes of said loss distract you from the fact that he is without question a college basketball star. At 6’7, Luis is a three-level scorer and a high energy defender. His decision making can be iffy and his three-point shot is streaky, but he’s still a player who instantly makes whichever team lands him (if a team lands him) much more of a threat to make a deep run next March than they were before his addition.
4. Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn)
Pettiford might have the toughest decision to make of anyone on this list.
Most mock drafts have Pettiford going somewhere in the first round — O’Donnell has him going 25th overall to the Magic — but if he returns to college basketball, there’s a real chance that he could be the most exciting player to watch in the country next season. Bruce Pearl will give him the keys to the Auburn offense as a sophomore, and we saw more than enough from Pettiford as the Tigers’ sixth man last season to know what that could look like. Few players in the country are more adept at putting the ball in the basket than Pettiford, and the style with which he does it would make him appointment viewing throughout the 2025-26 season.
5. Darrion Williams (Texas Tech/Transfer Portal)
Like Luis, If Williams ultimately chooses to return to school, he figures to demand one of the highest price tags of the college basketball offseason.
The 6’6 forward averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season for Texas Tech, second most on the team in both categories behind All-American J.T. Toppin (who has already announced a return to Lubbock). Williams was a breakout star in the NCAA Tournament, where he averaged 23.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in three games.
Williams is a true two-way standout who will be one of the most difficult players in the country to defend next season, regardless of where he ends up … if he ends up back at the college level.
6. Cedric Coward (Washington State/Committed to Duke)
Injuries limited Coward’s 2024-25 season to just six games, but he was still one of the most coveted players in the portal because of the numbers he put up in those six games as well as the work he did the prior two seasons at Eastern Washington. An elite outside shooter, the 6’6 Coward figures to be one of the two or three leading scorers for Duke next season, assuming he suits up for Jon Scheyer. He’ll be the first transfer portal player that Scheyer has relied on that heavily for his team to be national championship good.
7. Alex Condon (Florida)
One of the biggest contributors to Florida’s national championship run in 2025, the Australian big man now has to decide whether he wants to run it back or roll the dice that he can be a first round pick in the draft. The 6’11 Condon averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season, but struggled at times in the NCAA Tournament because of an ankle injury. He still came up big in the national title game, scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and coming up with 4 steals.
If Condon comes back, Todd Golden and company have a realistic shot at taking the “most recent back-to-back champ” title back from UConn.
8. Otega Oweh (Kentucky)
After transferring in from Oklahoma, Oweh was a breakout star for Mark Pope in his first season at Kentucky. The 6’4 guard led the Wildcats in scoring at 16.1 ppg, and consistently showcased an explosive athleticism that the college basketball world had only caught glimpses of during his time in Norman.
Pope has once again loaded up in the portal, and Kentucky figures to be a preseason top 10 team with or without Oweh, but its national title hopes will receive a significant boost if they can get the elite slasher and on-ball defender back to Lexington for one more run.
9. Milos Uzan (Houston)
One of college basketball’s elite shooters, Uzan knocked down 42.8 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc as a junior last season at Houston, nearly helping the Cougars to the national championship. Uzan is currently projected by most to be a second round pick, and recently said that he will return to college if he doesn’t end up in a position where he’s guaranteed NBA money. With or without him, Houston figures to be a preseason top five team. With him, their likelihood of being able to get over that final hurdle and capture the program’s first national title rises exponentially.
10. Thomas Sorber (Georgetown)
One of the best freshmen in college basketball last season (before that season was cut a month short due to injury), Sorber is the 18th pick in O’Donnell’s latest mock draft. The 6’10 big man with one of the longest wingspans in the country nearly averaged a double-double (14.5 points/8.5 rebounds) last season. He seems like a safe bet to keep his name in the draft.
11. Jamir Watkins (Florida State/Transfer Portal)
Watkins is testing the NBA Draft waters for a second straight spring after a 2024-25 season where he evolved into one of the most dynamic offensive players in the ACC. The versatile 6’7 wing averaged 18.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 43 percent from the floor for Leonard Hamilton’s final FSU squad. There might not be a better player in college basketball when it comes to getting to the free-throw line.
Like Luis and Williams, if Watkins ultimately elects to return to college basketball, expect there to be an all-out bidding war among some of the biggest names in the sport looking to add the missing piece to their 2025-26 roster.
12. Drake Powell (North Carolina)
The 6’6 guard put up modest numbers as a freshman (7.4 ppg/3.4 rpg) on a so-so UNC team, but his out of this world athleticism still has drawn the attention of more than a few decision makers in the NBA. His top-tier testing so far at the Combine has many people now projecting that he could keep his name in the draft, which would be a huge blow to Hubert Davis in what feels like a make-or-break season for the fifth-year head coach.