Biggest remaining needs for potential men's basketball title contenders - ESPN

As soon as the transfer portal opened, there was a mad rush to rebuild rosters, with players being added and subtracted at a dizzying rate.

Now three weeks later, with the portal closed and the NBA draft early-entry deadline passed, the picture of 2026-27 men's college basketball rosters is coming into focus — including where the remaining holes are.

Which would-be contenders are one player addition away from entering the national discussion for next season? With fewer than 10 of the top 100 transfers in ESPN's rankings uncommitted, and every five-star high school senior off the board following Tyran Stokes' commitment to Kansas, let's take stock of the missing pieces for five teams.

The answer to this issue could be… Koa Peat himself. Peat is projected to go No. 24 overall in ESPN's latest mock draft, although, according to NBA draft expert Jeremy Woo, «some teams viewed [Peat] as an excellent candidate to return to school and improve his stock.» If the former five-star forward is still projected in that range after the NBA draft combine, might he return to Tucson? Tommy Lloyd would welcome him back with open arms.

If Peat stays in the draft, however, Lloyd and his staff desperately need to find a starter in the frontcourt. The Wildcats received positive news when Motiejus Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov withdrew from the draft and returned to school, and they're well-stocked in the backcourt with Derek Dixon, JJ Mandaquit and Caleb Holt. But they lack pieces up front.

Lloyd has been the best international recruiter in the country over the past 20 years, though — he could go that route to replace Peat.

Rick Pitino had success in the transfer portal last spring, but the Red Storm have not been as aggressive so far this