NBA Draft decision day winners and losers

The deadline for underclassman to withdraw from the 2018 NBA Draft was Wednesday night. We now have a clear picture of what the draft will look like with just over three weeks before the Phoenix Suns officially go on the clock with the first pick.

The underclassman deadline leaves major ramifications in the world of college basketball. Teams projected at the top of next year’s preseason polls like Kentucky, Villanova, and Kansas were all awaiting decisions from key players. Save for a few more notable transfers (like Reid Travis), college hoops rosters are now mostly settled.

These are the winners and losers from the underclassman deadline.

This is the price of winning a national championship. As recently as the start of March, Villanova had to feel confident it was getting both Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman back for next season.

It turns out neither will be back. Both players have signed an agent and will stay in the NBA Draft.

DiVincenzo made his star turn in the national championship game against Michigan, pouring in 31 points off the bench to walk away with the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. He cemented his draft status at the combine, where he put up the highest vertical jump (42 inches) of any player and also thrived in five-on-five play. We currently have DiVincenzo projected to go No. 27 overall to the Boston Celtics in our latest mock draft.

Spellman is getting less first round buzz, but he is projected to go in the middle of the second round at No. 45 overall in the latest mock by ESPN.

Losing both is a huge blow for Villanova. The Wildcats did add Albany transfer Joe Cremo to fill the hole left at shooting guard, but he’s simply not an All-American type of player the way DiVincenzo would have been. Jermaine Samuels and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree will be counted on next to Eric Paschall in the front court. Incoming freshman forward Cole Swider is another name to watch.

Villanova knew it would have to replace two underclassmen in Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, who opted to sign agents immediately. It didn’t know it would have to replace DiVincenzo and Spellman, too. This team will still be good, but it’s hard to expect another Final Four caliber season now. They’ll likely start the year between fifth and 10th in the preseason polls.

Nevada won 29 games and made it to the Sweet 16 last year. Now we know they’re bringing back their two stars, Caleb and Cody Martin, the twin brothers who do everything for the Wolf Pack on both ends of the floor.

Caleb Martin was Mountain West Player of the Year after averaging 18.9 points per game last season. Cody Martin is a more versatile defensive player and a better passer. With the Martin twins back in the fold, Nevada is now a lock to be a top-10 team in the preseason polls and a trendy Final Four pick. This team is loaded:

It’s actually too loaded: the Wolf Pack currently have 15 scholarship players for 13 spots. We’ll see what happens there. Regardless, the Martin twins’ decision to come back means Nevada will be expected to be one of college basketball’s best teams next year.

P.J. Washington will be playing basketball for free next year, so maybe winner isn’t the right word. But Washington will be entering a great situation next year at Kentucky, where he should put up big numbers for a team expected to compete for a national championship.

Kentucky was waiting on three big deadline decisions: Wenyen Gabriel and Jarred Vanderbilt decided to stay in the draft, while Washington returns to school. Each of those players would have taken part of Washington’s minutes and touches had they returned. Now Washington will be the dominant force in the Kentucky front court, where he could pair with a shot blocker like Nick Richards and move to a small-ball five role where he feels best suited.

Washington turned into Kentucky’s most reliable front court scorer by the end of the season, finishing in double-figures in scoring in 11 of his last 12 games. Whether Kentucky actually lands Reid Travis or not, you can bet that Washington will be putting up numbers.

Kevin Huerter was almost never mentioned as a potential first rounder during the season. Now that’s exactly what he looks like after a stellar combine performance. Huerter is officially staying in the draft, and he’s projected to go as high as No. 19 overall to the Atlanta Hawks in a recent mock by ESPN.

There’s a lot to like about Huerter’s game. He has great size for a wing at 6’8 and comes with a reputation as one of the best shooters in this class after hitting 41.7 percent of his threes last season (on 5.5 attempts per game). He also showed an ability to make quick reads as a passer, averaging 3.4 assists per game.

NBA teams in the 20s looking for a shooter: keep an eye on Kevin Huerter.

We had Jontay Porter pegged at No. 18 overall in our post-lottery mock draft. Then the combine happened. Porter posted the highest body fat percentage, slowest sprint time, tied for worst max vertical. Now he’s going back to Missouri for the sophomore season.

Porter’s skill level is incredibly high. He hit 36.4 percent of his threes, posted impressive shot blocking numbers and showed advanced passing ability. He’s just not a great athlete. Maybe he would have been in a better situation in the NBA, where he could have worked on transforming his body full-time without worrying about, like, going to class and whatnot. It seems like the younger brother of Michael Porter Jr. just wasn’t comfortable making the jump, though.

Missouri isn’t looking strong on paper next year — and Porter will likely be playing out of position at power forward next to Jeremiah Tilmon. Even still, Porter likely feels like he could get some lottery buzz next season, especially if he gets in shape this summer. His skill sets fits the modern NBA so well.

Brian Bowen is entering the draft because the NCAA won’t let him play college basketball next year:

Bowen was the player at the center of Louisville’s ties to the FBI investigation, allegedly receiving $100K for his late commitment. Bowen has maintained he never had any knowledge of this. At least one check was accepted by his father. Bowen transferred to South Carolina mid-season, but he’ll never get a chance to play.

It’s the NCAA’s own twisted rules that created this mess. There are so many other parties to blame — shoe companies, the culture of grassroots ball — but the only one really hurt by it is Bowen. It’s a shame he was forced into making this decision if he did indeed want to play at South Carolina next season.

Prediction: Carsen Edwards wins national player of the year next season. The Purdue point guard was absolutely dynamic as a sophomore, making several above-the-rim plays that shouldn’t be possible for a 6’1 point guard. He averaged 18.5 points per game, shot over 40 percent from three and showcased a rare ability to put up efficient numbers with a high usage rate.

Carsen Edwards is going to have a huge junior season. Book it.

Udoka Azubuike is back and Kansas is going to be absolutely stacked. There’s simply no one in college basketball who can match Azubuike’s brute force. At 7-foot, 280 pounds, Azubuike shot 77 percent from the floor as a sophomore. Yes, he’s a bad free-throw shooter, but it’s such an advantage for the Jayhawks to have a dominant inside presence like this.

The Jayhawks are bringing in bunch of transfers next season — most notably: point guard Charlie Moore and forwards K.J. and Dedric Lawson — and also have the typical stable of highly-touted recruits coming in, led by guards Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes. With Azubuike’s return, Kansas is a safe bet to be a top-three team in the preseason polls, potentially even the favorite to be No. 1.