Villanova, Oregon the big winners from NBA draft deadline day
With the NCAA adopting a new rule for early-entry college prospects in the NBA draft this year, the month of May became very dramatic for many programs.
With just four names remaining before the midnight deadline, here's a list of programs that have lots to celebrate, and those that were hit hardest by early defections to the professional ranks.
Winners
Oregon
Gone early: Nobody
Returning: Dillon Brooks, Tyler Dorsey, Chris Boucher
With Dillon Brooks, Tyler Dorsey, and Chris Boucher all returning to Oregon, Dana Altman's program looks to be a strong bet to repeat the success of 2015-16. The Ducks, who took home the Pac-12 title and captured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, will almost certainly be a top-five team in the preseason rankings. The trio of returnees combined for 42.2 points and 17.1 rebounds per game last season, with Boucher also adding a ridiculous 110 blocks on the season. Add a solid recruiting class to the mix and the Ducks are poised for another deep run in 2016-17.
Villanova
Gone early: Nobody
Returning: Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins
There hasn't been a repeat national champion since Florida in 2007 and 2008, but Villanova will have a very good chance of breaking that skid this coming season. The defending champs saw leading scorer Josh Hart and tournament hero Kris Jenkins both withdraw from the draft to join a loaded roster. The Wildcats will certainly feel the losses of graduating seniors Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu, but super freshman Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges are another year older for Jay Wright's bunch.
North Carolina
Gone early: Nobody
Returning: Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks
Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson's decision to return to school will give North Carolina one of the best frontcourts in the country. Graduating senior Brice Johnson's production will be difficult to replace, but the committee of big men that Roy Williams can employ should do so. Jackson's return came as somewhat of a surprise, and certainly has Tar Heel fans giddy about next year's roster. It wouldn't be a shock to anyone involved to see both North Carolina and Villanova in the championship game again come next April.
Losers
UNLV
Gone early: Stephen Zimmerman, Derrick Jones Jr., Patrick McCaw, Chris Obekpa
Returning: Nobody who declared
Last one left in Vegas please shut off the lights. The coaching carousel at UNLV led to the program losing a large part of its roster to the NBA draft. First the school fired Dave Rice in January, then decided to let interim coach Todd Simon walk in March. Chris Beard was chosen as the savior, only to bolt within a week for the Texas Tech job. Enter former New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies, who failed to convince any of the departing quartet to remain at the school. In early-entry defections alone, the Rebels lose a combined 36.7 points and 18.3 rebounds per contest. Menzies first season with the program could be a disaster with this amount of roster turnover.
Washington
Gone early: Dejounte Murray, Marquese Chriss
Returning: Nobody who declared
If Dejounte Murray and Marquese Chriss returned to a Washington team bringing in top recruit Markelle Fultz, the Huskies would have been a preseason top-10 team. Instead it will be Fultz alone, with both the talented freshman opting to remain in the NBA draft. Coach Lorenzo Romar couldn't have been too surprised, as Chriss is a likely lottery pick and Murray an early second-round projection, but losing such talent is crippling to the program. With Andrew Andrews lost to graduation, nobody returning to the team scored more than 7.5 points per game last season.
Maryland
Gone early: Robert Carter Jr., Diamond Stone
Returning: Melo Trimble
Maryland knew that graduating seniors Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon would be moving on, but the fact that Diamond Stone and Robert Carter Jr. are joining them is tough on the Terrapins. Mark Turgeon's program scored a win with Melo Trimble coming back, but after him Jared Nickens' 5.4 points per game makes him the second-highest returning scorer. The Big Ten will be strong yet again in 2016-17, and with just Trimble returning, Maryland could be in for a rebuilding year.