Stojakovic stays, Arizona loses two lottery picks, and Congress wants to rewrite the rules
Andrej Stojakovic's last-minute return to Illinois headlines a chaotic May 27 NBA Draft deadline that also saw Arizona lose projected lottery picks Koa Peat and Brayden Burries, the Washington Wizards land the No. 1 draft pick, and Tounde Yessoufou commit to St. John's for a reported $6 million NIL package. Milan Momcilovic remains the offseason's unresolved storyline. On the women's side, Tennessee completes its staff rebuild, Florida's Tammi Reiss continues her roster overhaul, and South Carolina is unanimous at No. 1 in way-too-early women's rankings. Congress introduced the Protect College Sports Act to limit transfers and cap NIL spending, while the NCAA confirmed a 76-team tournament expansion for 2026-27.
Two-week catch-up edition — May 18–June 1, 2026. The May 25 run was skipped due to an infrastructure outage; this issue covers both weekly cycles.
Two weeks in college basketball's offseason moved fast. The May 27 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline reshuffled rosters across the country, the transfer portal produced one massive commitment and one unresolved cliffhanger, Congress dropped a bipartisan reform bill targeting NIL and transfers, and three separate media outlets published their way-too-early men's top 25 — and couldn't agree on who's No. 1. Here's the full rundown.
NBA Draft deadline: who stayed, who came back
The May 27 deadline (23:59 ET) drew clear lines across a class of 71 early entrants — the smallest since 2003, a number analysts attribute directly to NIL income keeping players in school. 1 Of those 71, 38 withdrew — 35 NCAA players and 3 international prospects. 2
The best news for a program came from Champaign. Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic (6-7, junior) withdrew hours before the deadline and is returning to the Illini for his senior season, with one stated goal: a national championship. "What we're building here is special," Stojakovic said in his announcement. "I believe in this locker room, and I know we have what it takes to win a national championship." 3 Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 2025-26 and helped Illinois reach the Final Four for the first time in more than two decades. His return reunites a core group — Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, Jake Davis, Tomislav Ivisic, and Zvonimir Ivisic — that logged a combined 116 starts together last season.
Arizona had the roughest deadline of any program. Koa Peat (6-8 forward) and Brayden Burries (6-4 wing) both confirmed they are staying in the draft — costing the Wildcats two projected first-round picks simultaneously. Peat averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists as a freshman and elevated to 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the NCAA Tournament, but an uneven showing at the NBA Draft Combine caused his stock to slide toward the late first round. Sports Illustrated's Derek Parker projects him at No. 29 to Cleveland. 5 Burries — who averaged 16.1 points and shot 61.6% true shooting as a freshman — was not on the NBA's list of 38 withdrawals, confirming his entry; Tankathon's big board has him at No. 8. 1
The other notable staying-and-leaving moves:
- Meleek Thomas (Arkansas, freshman guard) is in the draft after averaging 15.6 points and shooting 41.6% from three — SEC All-Freshman Team. His agent Roc Nation confirmed the decision. The Razorbacks lose their leading scorer. 5
- Billy Richmond III (Arkansas, sophomore wing) produced one of the deadline's stranger moments: CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported him as staying in the draft, then corrected 22 minutes later that Richmond had actually withdrawn and is returning to Arkansas for his junior season. 6 Richmond averaged 11.2 points and shot 56.3% from the field.
- Christian Anderson (Texas Tech, sophomore guard) made it official on May 26 — he's in the draft and won't return. Anderson was named to three All-America Third Teams (AP, USBWA, Sporting News), averaged 18.5 points, and set Texas Tech's single-season assists record at 244. 7 He's projected in the 15-20 range. The departure leaves the Red Raiders without a capable replacement at the point of attack.
The NBA Draft Lottery (May 26, Chicago Navy Pier) set the stage for June: the Washington Wizards landed the No. 1 pick — their fifth in franchise history and first since selecting John Wall in 2010. 8 The Chicago Bulls made the night's biggest leap, jumping from the ninth-best odds to the fourth pick. The Brooklyn Nets, who shared the highest lottery odds at 14%, fell to sixth.
| Pick | Team | Notable detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington Wizards | Franchise's 5th No. 1 pick |
| 2 | Utah Jazz | |
| 3 | Memphis Grizzlies | |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | Jumped from 9th odds — biggest riser |
| 5 | LA Clippers | Via Indiana Pacers trade |
| 6 | Brooklyn Nets | Fell from tied-highest odds (14%) — biggest drop |
| 7 | Sacramento Kings | |
| 8 | Atlanta Hawks | Via New Orleans Pelicans |
| 9 | Dallas Mavericks | |
| 10 | Milwaukee Bucks | |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | |
| 12 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Via LA Clippers |
| 13 | Miami Heat | |
| 14 | Charlotte Hornets |
The draft itself is scheduled for June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 8
Transfer portal: Yessoufou to St. John's, Momcilovic still waiting
The portal had one headline commitment after the draft deadline and one unresolved storyline that's been hanging over preseason rankings since the moment it opened.
Tounde Yessoufou (6-5 forward, Baylor freshman) withdrew from the draft on May 27 and committed to St. John's with an NIL package reported close to $6 million — the largest in the men's transfer portal, per Zagsblog. 910 Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points and 5.9 rebounds as a freshman at Baylor and was a McDonald's All-American in 2025 — and according to 247Sports, holds the all-time scoring record in California high school basketball history. St. John's head coach Rick Pitino reacted on social media: "Super-excited for the addition of Tounde. We will add one more scholarship player in the next 24 hours and then our roster will be complete. Couldn't be more fired up for this upcoming season." The commitment pushed St. John's five spots to No. 11 in CBS Sports' latest top-25 update. 10
The larger story still doesn't have an ending. Milan Momcilovic (6-8 forward, Iowa State) withdrew from the draft on May 27 but has not committed anywhere as of June 1. Momcilovic led the country in three-point makes last season (136) at a 48.7% clip on 7.5 attempts per game, and USA TODAY Sports ranked him as the No. 1 available transfer. 11 Kentucky, Louisville, and Arizona are the three finalists, with USA TODAY's Craig Meyer predicting Kentucky as the destination — citing Mark Pope's three-heavy system and the program's NIL resources, which one source at the Combine suggested could exceed $5 million. Wherever Momcilovic lands, that program moves immediately into the top-10 conversation.
Among other confirmed portal moves: Flory Bidunga (6-10 center, Kansas) remains committed to Louisville with no new developments, and John Blackwell (6-4 guard, Wisconsin) — who averaged 19 points per game — remains committed to Duke. Both moves happened before the May 18 window.
Way-too-early 2026-27 men's rankings: Florida vs. Illinois
Three major outlets published their post-deadline top-25 projections between May 26 and May 30, and they can't agree on No. 1.
CBS Sports (Gary Parrish, May 29): Florida #1. Rationale — the Gators return six of their top seven scorers from a No. 1 seed that won the SEC, including Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu (a 6-10 junior center who withdrew from the draft), and Alex Condon. 10
The Athletic (CJ Moore, May 30): Illinois #1. Moore argues Illinois finished ahead of Florida in KenPom's efficiency ratings last season (KenPom is a widely used college basketball analytics model that ranks teams by adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency), made the same region's Final Four, and returns four multi-year starters. His framing: "Here's my logic for going against consensus by slotting Illinois over Florida." 4
Hoops HQ (Seth Davis, May 26): Florida #1, after moving up from No. 6 when Chinyelu confirmed his return. Davis had dropped Illinois to sixth at one point, partly because Stojakovic's decision was still open. 12
The three rankings side by side:
| Team | CBS Sports (Parrish) | The Athletic (Moore) | Hoops HQ (Davis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Illinois | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Duke | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Michigan | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| Arizona | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| UConn | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| Michigan State | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| Louisville | 15 | 11 | 7 |
| St. John's | 11 | — | — |
Duke is the only program all three outlets place in the top three. The biggest disagreement is Louisville — Seth Davis has them at No. 7, while CBS ranks them No. 15. The Momcilovic decision will shift at least a few of these positions the moment it drops.
Women's basketball: Tennessee rebuilds, Florida's new coach, South Carolina unanimously No. 1
Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell has spent the spring reassembling a staff and roster that lost roughly eight players. The most recent hire: Denise Jilka as Executive Director of Basketball Operations, announced May 15. Jilka spent nearly 12 years at Tennessee in academic services and replaces Catherine Greene, who left for the ACC in October 2025 — meaning the Lady Vols went all of 2025-26 without a director of operations. 13 Caldwell said she expects "a seamless transition" given Jilka's familiarity with the program, the SEC, and university personnel. 13 The other major staff addition — Bill Ferrara, the former Florida State associate head coach whose offense led the nation at 86.9 points per game in 2024-25 — joined in March. On the roster side, Tennessee has added transfers including Kaylene Smikle (Maryland, averaged 17.9 points per game as a junior before a December knee injury), Avery Mills (Liberty, 42.7% from three), and Naomi White (Northern Arizona). Hoops HQ's Aaron Cohen called it "a rebranded Tennessee, loaded with the sharpshooting and perimeter defense last year's team lacked." 14
Florida hired Tammi Reiss as its 12th women's head coach on March 23, after firing Kelly Rae Finley following four seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance. Reiss spent seven seasons at Rhode Island, going 28-5 last year to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament title and earn the Rams' first NCAA bid in 30 years. 15 "I've been waiting for an opportunity to coach at the highest level, and it doesn't get any better than the SEC in terms of women's basketball," Reiss said at her introductory press conference. The program lost 11 players in the offseason — including All-SEC guard Liv McGill (to Oklahoma State) — but has since signed Penn State guard Kiyomi McMiller (who averaged 21.6 points as a sophomore) and, on May 30, Maja Bigovic, a 6-5 center from Montenegro who averaged 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in FIBA World Cup pre-qualifying. 16
Texas is navigating a difficult offseason after losing three starters to the portal: Jordan Lee (13.2 points per game, to South Carolina), Aaliyah Crump (to Duke), and Justice Carlton (to Houston). Texas coach Vic Schaefer said departing point guard Rori Harmon — now with the Washington Mystics — "may be irreplaceable." 17 Texas holds the nation's top 2026 recruiting class, which should soften the blow.
For way-too-early women's rankings, Busting Brackets (May 1) and Yahoo Sports / The Athletic (May 5) both place South Carolina unanimous at No. 1 — Joyce Edwards' continued development, the returns of Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins, and the program's depth make the Gamecocks the consensus favorite heading into 2026-27. 18 UConn sits second in both polls. Duke is as high as third (Busting Brackets), helped by Aaliyah Crump's transfer arrival. Defending champion UCLA (winner of the 2026 national title) drops to No. 13 in Busting Brackets after significant roster turnover, though the Bruins added Addy Brown and Sienna Betts.
Recruiting class of 2026 and the Protect College Sports Act
Tyran Stokes (SF, Rainier Beach High School, Washington) remains the No. 1 prospect in the final Rivals150 rankings for the class of 2026, holding that spot for the seventh consecutive update. Stokes has committed to Kansas. 19 Rivals analyst Jamie Shaw described Stokes as having "the optimal positional size, the explosive athleticism, and an ability to create advantages from multiple levels." The top five: Stokes (Kansas), Caleb Holt (Arizona), Brandon McCoy (Michigan), Bruce Branch III (BYU), Jordan Smith Jr. (Arkansas).
In the 247Sports Composite team rankings, Duke leads with the highest average recruit rating (98.25 across five commits, including three five-stars), while Arkansas leads in total points accumulated. 20 Kansas is third, Michigan fourth.
On the structural side: a bipartisan bill called the Protect College Sports Act was introduced in the U.S. Senate on May 27 by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.). Key provisions include limiting athletes to one unrestricted transfer over their college career, a five-year eligibility window, a "Lane Kiffin Rule" barring coaches from being poached mid-season, an enforceable compensation cap (~$20M per program), and a clause preventing conferences with over $1 billion in revenue from merging. 21 Cruz said "college sports are at a breaking point" and the bill has White House support. College sports attorney Mit Winter offered a skeptical counterpoint: "The breadth of this bill may be its undoing. Has something for every relevant group not to like." 21 NCAA commissioners Greg Sankey (SEC) and Tony Petitti (Big Ten) were notably absent from the bill's support letter.
Separately, the NCAA confirmed the men's and women's tournaments will expand to 76 teams beginning with the 2026-27 season, adding 44 at-large bids alongside 32 automatic conference bids following the Pac-12's return. 22 The move was widely unpopular with fans.
Dates to watch
- Imminently: Milan Momcilovic commitment — Kentucky, Louisville, or Arizona. Wherever he lands moves immediately into the men's top 10.
- June 23-24: 2026 NBA Draft, Barclays Center, Brooklyn. Brayden Burries (projected top 10), Koa Peat, Meleek Thomas, and Christian Anderson among the college players on the board.
References
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11USA TODAY: Where will Milan Momcilovic transfer?
usatoday.com
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15Florida Gators Athletics: Florida Hires Tammi Reiss
floridagators.com
- 16
- 17
- 18Busting Brackets: Entirely too-early women's NCAA basketball Top 25 rankings
bustingbrackets.com
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
This story was produced automatically by a channel. One sentence is all it takes for Neodrop to keep producing for you.