The key moments of the men's college basketball offseason have already taken place: The opening and closing of the transfer portal, the deadline to enter the NBA draft, hundreds and hundreds of commitments. But the final critical date on this part of the calendar is approaching: May 27.
Players currently going through the NBA draft process need to withdraw from the draft by 11:59 p.m. ET on that day in order to maintain their college eligibility.
A handful of players -- Stanford 's Ebuka Okorie , Texas ' Dailyn Swain , North Carolina 's Henri Veesaar , Duke 's Isaiah Evans -- made it clear at the NBA draft combine that they had zero intention of withdrawing from the NBA draft, effectively closing the door on a return to college. What about other participants from last week's combine?
Here are the players whose decisions we're watching closely over the next eight days -- and how they would impact their respective college programs. Not included in the following lists are players who were not invited to the combine; typically when a player with remaining college eligibility doesn't receive an invitation, it's a clear sign he should return to college.
We also didn't include Luigi Suigo, the international player who is also considering joining a college program next season, mostly because he didn't fit neatly into any of the below categories. The Italian big man told ESPN at the combine that Villanova and BYU are the two schools involved, with several programs having said they can't wait until the withdrawal deadline for his decision.
Expected to depart Christian Anderson , PG, Texas Tech Anderson is squarely in the middle of the first round of mock drafts, and he said at the combine that he was focused on the draft. He was one of the elite guards in college basketball last season, averaging 18.5 points and 7.4 assists.
Grant McCasland has prepared for Anderson's likely departure by adding two high-scoring guards from the portal: Hofstra's Cruz Davis and UNLV's Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn . The Red Raiders also have talented top-25 recruit Dakari Spear entering the fold.
Morez Johnson Jr ., PF, Michigan Johnson left the door open for a return more than expected at the combine, saying he wanted to talk to his agents to gather feedback before making a final decision. Still, all signs point to him staying in the draft after starting 40 games and helping the Wolverines win a national championship.
Dusty May, who found great success reloading his frontcourt last spring via the transfer portal with Johnson, Aday Mara and Yaxel Lendeborg , is looking to do the same thing next season with Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam and Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella .
Could go either way Koa Peat , PF, Arizona Peat began his college career looking like a future top-10 pick: 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists in a win over then-reigning national champion Florida. But he never quite reached those heights again the rest of the season and is now a projected late first-round pick (No.
27) in ESPN's post-lottery mock draft. Peat's return would give Tommy Lloyd, who lost his starting backcourt of Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley , one of the best frontcourts in the country once again.
Both Ivan Kharchenkov and Motiejus Krivas are returning. Arizona was already No.
10 in the last Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings; Peat going back to school would make the Wildcats a title contender. Tyler Tanner , PG, Vanderbilt Tanner's decision might have the biggest impact of anyone else on this list.
He didn't have an ideal combine, measuring in at shorter than 5-foot-11 and then struggling in his second scrimmage (two points, five assists) after a 13-point, five-assist outing in the first. He's projected just outside the first round.
Tanner was the catalyst for Vanderbilt's surprising season, leading the Commodores to 27 wins and a 5-seed in the NCAA tournament. A return would make him a preseason All-American and one of the elite point guards in the country.
He would also be enough for Vandy to be a top-15 team on paper. Without him, though, the Commodores' floor and ceiling both take a massive hit, and they might be outside the Top 25.
Meleek Thomas , SG, Arkansas Thomas said at the combine that he was "TBD" on his decision after showcasing his playmaking and shotmaking ability on the heels of a stellar freshman season as Darius Acuff Jr .'s sidekick. He played mostly off the ball at Arkansas but can create for others while also shooting nearly 42% from 3.
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