College basketball transfer portal 2026-27 winners and losers: Duke, Florida lead free agency victors

Key Points:

• The 2026 college basketball transfer portal closed with fewer top free agents compared to last year, emphasizing that many of the best players next season will be returners rather than transfers or freshmen.
• Florida emerged as a major winner by retaining key seniors like Tommy Haugh and Alex Condon, potentially adding Rueben Chinyelu back, and maintaining strong depth, positioning them as a preseason No. 1 contender.
• Illinois also had a strong offseason, retaining five key rotation players and adding impactful transfers and recruits, boosting their chances to compete for another Final Four appearance.
• Wake Forest and Notre Dame were notable losers, losing top players to the portal and struggling to replace talent, with Notre Dame facing challenges due to limited financial resources to retain key athletes.
• Duke and Texas made significant gains through the transfer portal and recruiting, with Duke adding veteran shooters and defenders and Texas bolstering its defense and size, both teams positioned to be top contenders in their conferences.