SAN ANTONIO – Spring 2018 trend update from the Alamodome: Transfers are in, and one-and-dones are so out of style.
Final Four coaches John Beilein, Porter Moser, Jay Wright and Bill Self all made their way to the Final Four without a one-and-done player, a prospect with his bags half-packed for the NBA. Three of those teams, however, have been transformed by transfer players.
Villanova stands out from the Final Four crowd as a veteran-laden squad that was just at this stage a couple of years ago, winning a national title in 2016. No transfers or one-and-dones needed for Wright's squad. But Kansas, Michigan and Loyola Chicago made their way through the rounds of this tournament thanks in large part to players who began their college careers elsewhere.
Former five-star recruits Malik Newman and Charles Matthews found stardom in college at their second schools — now leading Kansas and Michigan, respectively, in scoring in the NCAA tournament. Clayton Custer and Marques Townes lived out a dream hitting game-winning shots for Loyola to become this year's Cinderella story. That would never have happened if they didn't transfer to the Ramblers.
"People transferring for the wrong reasons are probably a problem in college basketball," Beilein said. "It's been incredible how [Matthews] bought in with everything about what the philosophy of our program is."
Matthews, a 6-6 junior guard, decided to leave Kentucky, a program once considered One-and-Done U. Now Duke has taken over that distinction. Neither team has made it to the Final Four since 2015, when the Blue Devils won it all with three one-and-dones.
This trend of relying on transfers would only gain strength if new proposed transfer rules are set into motion. One proposal would remove the policy that Division I transfers must sit out a season between schools. Some coaches and players at the Final Four have said it's only a matter of time before players are given the freedom to leave when they want, like coaches.
"I think so," Matthews said when asked if transfers should be allowed to play right away. "But at the same time, you don't just want to create haywire going through the NCAA."