Dribble Handoff: The missing piece that Kentucky, BYU and others need in college basketball transfer portal

With fewer options by the day, our staff identifies some of the teams that are one piece away from making a much better roster

Now that the transfer portal is closed and the deadline to declare for the NBA Draft has passed, college basketball rosters are beginning to take shape. While some high-major programs, such as LSU, still have a ton of work to do, others are nearing the end of the construction phase as May arrives.

For many programs, there is just one or two boxes left to check. Even if most of the hay is in the barn, the final piece or two can be the difference between a second-round NCAA Tournament team and a squad with the juice to make a Final Four run.

Occasionally, those difference-making additions come late in the calendar. Look no further than the summertime commitment of Ivan Kharchenkov to Arizona last season. The German wing may have been an 11th-hour pickup, but he played a vital role for the Wildcats on their Final Four journey.

With a smattering of quality, uncommitted transfers still lingering and international diamonds still waiting to be unearthed, the next couple of months will still be impactful in shaping the picture for the 2026-27 season.

For this week's edition of the Dribble Handoff, we are identifying the teams who are just one piece away -- or more so in Kentucky's case -- from maximizing their rosters for the season ahead.

Kentucky: Shooting and star power

Kentucky came in second place in the Tyran Stokes sweepstakes earlier this week after the No. 1-ranked player in the 2026 recruiting cycle committed to Kansas. Coming in second place during a big recruitment has been one of the unfortunate themes for Kentucky this offseason. After missing out on BYU star Robert Wright III (after he withdrew from the portal and returned to school) and Donnie Freeman (St. John's commit), Kentucky pivoted to land commits from Washington guard Zoom Diallo and Furman guard Alex Wilkins. Those are fine consolation prizes, but Mark Pope still has plenty of work to do to fill out this roster. If Kentucky gets Malachi Moreno back, it would be huge for this roster. But what this roster needs more of is shooting and star power. The former should be a priority.  The latter isn't a requirement, but it wouldn't hurt to have that, too. 

One name that checks both of those boxes is Iowa State star Milan Momcilovic, who is in the transfer portal while also going through the NBA Draft process. Engaging with him is certainly a risk, as the best shooter in college basketball could very well stay in the NBA Draft. Still, Momcilovic would provide the perfect mix of star power and shooting that this roster needs to be a legit contender. Kentucky isn't poor. It had one of (if not the most) expensive rosters in the sport last season. Luring Momcilovic out of the draft is going to be a hefty price tag, but for Kentucky and Pope, it would be well worth the investment. -- Cameron Salerno

Kentucky: Talent

Salerno's words above are right; Kentucky definitely needs shooting and star power. Put slightly differently, the Wildcats really need an infusion of talent in what is obviously a make-or-break season for Mark Pope.

UK has missed a lot this offseason.

Stokes. Wright. Freeman.

Armed with millions of dollars to player-buy, Pope and his staff, for one reason or another, haven't been able to close what otherwise would've been their biggest deals. Needless to say, UK's fanbase is concerned because just being good is not good enough at Rupp. And Pope needs to have a great team next season, or else there won't be another season, and -- and this is the point -- it's super-hard to have a great season in the SEC when you don't have a roster that seems capable of it.

Right now, UK doesn't have a roster that seems capable of it.

There's still time to change that, of course -- most notably with Momcilovic. But it's obvious something needs to change at UK -- and the main thing is that the Wildcats need to get the kind of talent on campus that their previous coach routinely did, and that their previous coach is still doing, just at a different place. -- Gary Parrish

Miami: Knockdown 3-point shooter

Miami had a great first season under coach Jai Lucas, despite ranking 291st nationally in made 3-pointers per game (6.7). Now the Hurricanes are losing the four players who averaged at least one made 3-pointer per game. While stretch forward DeSean Goode is entering from Robert Morris with promise as a floor-spacer, his 57.1% 3-point mark came on just 1.9 attempts per game last season at a lower level. Otherwise, there is a striking lack of proven perimeter shooters on this roster. The 'Canes landed top-25 transfers Acaden Lewis (Villanova) and Somto Cyril (Georgia) to check the boxes of floor general and rim protector. Those are great pickups. But at least to this point, no one in the fold has ever shot 33% or better from beyond the arc on two or more attempts per game in Division I college basketball. The 'Canes look solid. But as currently constructed, a lack of 3-point shooting could limit their ceiling. -- David Cobb

BYU: Rim protector

BYU is putting together another impressive roster that features the ideal blend of returners, transfers and a five-star freshman wing in Brian Branch. What the Cougars are lacking at this juncture is high-end rim protection. At 6-foot-9, Khadim Mboup is a returner who played some at the five last season. But it's hard to envision him reaching the 1.8 blocks per game threshold of the departed Keba Keita. Clemson transfer Jake Wahlin brings size at 6-10, but he's a stretch big more than a traditional interior enforcer. Defense was the Cougars' Achilles heel last season, and they are still one piece away from rectifying that. Bigs are at a premium in this cycle, but BYU can spend big, and it needs to be willing to win a bidding war to round out this otherwise promising rotation. -- David Cobb

Texas Tech: Stud big man

February's devastating ACL injury for All-American big man JT Toppin has serious ripple effects on how Texas Tech has to dance around roster-building this spring. Toppin was on the verge of being one of the highest-paid players in college basketball. It's put Texas Tech in a bit of a predicament. Will Toppin take less to redshirt so Grant McCasland can use that hefty amount to build a team? Or does Toppin deserve fair-market value (All-American bigs can earn well over $5 million) under the premise that he will be able to return to action in late December, which is approximately 10 months after his surgery?

It's a hard balance to strike, especially for a roster that has flipped on its head. Star point guard Christian Anderson is expected to stay in the NBA Draft, and Texas Tech has reinforcements already in the chamber with coveted Hofstra point guard Cruz Davis, bucket-getting UNLV transfer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, prized freshman DaKari Spear and Wyoming transfer Damarion Dennis providing depth.

But there is no real difference-maker in this frontcourt. LeJuan Watts transferred to Washington after an up-and-down season in Lubbock. Shot-blocker Luke Bamgboye hit the portal as well after an ... up-and-down season in Lubbock. Sensing a theme?

Texas Tech needs a center, and there's no one left in the portal who could project to be an all-conference option. So the Red Raiders have chosen to comb the international market. Keep an eye on Brice Dessert. The 6-foot-11 German big man owns a 7-foot-4 wingspan. He has the frame and the game. The 23-year-old has been well-schooled in the Euro League and looks like a plug-and-play pick-and-roll option to pair with a point guard like Davis, who is a dynamic maestro in ball screens. 

College teams have courted Dessert for years, but if Texas Tech can get this over the finish line, the Red Raiders will be back in business. -- Isaac Trotter

St. John's: Also a stud big

The Johnnies were interested in Najai Hines (who picked UConn), Moustapha Thiam (who picked Michigan) and even more so Massamba Diop (who picked Gonzaga). A rare three-fer miss for Rick Pitino means that the Johnnies are still a legitimate 5-man away from being a Final Four contender at this stage. There's not a lot of inventory left for Big East-caliber bigs. Is there an international player who could be brought over and is good enough to burn 20-plus minutes a night for the Red Storm next season? If so, SJU would have a viable starting five. Keep in mind, Brit-born Quinn Ellis could be a top-10 point in the country next season, and he'll pair with Ian Jackson. Ruben Prey will be expected to break out in a major way, a stretchy forward who will start alongside Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman. Just one more frontcourt piece to help make up for the massive loss of Zuby Ejiofor. -- Matt Norlander