The Big Ten basketball landscape could be dominated by transfers in the 2025-26 season. Several of the conference’s projected top contenders, including Michigan, UCLA and Wisconsin, exit the transfer cycle with new additions set for major lineup roles.
The Wolverines’ offseason was headlined by the impact additions of UCLA center Aday Mara, Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr., North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau and UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg (pending an NBA draft decision). Lendeborg has the chance for the greatest impact, as he joins the Wolverines as the No. 1 overall transfer prospect.
UCLA, next, added five-star transfer Donovan Dent from New Mexico, former five-star high school recruit Xavier Booker from Michigan State and Jamar Brown from Kansas City. That trio complements a lineup that already returned major contributors from a team that went 23-11 last season.
Wisconsin, finally, may have delivered the most underrated transfer cycle of any Big Ten contender. The program added San Diego State guard Nick Boyd, Virginia wing Andrew Rohde, Portland forward Austin Rapp and Tulsa guard Braeden Carrington. The first three are all write-ins to a starting lineup that could be the conference’s best if John Blackwell withdraws from the NBA draft.
Wisconsin, Michigan and UCLA are all projected top-five teams entering the 2025-26 Big Ten season. They trail Purdue, which is the one major conference contender that did not bring in a crowded transfer class. For more on the early outlook for next season, here are our latest post-transfer cycle power rankings.
With the transfer cycle now mostly complete, here is an updated look at 247Sports’ team rankings for the Big Ten Conference.
Updated Big Ten basketball 2025 transfer portal class rankings
Of course, these rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. Wisconsin, for example, landed three highly touted transfers who all project as major contributors. That group may have a similar impact as Indiana’s group of 10 transfers, although the volume of transfers in the Hoosiers’ class leads to a much higher ranking.
Furthermore, transfer rankings are far less accurate than those from the high school recruiting cycle. John Tonje headlines that reality, as he delivered an All-American season after being ranked as the No. 296 overall transfer from last offseason.
That is a long way to explain that these rankings don’t mean everything. They are just an interesting comparison point to return to once these groups take the court in the fall.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Updated Big Ten basketball transfer portal class rankings
Reporting by Ben Kenney, Badgers Wire / Badgers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
