This year’s edition of March Madness has not been kind to any notion of a Cinderella. A No. 1 seed has yet to lose, with the Duke Blue Devils, Arizona Wildcats, Florida Gators and Michigan Wolverines all advancing to the Sweet Sixteen. The No. 11 Texas Longhorns, who face the No. 2 seed Purdue Boilermakers in the West bracket, are the only double-digit seed team left in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
The stars have notably been out for March Madness. Fans got to watch potential lottery picks like AJ Dybantsa of the BYU Cougars and Darryn Peterson of the Kansas Jayhawks for what was most likely their last appearance in college basketball. More notable than the players this year might be the coaching personalities present. The East bracket alone has not only Dan Hurley and his No. 2 seed UConn Huskies going against Tom Izzo and the No. 3 seed Michigan State Spartans, but also legendary coach Rick Pitino and his No. 5 seed St. John’s Red Storm facing Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils.
Memphis’ Dug McDaniel (1) shoots the ball as Charlotte’s Anton Bonke (49) guards him.© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
One team that did not make the postseason was the Charlotte 49ers. Charlotte finished dead even in conference at 9-9 and overall at 17-17. The 49ers’ March Madness dreams ended in the American Conference Tournament Semifinal after an 86-64 loss to the South Florida Bulls. One of the better players on the team was junior center Anton Bonke.
Bonke led Charlotte in rebounds per game at 8.3 and blocks per game at 1.5. He was also one of three players to average over 10 points per game (10.6). The 7-foot-2 center originally started his career at Eastern Arizona College before transferring to the Providence Friars for the 2024-25 season. After transferring to the 49ers last season, it appears the center will try his portal luck again.
On Tuesday, The Field of 68 reported that Bonke has put his name in the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal. He will draw attention naturally due to his height, but also his production. The Vanuatu-native increased his production by transferring to the 49ers for the 2025-26 season, and he will look to recreate that same recipe for the 2026-27 season.
“Charlotte’s Anton Bonke will be entering the transfer portal as a graduate student, he told @TheFieldOf68.” the Field of 68 wrote on X. “The 7-2 big man averaged 10.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 1.5 blks for the 49ers. Played his frosh season at Eastern Arizona College and was at Providence in 24-25 before Charlotte.”
The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal opens on April 7th and closes after 15 days on April 21st.
Related: NCAA Tournament Team Loses All-Conference Star to College Basketball Transfer Portal
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.