Roster building will continue into the summer across college basketball, but the bulk of the work has been done.

Aside from the very few deciding whether or not to stay in the NBA Draft or return to college, the big names in the transfer portal have all found new homes. 

After a really successful season, sending another team to the Final Four in Arizona, the Big 12 is going to look very different when the season tips off in November.

The freshman stars who came in and dominated last season — BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, Houston’s Kingston Flemings and others — are all set to hear their name called early in the 2026 NBA draft. 

Plenty more talented veteran players are off to start pro careers, too.

Whoever emerges as the top teams in the Big 12 next season will likely be the ones that did best during this spring’s transfer portal window. Here are our three top winners and losers of the offseason so far:

Winner: Arizona State

Saint Mary’s forward Paulius Murauskas (23) controls the ball during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Loyola Marymount, Feb. 27, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/William Liang)

The Bobby Hurley era was a whole lot of “meh” in Tempe and the Sun Devils went out and made a big splash to replace him with new coach Randy Bennett. The Arizona native had spent the last 25 years turning little Saint Mary’s into a midmajor powerhouse that has won seven regular-season West Coast Conference titles, going toe-to-toe with Gonzaga, while reaching seven of the last nine NCAA Tournaments. Now, Bennett will look to help ASU emerge from the shadow of the juggernaut in Tucson and even though his program lost intriguing center Massamba Diop to Gonzaga, Bennett brought star forward Paulius Murauskas with him from Saint Mary’s and also added another WCC star in former Portland point guard Joel Foxwell to load up for his first season in the Big 12.

Loser: Colorado

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle watches from the bench during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State, Jan. 29, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

It’s hard to imagine this offseason going much worse for Tad Boyle and the Buffaloes. CU lost its top three players from last season to bigger paydays elsewhere (Isaiah Johnson to Texas, Bangot Dak to Vanderbilt and Sebastian Rancik to Florida State) while making only one real splash in the transfer portal in UNC Greensboro’s Justin Neely. Yes, the Buffs retained senior point guard Barrington Hargress and a trio of promising freshmen, but they also lost plenty of depth players who could’ve at least been rotation players next season. Barring a few impactful international players coming in this summer, CU’s rotation does not project to be nearly deep or talented enough to compete in the Big 12.

Winner: Cincinnati

Cincinnati’s new men’s basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun speaks during his introductory news conference in Cincinnati, March 25. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Another home run coaching hire in the Big 12 this offseason was the Bearcats bringing home Jerrod Calhoun, an Ohio native and Cincinnati alumnus whose coaching career started as a student assistant for Bob Huggins over 20 years ago. After guiding Utah State to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and one March Madness victory, Calhoun has hit the ground running by building a roster that looks suited to an effective style of offense. Tylen Riley (Tulsa) and Myles Colvin (Wake Forest) are a pair of really solid veteran guards to build around while former Towson standout Tyler Tejada has great size and scoring ability for a forward. Plus, Calhoun brought with him two of the top freshmen from the Mountain West last season in big man Adlan Elamin and guard Elijay Perryman.

Loser: Kansas

Yes, the Jayhawks have the best high school recruiting class in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country thanks to No. 1 overall player Tyran Stokes, but sometimes it’s about who you lose as much as who you add. Losing the No. 1 player in the transfer portal in big man Flory Bidunga, one of the best defensive players in the country who left for Louisville, was a big blow, as were the multiple veteran guards who departed the program. Self will be putting a lot of faith in a young guard in Leroy Blyden Jr., who scored over 16 points per game as a freshman at Toledo last season.

Winner: West Virginia

Butler guard Finley Bizjack (11) reacts after scoring a 3-point goal during the second half of a basketball game against Providence at the Big East basketball tournament March 11 in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The Mountaineers made a surprise splash this spring by adding one of the better duos from the portal by any team in the Big 12. Former Georgia Tech center Mouhamed Sylla had a promising freshman season cut short by injury but he could instantly become one of the better rim protectors in the conference and a solid play finisher on offense. Former Butler standout Finley Bizjack should instantly become the team’s go-to scoring option after averaging over 17 points last year.

Loser: TCU

Again, it’s about who you lose just as much as who you add. The Horned Frogs did well to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament but will be hard-pressed to get back to the Big Dance after losing standout big man David Punch to the school a few hours south. He was a part of the massive haul landed by Texas. Sharpshooter Liutauras Lelevicius also departed for Clemson, leaving a significant scoring void on the wing that coach Jamie Dixon hopes can be filled by former Long Beach State standout Gavin Sykes, who scored over 19 points per game as a freshman.