Written by MICHAEL KOH
Each team heading to Indianapolis for the men’s Final Four this weekend has mastered the new era of college hoops.
Any of the quartet of UConn, Illinois, Arizona or Michigan could conceivably cut down the nets Monday night, though it seems a bit unfair that the top-seeded Wildcats and Wolverines will have to go through each other in the semifinal round. In any case, all four of these squads have provided blueprints on how to build a contender.
Let’s look first at the Illini. Illinois has recruited heavily from the international circuit, bringing in European prospects such as David Mirkovic from Montenegro and Tomislav Ivisic from Croatia. It’s balanced that with experienced transfers like Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic and Arizona’s Kylan Boswell, then topped it all off with stud freshman Keaton Wagler. Illinois truly is a melting pot of a roster, and one which boasts one of the nation’s best offenses.
Arizona also utilizes international recruiting to its advantage. Of the 16 players listed on the Wildcats’ roster, eight have a hometown outside the United States. That includes center Motiejus Krivas from Lithuania and wing Ivan Kharchenkov from Germany, both of whom have started all 38 of Arizona’s games this season. The big three for the Wildcats is a deadly mix of youth and experience: Brayden Burries and Koa Peat are both top 1o freshmen, and they complement senior guard and Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley. It’s no wonder UNC is reportedly so set on poaching head coach Tommy Lloyd away from Tucson.
Then there’s Michigan, which has fully leaned into the mercenary ways of the transfer portal. None of the Wolverines’ five starters began their collegiate careers in Ann Arbor. Most of those transfers came from power conference schools, but the star is Yaxel Lendeborg, who somehow slipped through the cracks and ended up at UAB before heading to Michigan. The Wolverines were even able to flip a former archrival: guard Roddy Gayle played the first two years of his career at Ohio State.
Even UConn, which comes from the old school hoops haven of the Big East, has adapted to the times. Dan Hurley hasn’t hit the international front as hard as Illinois or Arizona, but he has skillfully meshed transfers with traditional recruits. The Huskies wouldn’t be here without the contributions of Silas Demary and Tarris Reed, who began their careers elsewhere. But they also have Alex Karaban, potentially one of the last players ever to spend four years at one power conference school. And of course, five-star freshman Braylon Mullins hit the shot of shots to get UConn to Indy.
If UNC is to get back to where it wants to be in the college basketball pantheon, it could do worse than following in any of this quartet’s footsteps.
Michael Koh is filling in for Art Chansky today, as Art is temporarily out on a medical leave recovering from an accident.
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Featured image via Associated Press/Ashley Landis
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