NIL

Basketball has a whole new look, and it’s changing by the minute. The NCAA transfer portal has flipped the game. Every team is reshaping their  roster nonstop. The players are chasing more playing time, building their brands, and monetizing off  NIL.

Loyalty to programs feels like a thing of the past. It’s hard to getting attached when rosters are constantly shifting. April 20, 2025, 2,282 players have entered the portal A crazy jump from previous years. All of it traces back to the 2021 NCAA rule change that allowed athletes to transfer once without sitting out a season. NIL is real. Player movement is the norm now. I’ve seen it firsthand as a Big Ten fan watching Illinois reload year after year with transfers and grad players. Coaches are adjusting, trying to build chemistry on the fly. Of course, some programs still keep it tight within their program based off style of play and system 

Here’s the wild part: only about 22% of players who entered the portal have found new homes. That says a lot about how competitive this landscape really is — and how risky it can be.

Transfers aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Coaches, players, even the NCAA itself — they all have to figure out how to adapt. New teams mean new chemistry, and 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable seasons we’ve ever seen.