College Basketball Transfer Portal Sees 1,500 Men's Player Entries on 1st Day of Window

More than 1,500 men's basketball players have announced their intentions to leave their current programs within 24 hours of the NCAA transfer portal opening.

CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported the update around 3 p.m. ET after the portal opened at midnight.

Players have 15 days to enter and exit the portal before it closes on April 21.

The transfer portal opened the day after Michigan defeated UConn to win the men's national title game, although many players had announced plans to transfer earlier in March Madness.

UConn coach Dan Hurley noted that the official opening of the portal didn't stop programs from negotiating with players while the NCAA Tournament was still ongoing.

"The portal has been open now but just not officially," Hurley said, per Forbes' Jeff Fedotin. "There's a lot going on behind the scenes, which you're aware of with your team, with other teams, innuendo and other things."

The quick turnaround between the end of the title game and the portal opening led to Michigan assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen posting a photo of coaches looking at a list of transfers hours after their title win with the caption, "Portal Open! Go Blue."

Some players have already announced their transfer destinations. These include Siena transfer Gavin Doty, who followed in the footsteps of his coach Gerry McNamara by committing to Syracuse, as well as Belmont transfer Tyler Lundblade, who is joining Tennessee.

Whether any transfer candidates decide to enter the 2026 NBA draft will impact how the portal shakes out this spring. Some players such as Oklahoma State's Anthony Roy, who The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported is petitioning the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, submitted to enter both the transfer portal and the draft.

The NBA draft lottery is set to take place May 10, followed by the combine from May 10-17 ahead of the May 27 early entry withdrawal deadline.