The 2022-23 college basketball season may have come to an end, but the memories from it will last a lifetime. March Madness alone provided so many incredible games, including some shocking upsets no one saw coming. In the end, the UConn Huskies claimed their fifth national title in school history after dominating throughout the entire tournament. Now, it's time to look ahead to players who could hit the transfer portal. Oral Roberts star Max Abmas is one of them.
Many players have already entered the portal, and many more will surely follow now that the tournament has concluded. One of the most under-the-radar players already in the portal, but also one of the best, is definitely former Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas.
Most college basketball fans probably recognize Abmas and Oral Roberts in general from their impressive run in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. As a 15-seed, the Golden Eagles shockingly upset both 2-seed Ohio State and 7-seed Florida to become the second 15-seed to ever reach the Sweet 16 (at the time), before narrowly falling to 3-seed Arkansas in that round. Abmas was the main catalyst behind that run, scoring at least 25 points in all three tournament games.
However, Abmas is much more than just one impressive tournament run. The 6-foot senior has played in and started 123 games over four seasons, and has averaged at least 21.9 points in each of the last three. His talent is undeniable, enough so to make him one of the top players in the portal this offseason.
With that said, what teams might make the best home for Max Abmas? Without further ado, let's attempt to answer that question.
3. Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State has a very strong history for a mid-major school, but the last couple of years have not been kind. Since the start of last season, the Shockers are just 32-28 and have finished near the middle of the American. With a lack of recent success, the Shockers parted ways with head coach Isaac Brown in March after three seasons.
Knowing that, why would Abmas want to join a seemingly-mediocre mid-major team? Well, it all comes down to who the Shockers hired as their next head coach, former Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills. Abmas clearly has a great relationship with Mills, staying at Oral Roberts for four years, so reuniting with his coach may be an enticing prospect. The AAC also looks wide open next season with Houston's departure, so maybe Abmas could help Wichita State make some noise.
2. North Carolina Tar Heels
Now we move from a historically successful mid-major to one of the premier blue bloods in college basketball. North Carolina's history simply speaks for itself, with six national titles and a whopping 21 Final Fours. The Tar Heels had a disappointing 2022-23 season but came so close to winning it all the year before. Without a shadow of a doubt, the blue-blood pedigree is alive and well in Chapel Hill.
After missing the tournament, North Carolina has had an interesting offseason, to say the least. The Tar Heels lost Caleb Love to the portal, but kept Armando Bacot and RJ Davis for another ride. This means that they now need another guard, but the rest of the roster is mostly intact.
In this situation, a player of Max Abmas' talent could slot right into the hole Love left. The two guards obviously have different skill sets, but they're similar enough to make the transition pretty seamless. If Abmas can adjust to the tougher competition of the ACC, then he could help UNC return to the tournament in 2024.
1. Baylor Bears
Baylor is a fantastic fit for Abmas for many of the same reasons that North Carolina is. Like the Tar Heels, the Bears also lost a star guard to the portal in LJ Cryer. The rest of the roster still has some good talent, albeit not as much as UNC's, making Abmas a great plug-in option.
However, there are a couple of reasons why Baylor tops this list and not UNC. First, the Bears have had much more success recently, winning a national championship in 2021 and making the tournament as a 3-seed this year while the Tar Heels missed entirely. Secondly, Baylor is much closer to home for the Rockwall, Texas, native, with Waco only being a two-hour drive away.
Admittedly, Baylor's roster might be slightly worse than UNC's next year due to greater losses. However, the Bears offer a similar situation while being much closer to home, and Max Abmas can definitely win with them.
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