Transfer portal

[GatoLouco]

As of today there are 197 players in the portal, according to Verbal Commits.

We are probably a week away from seeing 100 players a day joining. Last year, VC ended with 1729 total players in their tracker.

Verbal Commits | D1 Players Transferring in 2022

Verbal Commits - D1 Players Transferring in 2022

www.verbalcommits.com

 

[Username Not Available]

When would you expect the numbers to really spike? I expect a spike after selection sunday and then again after the tournament ends, but I haven't really thought that thru.

 

[GatoLouco]

When would you expect the numbers to really spike? I expect a spike after selection sunday and then again after the tournament ends, but I haven't really thought that thru.

I don't know either, but I am with you on your logic.

As the season ends for each team, makes sense we start seeing players from that team entering the portal. For example, Milwaukee's best player is in the portal already.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Anybody want to predict when/if Nicholson enters the portal?

 

[GatoLouco]

When would you expect the numbers to really spike? I expect a spike after selection sunday and then again after the tournament ends, but I haven't really thought that thru.

Since posting 8 players have been added to the tracker.

 

[CSCatFan1]

Anybody want to predict when/if Nicholson enters the portal?

Why would he consider leaving NU? Is he looking to go DII??

 

[charcat]

I think Nicholson has potential. He is getting some strength and banging on some pretty good guys in practice every week. Should make him a contributor next year.

 

[CSCatFan1]

I think Nicholson has potential. He is getting some strength and banging on some pretty good guys in practice every week. Should make him a contributor next year.

Agreed. I’d think with continued hard work in practice he might get some more playing time next year. Working with Brian James is a good thing for MN. Can’t imagine him looking to transfer (unless he doesn’t think he can handle B1G Ten play).

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Agreed. I’d think with continued hard work in practice he might get some more playing time next year. Working with Brian James is a good thing for MN. Can’t imagine him looking to transfer (unless he doesn’t think he can handle B1G Ten play).

Pete Nance told BTN that "Matt has been asking coach for more playing time" before the MSU win.

"Coach" has not given him any real playing time since that day, when his hand was forced.
I think thats typical of guys who transfer.
He'd start on 250 teams in D1, including some good ones.

 

[Hungry Jack]

It is absurd that MN has not been playing 5-10 minutes per game this season. One would think he's Cher Ajou based on how Collins has used him.

Please don't say "he's not ready to help us win" when we are coming off a 7-13 conference record.

 

[cometclear]

He should go to a MAC school. He could carve out a decent college career at one of them.

 

[hollandnucat]

Pete Nance told BTN that "Matt has been asking coach for more playing time" before the MSU win.

"Coach" has not given him any real playing time since that day, when his hand was forced.
I think thats typical of guys who transfer.
He'd start on 250 teams in D1, including some good ones.

Are you being serious that he would start on 250 D1 schools?? There is not a P5 school he would start or see many more minutes than he did with us. Not even close.

 

[NJCat]

Are you being serious that he would start on 250 D1 schools?? There is not a P5 school he would start or see many more minutes than he did with us. Not even close.

Do the math. There are ~340 D1 schools, and about 65 Power 5. That leaves 275 non-Power 5.......16 of them might have better C's than MN.

 

[cometclear]

The Indiana St. kid who hit the portal yesterday would be a nice pickup. Even not playing this season, he's the sixth all-time leading scorer for the Sycamores, who used to have a good program, even before Bird.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Are you being serious that he would start on 250 D1 schools?? There is not a P5 school he would start or see many more minutes than he did with us. Not even close.

Nicholson would certainly be playing significant minutes for Nebraska, Minnesota, Penn State, Maryland, and Rutgers, just off the top of my head.

My son attends Saint Louis U, who plays in the Atlantic 10.. Their team is rated higher than NU by the computers.
I've seen many of their games. They're a little undersized. Nicholson would definitely be a big help to them as their approach is to pound the ball inside and play defense. (They're well-coached).

There are a lot of Power 5 teams who value size and rebounding. NU ain't one of them.
I'd guess that Nicholson would be getting more minutes this year at 75% of the Power 5 teams.
The only Big Ten teams for whom he'd be sitting all game are Purdue and probably Wisconsin, who have good backup centers.

 

[GatoLouco]

I have no idea what the number of teams, amongst 368, MN would start for. But I would support the 250 number if he had started his career at one of those 250. By now he would be a starter.

 

[DaCat]

Legit question, do you guys think Matt is better at this point than Barrett Benson was as a sophomore?

 

[PaCat]

No

 

[GatoLouco]

Legit question, do you guys think Matt is better at this point than Barrett Benson was as a sophomore?

Were he given 8 and 9.6 mpg as a FR and SO like BB did, he'd probably be significantly better. As is, probably not. While probably much better for specific assignments.

 

[NUCat320]

Legit question, do you guys think Matt is better at this point than Barrett Benson was as a sophomore?

Benson was a four-star, and therefore a much better player. (This is sarcasm.)

 

[combes]

Nicholson would certainly be playing significant minutes for Nebraska, Minnesota, Penn State, Maryland, and Rutgers, just off the top of my head.

My son attends Saint Louis U, who plays in the Atlantic 10.. Their team is rated higher than NU by the computers.
I've seen many of their games. They're a little undersized. Nicholson would definitely be a big help to them as their approach is to pound the ball inside and play defense. (They're well-coached).

There are a lot of Power 5 teams who value size and rebounding. NU ain't one of them.
I'd guess that Nicholson would be getting more minutes this year at 75% of the Power 5 teams.
The only Big Ten teams for whom he'd be sitting all game are Purdue and probably Wisconsin, who have good backup centers.

Illinois already has a 7-footer with potential who is fourth string center and doesn’t get in. You’re overrating your guy. If Collins thought he would help win games, he would get minutes. Collins isn’t stupid.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Illinois already has a 7-footer with potential who is fourth string center and doesn’t get in. You’re overrating your guy. If Collins thought he would help win games, he would get minutes. Collins isn’t stupid.

As far as I can tell, Cockburn's backups are from the following group...

Omar Payne, 6'10" 230 lbs, who transferred in after two years at Florida, where he was a Top 100 recruit and averaged 15 minutes a game. Now he is playing 7 minutes per game.
Coleman Hawkins 6'10" 200 lbs a stickman compared to Nicholson. Not a Big Ten center.
Brandon Lieb 7'0" 210 lbs. Nicholson outweighs this guy by 45 lbs. No contest. Probably the reason they got Payne to transfer in.

I think the logical comparison is Payne - and Nicholson has put up similar numbers in his limited playing opportunities.

My advice to you is that it is a mistake to trust Collins' judgment, especially with the frontcourt.

 

[Sec_112]

Legit question, do you guys think Matt is better at this point than Barrett Benson was as a sophomore?

I was thinking the same thing during one of these many sessions, DaCat. I don't think MN is as good as BB at this point. However, to be fair, the last time I saw Benson, he was one year ahead of where MN is.

I think BB was faster with more athletic ability. He also wasn't the foul machine that Nich is.

 

[CSCatFan1]

It is absurd that MN has not been playing 5-10 minutes per game this season. One would think he's Cher Ajou based on how Collins has used him.

Please don't say "he's not ready to help us win" when we are coming off a 7-13 conference record.

He’s put the work in that’s for sure. I see MN featured quite a bit on the team’s IG page working out in the weight room. He seems dedicated to improving his body and his game. With Nance’s departure, I can see him getting 8-10 minutes next season. I can’t imagine him leaving now when he’s on the brink of making a contribution. I’d also imagine an NU degree is of great value to a player like MN (someone who does not have a high probability of making it in the NBA).

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Legit question, do you guys think Matt is better at this point than Barrett Benson was as a sophomore?

Sophomore seasons... All stats adjusted to 40 minutes. Conference only.

Player	FG	FGA	PTS	REB	STL	ASST	TO	BLK	Fouls
Barret	2.4	3.9	5.3	8.3	1.2	2.7	2.7	1.2	9.8
Matt	3.3	5.6	14.4	8.9	0.0	4.4	2.2	1.1	10.0

The evidence says clearly that Nicholson is at least as good as Barret at this point.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

Sophomore seasons... All stats adjusted to 40 minutes. Conference only.

Player	FG	FGA	PTS	REB	STL	ASST	TO	BLK	Fouls
Barret	2.4	3.9	5.3	8.3	1.2	2.7	2.7	1.2	9.8
Matt	3.3	5.6	14.4	8.9	0.0	4.4	2.2	1.1	10.0

The evidence says clearly that Nicholson is at least as good as Barret at this point.

the numbers don't add up unless Matt has a bunch of FT's or 3PFGs.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

As far as I can tell, Cockburn's backups are from the following group...

Omar Payne, 6'10" 230 lbs, who transferred in after two years at Florida, where he was a Top 100 recruit and averaged 15 minutes a game. Now he is playing 7 minutes per game.
Coleman Hawkins 6'10" 200 lbs a stickman compared to Nicholson. Not a Big Ten center.
Brandon Lieb 7'0" 210 lbs. Nicholson outweighs this guy by 45 lbs. No contest. Probably the reason they got Payne to transfer in.

I think the logical comparison is Payne - and Nicholson has put up similar numbers in his limited playing opportunities.

My advice to you is that it is a mistake to trust Collins' judgment, especially with the frontcourt.

The hits keep coming. So, Payne sees 15 minutes a game at Florida and is reduced to 7 with Illinois and somehow MN who sees 2 minutes at NU is going to crack their rotation when Payne can’t? I guess Payne must be one of those top 100 recruits that Coaches can’t develop. Hawkins would probably be the third best player on our team. You could watch 2 minutes of a game to see very easily which one is more advanced at this stage. He comes in as the big man plenty of times.

I would have worked MN into 5-6 minutes a game situation now that he seems to have learned from his foul a minute stage. He will be fine next year in an expanded role, but he’ll have times where guys like Hawkins go right around him. As he game grows he could be a force as an upperclassman.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

the numbers don't add up unless Matt has a bunch of FT's or 3PFGs.

Nicholson took 13.3 free throws per 40 minutes. Benson took 1.8.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

The hits keep coming. So, Payne sees 15 minutes a game at Florida and is reduced to 7 with Illinois and somehow MN who sees 2 minutes at NU is going to crack their rotation when Payne can’t? I guess Payne must be one of those top 100 recruits that Coaches can’t develop. Hawkins would probably be the third best player on our team. You could watch 2 minutes of a game to see very easily which one is more advanced at this stage. He comes in as the big man plenty of times.

I would have worked MN into 5-6 minutes a game situation now that he seems to have learned from his foul a minute stage. He will be fine next year in an expanded role, but he’ll have times where guys like Hawkins go right around him. As he game grows he could be a force as an upperclassman.

You must have missed the point of what I posted.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Who is the Mensa applicant who compares to MN to Barret Benson? This place needs an intervention. Maybe Dr. Phil.

Per 40 mins as a sophomore:
MN: 17.2 pts, 13.1 reb, 11.0 fta, 1.0 asst/ tov, 9.0 pf
BB: 7.7 pts, 9.2 reb, 4.2 fts, 0.75 asst / tov, 8.9 pf

Why don't we compare to Kyle Rowley, Cher Ajou, and Joe Harmsem too? Or Herman Munster?

C'mon man.

Bensen had a soft body. Nicholson is built to mete out punishment next year. Watch what he does to Davison. You will all love him then.

Plus, MN does that six-shooter thing on the bench.

 

[NUCat320]

Who is the Mensa applicant who compares to MN to Barret Benson? This place needs an intervention. Maybe Dr. Phil.

Per 40 mins as a sophomore:
MN: 17.2 pts, 13.1 reb, 11.0 fta, 1.0 asst/ tov, 9.0 pf
BB: 7.7 pts, 9.2 reb, 4.2 fts, 0.75 asst / tov, 8.9 pf

C'mon man.

Plus, MN does that six-shooter thing on the bench.

Benson’s a four-star. Much better recruit.

I feel like MN is emotionally spent lately and hasn’t been shooting skyward nearly as much. Hopefully he’s double-holstered tonight.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Benson’s a four-star. Much better recruit.

I feel like MN is emotionally spent lately and hasn’t been shooting skyward nearly as much. Hopefully he’s double-holstered tonight.

His teammates have to make a 3 pointer or Big Matt can't start firing.

 

[The Purple Knight]

Why would he consider leaving NU? Is he looking to go DII??

No. He could be a great BigTen player?? How do you know?? He played fine in the few minutes he got this season. He's got a big, thick body and can run the floor. Completely ridiculous that he never plays.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I bet Roper has his filing teed up

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I bet Roper has his filing teed up

Along with Young and Nicholson.

 

[hoosboot]

Along with Young and Nicholson.

Seems doubtful. But losing Roper would hurt a ton.

 

[xxxbobxxx]

CCC doesn’t have to be fired. When the team leaves, he will simply slip away. Nance, Greer - sr out. Chase hopefully just graduates. Boo, Berry, the three frosh and MN hit the portal. Williams runs out of eligibility. Beran???

I already laid my wager that we see a mass exodus. Over under on actual recruited scholarship players next year - I set the number at ten. I’ll take the under. Anyone want to play?

PPD - no fans, no media, no players - bring CCC back cuz can’t get any worse? And who cares, it’s only money?

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

CCC doesn’t have to be fired. When the team leaves, he will simply slip away. Nance, Greer - sr out. Chase hopefully just graduates. Boo, Berry, the three frosh and MN hit the portal. Williams runs out of eligibility. Beran???

I already laid my wager that we see a mass exodus. Over under on actual recruited scholarship players next year - I set the number at ten. I’ll take the under. Anyone want to play?

PPD - no fans, no media, no players - bring CCC back cuz can’t get any worse? And who cares, it’s only money?

Bob, I actually agree the situation is untenable with CCC coming back next year. If he does, we’ll see the same thing as this year or worse. We absolutely could get hit in the Portal in this day and age. Who wants to lose?

 

[GatoLouco]

CCC doesn’t have to be fired. When the team leaves, he will simply slip away. Nance, Greer - sr out. Chase hopefully just graduates. Boo, Berry, the three frosh and MN hit the portal. Williams runs out of eligibility. Beran???

I already laid my wager that we see a mass exodus. Over under on actual recruited scholarship players next year - I set the number at ten. I’ll take the under. Anyone want to play?

PPD - no fans, no media, no players - bring CCC back cuz can’t get any worse? And who cares, it’s only money?

Boo is probably not so prone to leaving if CC stays. Mostly because that would probably mean his brother also stays.

Others? For sure. With the added complexity that there's a chance Audige and Young will have their degree.

 

[GatoLouco]

In my mind, on paper, there are 3 teams very exposed to an exodus:
1) Northwestern
2) Nebraska
3) Maryland