Where the Roster Stands

[Max_Power]

NU can roster 15 scholarship players. Based on eligibility, here are the 11 players who can return. Hurlburt is kind of a grey area as the new rules eliminate walkons but I am going to assume for purposes of this post that (1) he's coming back for a 5th year and (2) he's on scholarship (3) as the 15th player on the roster it won't likely impact the teams success or failure overall. Based on this assumption, there are 4 open spots. Here is the current roster assuming all rumors and predictions come true. FWIW - I was talking this over with another fan last night and they commented that Ciaravino may be the most important player on the roster right now based on his ability to play 2 or 3 and defend 1-4.

This post does not reveal anything we all did not know - at a minimum NU needs a starting caliber center and a wing, preferably one who can bring the ball up on occasion. After last year, I would expect Collins to go for two bigs - a starter and backup at center and a wing who can expect to play 20 minutes plus a game. A bonus would be a combo guard or wing. A healthy Hodge (top 70 recruit 4 star wing) would certainly help but he's coming off a knee injury and was still on crutches at his last visit to NU). These players are obviously available - the issue will always be whether NU can offer competitive compensation to land players in the top tier of the available players. Also, based on the roster breakdown moving forward, it gets tricky as NU can not take players with one year of eligibility who are not grad transfers - this eliminates almost the entire Jr. class in the portal except for the Ivy League kids who have eligibility but were forced to transfer under Ivy League rules. For this reason, I would look for at least one of the bigs to be a sophomore.

PG (2)
West (So.)
Reid (Sr.)

SG
Clayton (Sr.)
Greene (Jr.)
Gill (So.)

SF
Ciaravino (Jr.)
Hodge (Fr.) (coming off knee injury)

PF
Singleton (So.)
Kropp (So.)

C
Ghai (Fr)

Walkon
Hurlburt (RS-Sr.)(status unknown as to how he counts against the 15)

 

[HeyWhatGoWildcats2]

no Page?

 

[Max_Power]

no Page?

I was not sure if that had hit the free board. But there is value in paying for Rock. I think most people would find the investment worth it to stay ahead of the curve. The expectation is that Page is not returning.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

We need another SG, the guards on this team are not good, even with West improving. However, add a star guard and suddenly everything takes shape. Something like West and Fiegen starting with Clayton playing a lot of minutes off the bench as a shooter and Reid mixing in as the second guard off the bench mostly to spell West or try to instigate a change of pace when needed (for zero dollars NIL) is a potentially very successful group.

Unfortunately now we need both a starting center and probably a PF, so we need those resources too

 

[macarthur31]

NU can roster 15 scholarship players. Based on eligibility, here are the 11 players who can return. Hurlburt is kind of a grey area as the new rules eliminate walkons but I am going to assume for purposes of this post that (1) he's coming back for a 5th year and (2) he's on scholarship (3) as the 15th player on the roster it won't likely impact the teams success or failure overall. Based on this assumption, there are 4 open spots. Here is the current roster assuming all rumors and predictions come true. FWIW - I was talking this over with another fan last night and they commented that Ciaravino may be the most important player on the roster right now based on his ability to play 2 or 3 and defend 1-4.

This post does not reveal anything we all did not know - at a minimum NU needs a starting caliber center and a wing, preferably one who can bring the ball up on occasion. After last year, I would expect Collins to go for two bigs - a starter and backup at center and a wing who can expect to play 20 minutes plus a game. A bonus would be a combo guard or wing. A healthy Hodge (top 70 recruit 4 star wing) would certainly help but he's coming off a knee injury and was still on crutches at his last visit to NU). These players are obviously available - the issue will always be whether NU can offer competitive compensation to land players in the top tier of the available players. Also, based on the roster breakdown moving forward, it gets tricky as NU can not take players with one year of eligibility who are not grad transfers - this eliminates almost the entire Jr. class in the portal except for the Ivy League kids who have eligibility but were forced to transfer under Ivy League rules. For this reason, I would look for at least one of the bigs to be a sophomore.

PG (2)
West (So.)
Reid (Sr.)

SG
Clayton (Sr.)
Greene (Jr.)
Gill (So.)

SF
Ciaravino (Jr.)
Hodge (Fr.) (coming off knee injury)

PF
Singleton (So.)
Kropp (So.)

C
Ghai (Fr)

Walkon
Hurlburt (RS-Sr.)(status unknown as to how he counts against the 15)

Thanks for that reminder about the policy around not being able to have transfers with just 1 year remaining. Sigh.

For me, Jake has the 1 locked down. Reid is offense forward, but I do like his quick hands to steal and strip to off-set his smaller stature; Clayton is defense-first, but his 3FG is a legit weapon. Would love to add another veteran guard to that mix, and perhaps create more runway for either Max Green or Phoenix Gill to grab rotation minutes. (Again, that depends on both of them improving their physicality and competence within the scheme this summer.)

In terms of wing play - Gelo and Tre have the 3 and 4 locked down. I'm praying that Gelo can hit that short corner at a 33% rate so that defenders have to honor the look which can open up driving lanes for him. I could also imagine Kropp stepping up minutes to offset Tre at the 4, or small-ball 5 (he was at 29.7 %Min during B1G play, so perhaps jumping up to 45-50 %Min).

However, we really really really need a big. Projecting Ghai at 25-30 %Min played (where Kropp was this year) would be a 90% outcome for him. Optimally, you bring in a Senior year bigman because you want physical and mental maturity, but again, NU doesn't do 1 year non grad-student transfers (like rising senior Oregon's Kwame Evans, a 6'10" two-way rebounding machine whose had proven numbers in B1G play). And, who knows if what kind of war-chest Collins can battle with given remaining players we can target for that role will be hella-pricey. This is gonna be tough.

 

[MCC_Cat]

I really hope Page comes back, not just for us but for his own sake. He's found a home here and logged his most meaningful minutes in his bumpy collegiate career. Invest the time here in yourself and this program and you will see the benefits!

 

[EagerFan]

One of the mysteries for me is Gill. Is he going to make the jump or will his ceiling be third string guard? If Green bulks up (and also improves in the off season), he may be able to sub as SF, but guard is all that's going to be available to Gill.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

We need another SG, the guards on this team are not good, even with West improving. However, add a star guard and suddenly everything takes shape. Something like West and Fiegen starting with Clayton playing a lot of minutes off the bench as a shooter and Reid mixing in as the second guard off the bench mostly to spell West or try to instigate a change of pace when needed (for zero dollars NIL) is a potentially very successful group.

Unfortunately now we need both a starting center and probably a PF, so we need those resources too

IMO, we need Bigs much more than guards. That’s the first place I would spend money. We have nothing coming back but Tre and Kropp.

 

[techtim72]

IMO, we need Bigs much more than guards. That’s the first place I would spend money. We have nothing coming back but Tre and Kropp.

Amen! Big, experienced bodies. Go to the Chinese pro leagues if you need to.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

IMO, we need Bigs much more than guards. That’s the first place I would spend money. We have nothing coming back but Tre and Kropp.

We need bigs who can fill spots. We need a guard who is a star.

 

[CatManTrue]

I was not sure if that had hit the free board. But there is value in paying for Rock. I think most people would find the investment worth it to stay ahead of the curve. The expectation is that Page is not returning.

Winners never quit and Quitters never win!

Adios Page!

 

[hdhntr1]

NU can roster 15 scholarship players. Based on eligibility, here are the 11 players who can return. Hurlburt is kind of a grey area as the new rules eliminate walkons but I am going to assume for purposes of this post that (1) he's coming back for a 5th year and (2) he's on scholarship (3) as the 15th player on the roster it won't likely impact the teams success or failure overall. Based on this assumption, there are 4 open spots. Here is the current roster assuming all rumors and predictions come true. FWIW - I was talking this over with another fan last night and they commented that Ciaravino may be the most important player on the roster right now based on his ability to play 2 or 3 and defend 1-4.

This post does not reveal anything we all did not know - at a minimum NU needs a starting caliber center and a wing, preferably one who can bring the ball up on occasion. After last year, I would expect Collins to go for two bigs - a starter and backup at center and a wing who can expect to play 20 minutes plus a game. A bonus would be a combo guard or wing. A healthy Hodge (top 70 recruit 4 star wing) would certainly help but he's coming off a knee injury and was still on crutches at his last visit to NU). These players are obviously available - the issue will always be whether NU can offer competitive compensation to land players in the top tier of the available players. Also, based on the roster breakdown moving forward, it gets tricky as NU can not take players with one year of eligibility who are not grad transfers - this eliminates almost the entire Jr. class in the portal except for the Ivy League kids who have eligibility but were forced to transfer under Ivy League rules. For this reason, I would look for at least one of the bigs to be a sophomore.

PG (2)
West (So.)
Reid (Sr.)

SG
Clayton (Sr.)
Greene (Jr.)
Gill (So.)

SF
Ciaravino (Jr.)
Hodge (Fr.) (coming off knee injury)

PF
Singleton (So.)
Kropp (So.)

C
Ghai (Fr)

Walkon
Hurlburt (RS-Sr.)(status unknown as to how he counts against the 15)

I do not see Hulbert coming back unless CCC and company see him having a legitimate chance to play regularly

 

[hdhntr1]

I really hope Page comes back, not just for us but for his own sake. He's found a home here and logged his most meaningful minutes in his bumpy collegiate career. Invest the time here in yourself and this program and you will see the benefits!

I do feel both parties win by him coming back, He is a great athlete but it takes likely takes him a bit to pick up the nuances that are the difference between a so so piece and spectacular, Our D is harder to pick up but by the end of the year he was getting it, If he goes somewhere new he has to start from scratch yet again. Here he would be a valuable piece but if he goes somewhere else, I see him having the growing pains all over again

 

[EagerFan]

I do not see Hulbert coming back unless CCC and company see him having a legitimate chance to play regularly

I don't know Gus's story, and I've liked what I've seen out of him in the practices and scrimmages, but if he hasn't seen the court yet then I can't imagine that will change. I suspect Collins will keep him and he won't play more than a minute or two all season.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

How much money does NU need to spend to bring the program back up to at least mid-range? It seems we we close to having a much better season with so many close losses but improvement is a moving target with all of the other BigTen programs maximizing their budgets so it’s a moving target. It will also be interesting to see how the selection of a new president will impact athletics. Athletics are so closely tied to alumni and student support and fundraising, something a new president cannot easily dismiss.

 

[hdhntr1]

I don't know Gus's story, and I've liked what I've seen out of him in the practices and scrimmages, but if he hasn't seen the court yet then I can't imagine that will change. I suspect Collins will keep him and he won't play more than a minute or two all season.

On one place I saw he was one of the ones being gone

 

[hdhntr1]

I really hope Page comes back, not just for us but for his own sake. He's found a home here and logged his most meaningful minutes in his bumpy collegiate career. Invest the time here in yourself and this program and you will see the benefits!

Don't forget that he likely does not yet have a degree. NU degree worth more long term as well and going to 4 schools in 4 years makes it hard to get a degree from anywhere. Depends if getting the degree (and especially the NU degree) means anything to him

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Don't forget that he likely does not yet have a degree. NU degree worth more long term as well and going to 4 schools in 4 years makes it hard to get a degree from anywhere. Depends if getting the degree (and especially the NU degree) means anything to him

Did you miss Lou’s post on the Rock regarding Page?

 

[Catmandoo78]

How much money does NU need to spend to bring the program back up to at least mid-range? It seems we we close to having a much better season with so many close losses but improvement is a moving target with all of the other BigTen programs maximizing their budgets so it’s a moving target. It will also be interesting to see how the selection of a new president will impact athletics. Athletics are so closely tied to alumni and student support and fundraising, something a new president cannot easily dismiss.

The median of the conference was about $7M. Iowa spent about $4.5M and made the elite 8. Nobody else under $8M made the NCAAT.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

The median of the conference was about $7M. Iowa spent about $4.5M and made the elite 8. Nobody else under $8M made the NCAAT.

Source?

 

[Catmandoo78]

Source?

NCAA Revenue Sharing & NIL Estimates 2025

nil-ncaa.com

This isn’t as good or detailed as a paywalled Discord I subscribe to that’s run by a really good national college basketball guy, but it’s decent and matches pretty well with what I’ve seen elsewhere.

 

[EagerFan]

On one place I saw he was one of the ones being gone

I can see him leaving if he got his paper, and I can see him leaving the team if Collins needs the space, it just doesn't seem like a Collins move. I gus we'll see.

 

[macarthur31]

The median of the conference was about $7M. Iowa spent about $4.5M and made the elite 8. Nobody else under $8M made the NCAAT.

With regards to Iowa this year - Folgueiras came from Robert Morris, and was the Horizon League Player of the Year, so he was likely a bigger chunk of that $4.5M. However, McCollum brought along 5 players from Drake who were starters/rotation players (Stirtz, Banks, Manyawu, Howard and Combs). I'd imagine Stirtz also got a pretty decent chunk as he was already Mizzou Valley Conference Player of the Year, but perhaps took a discount from the open market.

Tate Sage, who poured in 19 on 10 against NEB in R32 was a frosh, but he was already committed to McCollum at Drake, so he just switched to Iowa once McCollum took the job.

All this to say, McCollum had a running start, and I'd be pretty impressed if he could make 4.5M go as far as he did in the future like he did this past year.

 

[GatoLouco]

How do Sweet 16 men’s basketball programs compare financially?

Purdue fans, now that I am somewhat one, love to praise how Painter does not rely on portal, develps players. Almost like they believe Kauffman-Renn or Smith play for peanuts.

What Sweet 16 teams spend

Duke	$25.247M
Illinois	$18.970M
UConn	$18.906M
Michigan State	$17.106M
St. John's	$16.650M
Arizona	$16.317M
Michigan	$15.739M
Alabama	$15.327M
Texas	$15.116M
Arkansas	$15.025M
Tennessee	$14.123M
Purdue	$12.906M
Houston	$12.552M
Nebraska	$12.206M
Iowa	$11.425M
Iowa State	$9.808M

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

I do not see Hulbert coming back unless CCC and company see him having a legitimate chance to play regularly

Gus's brother is also in the portal with one year of eligibility left.

 

[Catmandoo78]

With regards to Iowa this year - Folgueiras came from Robert Morris, and was the Horizon League Player of the Year, so he was likely a bigger chunk of that $4.5M. However, McCollum brought along 5 players from Drake who were starters/rotation players (Stirtz, Banks, Manyawu, Howard and Combs). I'd imagine Stirtz also got a pretty decent chunk as he was already Mizzou Valley Conference Player of the Year, but perhaps took a discount from the open market.

Tate Sage, who poured in 19 on 10 against NEB in R32 was a frosh, but he was already committed to McCollum at Drake, so he just switched to Iowa once McCollum took the job.

All this to say, McCollum had a running start, and I'd be pretty impressed if he could make 4.5M go as far as he did in the future like he did this past year.

McCollum is great, but I don’t think he’s at Iowa for long. Historically they’ve not ever given basketball resources. I think he’ll be at a bigger job soon.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

How do Sweet 16 men’s basketball programs compare financially?

Purdue fans, now that I am somewhat one, love to praise how Painter does not rely on portal, develps players. Almost like they believe Kauffman-Renn or Smith play for peanuts.

What Sweet 16 teams spend

Duke	$25.247M
Illinois	$18.970M
UConn	$18.906M
Michigan State	$17.106M
St. John's	$16.650M
Arizona	$16.317M
Michigan	$15.739M
Alabama	$15.327M
Texas	$15.116M
Arkansas	$15.025M
Tennessee	$14.123M
Purdue	$12.906M
Houston	$12.552M
Nebraska	$12.206M
Iowa	$11.425M
Iowa State	$9.808M

So spend, is the entire budget, not just salary, correct?

 

[GatoLouco]

So spend, is the entire budget, not just salary, correct?

Yes.

Other interesting data points from the article

Revenue

Duke	$44.792M
Illinois	$36.201M
Tennessee	$26.804M
Michigan State	$25.733M
Texas	$22.984M
Arkansas	$22.721M
Alabmama	$21.283M
Michigan	$20.950M
UConn	$18.906M
Purdue	$17.488M
Nebraska	$17.306M
Iowa State	$16.903M
St. John's	$16.650M
Arizona	$16.317M
Iowa	$13.860M
Houston	$12.552M

Coach's salary

UConn	Dan Hurley	$8.375M
Michigan State	Tom Izzo	$7.2M
Arkansas	John Calipari	$7M
Duke	Jon Scheyer	$7M*
Tennessee	Rick Barnes	$6M
Alabma	Nate Oats	$5.51M
Houston	Kelvin Sampson	$5.5M
Arizona	Tommy Lloyd	$5.1M
Nebraska	Fred Hoiberg	$5M
Purdue	Matt Painter	$4.97M
Texas	Sean Miller	$4.8M
Michigan	Dusty May	$4.6M
Illinois	Brad Underwood	$4.4M
Iowa State	T.J. Otzelberger	$4M
Iowa	Ben McCollum	$3.35M
St. John's	Rick Pitino	$2.436M

 

[Anon1751377188]

I was not sure if that had hit the free board. But there is value in paying for Rock. I think most people would find the investment worth it to stay ahead of the curve. The expectation is that Page is not returning.

The expectation by whom? ...someone with inside knowledge?