The transfer portal window slammed shut last week. And while grad transfers and other special exceptions can still enter the portal going forward, the bulk of the rush has come and gone.

This week in the Rivals Roundtable, Rob Cassidy and Jason Jordan take stock of the storylines the window produced by examining three questions related to the 2023 edition of Portal Madness.

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“I think West Virginia gets most of the pub when we talk about teams overhauling rosters, so let’s take the slightly less obvious route and talk about Gonzaga, which has reloaded in a hurry, thanks to high-profile Creighton transfer Ryan Nembhard, who was a key cog in the Bluejays’ Elite Eight team a year ago. The Bulldogs also landed one of the best available big men in Wyoming expat Graham Ike. With Drew Timme off to the NBA, Ike certainly fills a need for Gonzaga. If Ike is fully recovered from the knee injury that sidelined him last season he could be the Zags’ starting center. Mark Few also added one of college basketball’s best names in prolific scorer Steele Venters, who has shined for Eastern Washington in each of the last two seasons, averaging 16.7 and 15.3 points per game, respectively.” – Cassidy

“I’d definitely say Wake Forest. I like the balance that Steve Forbes was able to reel in with Efton Reid, Hunter Sallis and Kevin Miller. That’s a trio of prospects who check off a lot of boxes on both ends of the floor and provide versatile scoring threats and, more importantly, playmakers who are willing to share the ball all over the floor. I feel like these three will mesh well with the core group in Winston-Salem and could give Forbes his best lineup since he’s been at Wake Forest.” - Jordan

“Not that I wasn’t aware before, but this cycle has emphasized the fact that money talks. NIL and the portal have combined to make sure no roster is safe, as nobody should be expected to work for less than market value. See Hunter Dickinson, for example. The veteran Michigan big man had few reasons to want to leave Ann Arbor. Alas, if you don’t find a way to pay your employees, somebody else will. The Wolverines learned that the hard way. Capitalism has always driven recruiting in some ways. Bidding wars are just a little more common and a lot more publicized these days. I think we’ll see more long-tenured stars test the portal waters every year as players realize they are doing themselves a disservice by not shopping around.” – Cassidy

“Recruiting is completely different now. I mean, we sort of knew this last year, but not to this degree. High school guys have to be more realistic about the fact that better options abound for college coaches, and by and large I see that happening. Coaches are pretty open about the fact that they hold out spots for portal guys every year now, and as a result this will likely make prospects – even five-star prospects – pull the trigger on a commitment earlier than they’d normally do it. The entitlement factor is waning at the high school level.” - Jordan

“I’m not sure Caleb Love’s recent decommitment hurts Michigan that much more than it was already hurt when Hunter Dickinson skipped town, but it certainly doesn't help. Looking at the roster, it sure seems like it might be tough sledding in Ann Arbor next year, especially when you consider the work other middle-of-the-pack Big Ten squads did to get better. Any way you slice it, this has been a rough offseason for Juwan Howard, who is in need of a bounce-back season in order to ease growing unrest among the fan base. The program lost a massive chunk of its scoring from last year via transfer and NBA Draft declarations and has done almost nothing to replace those players. There’s still talent on the roster, obviously, but much of it is unproven at the college level.” – Cassidy

“I wouldn’t say worry, but I think Alabama losing Jaden Bradley and Nimari Burnett will end up being really big losses in the end. Bradley is a quintessential point guard, who controls tempo, facilitates and gets to the basket. Those attributes would’ve blossomed in year two in Nate Oats’ system, and I’ve always believed in Burnett as a scorer. I feel like he was primed for a breakout season and I’m not sure Aaron Estrada and Latrell Wrightsell are as capable as the Bradley-Burnett duo. We’ll see.” - Jordan