Inside the 2026 Final Four rosters: How transfer portal shaped Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, UConn originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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A good team can be built entirely through the transfer portal. Can a great team?
Last year’s Final Four taught us that retention and continuity still matter, and teams like Florida and Auburn found a way to blend both retention and active use of the transfer portal by bringing in key transfers and keeping them for two or even three seasons.
This year’s Final Four, which doesn’t feature a single team from 2025, tells us much of the same. While some relied more heavily than others on the portal, each has some element of continuity.
The best way to build a team can be debated, but we know the talent and coaching in the 2026 Final Four are elite all around.
Here’s a look at each Final Four roster and which players were added through the transfer portal.
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Only players averaging more than eight minutes per game are listed.
PlayerClassPos.MPGPPGKeaton WaglerFr.G33.817.9Andrej StojakovicJr.G26.313.9David MirkovicFr.F29.513.5Kylan BoswellSr.G30.212.5Tomislav IvisicSo.C25.110.2Zvonimir IvisicJr.F17.56.6Ben HumrichousSr.F22.45.9Jake DavisJr.F19.75.4
Brad Underwood has maintained a tight eight-man rotation throughout the season, with no other player even averaging six minutes per game.
Freshman Keaton Wagler went from an overlooked recruit outside the national top-100 to a star for the Illini, but Underwood brought in talent from all over to build Illinois’ roster. David Mirkovic and Tomislav Ivisic came from Europe, while Andrej Stojakovic and Ivisic’s brother, Zvonimir, also have international roots but transferred from other schools.
Six of Underwood’s eight rotation pieces are underclassmen, so Illinois could bring back a talented squad next season even before any portal additions. Wagler, however, could be off to the NBA with his stock as high as it is.
DECOURCY:How Illinois has become ‘Europe’s team’
PlayerFormer schoolTransfer yearAndrej StojakovicCalifornia2025Zvonimir IvisicArkansas2025Kylan BoswellArizona2024Ben HumrichousEvansville2024Jake DavisMercer2024
Five of Illinois’ eight rotation players joined the team through the transfer portal, though three of those five have spent multiple seasons in the program. Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous and Jake Davis all got familiar with Underwood’s system last season, while Stojakovic was the big-ticket addition for the Illini last spring after a terrific sophomore season at California.
Stojakovic is also the son of former NBA guard Peja Stojakovic.
Only players averaging more than eight minutes per game are listed.
PlayerClassPos.MPGPPGYaxel LendeborgSr.F30.415.2Morez Johnson Jr.So.F25.113.2Aday MaraJr.C23.111.8Elliot CadeauJr.G27.110.2Trey McKenneyFr.G21.79.8Nimari BurnettSr.G19.88.4L.J. Cason*So.G18.68.4Roddy Gayle Jr.Sr.G20.77.4Will TschetterSr.F13.83.7
* — Out for season.
Dusty May has been forced to operate with an eight-man rotation since backup point guard L.J. Cason suffered a season-ending ACL tear, but Michigan’s core eight players have proven to be excellent fits alongside one another.
The frontcourt is where the Wolverines excel. UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg is the engine that makes Michigan go, while Aday Mara is one of the nation’s top shot-blockers and Morez Johnson Jr. is the team’s leading rebounder.
Elliot Cadeau replaced Tre Donaldson as Michigan’s point guard after coming over from North Carolina. While he’s had good and bad days, the Wolverines’ frontcourt is so dominant that there isn’t as much pressure on Cadeau as there was in Chapel Hill.
Roddy Gayle Jr., Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter are all seniors who have played multiple years at Michigan and give May some experience to lean on.
MORE:Why Yaxel Lendeborg turned down more money from Kentucky
PlayerFormer schoolTransfer yearYaxel LendeborgUAB2025Aday MaraUCLA2025Morez Johnson Jr.Illinois2025Elliot CadeauNorth Carolina2025Roddy Gayle Jr.Ohio State2024Nimari BurnettAlabama2023
Michigan is testing the boundaries of whether continuity really is necessary to win a national championship. Four of the Wolverines’ five starters transferred in from elsewhere last spring, including each of their top four scorers. Lendeborg came over from UAB, Mara from UCLA, Johnson from Illinois and Cadeau from North Carolina.
Gayle and Burnett are former transfers as well, but each has spent multiple years with the program. Trey McKenney, meanwhile, is a true freshman, meaning Gayle, Burnett and Tschetter are the Wolverines’ only rotation pieces carried over from last season with Cason sidelined.
Only players averaging more than eight minutes per game are listed.
PlayerClassPos.MPGPPGBrayden BurriesFr.G29.616.1Koa PeatFr.F27.714.1Jaden BradleySr.G30.713.3Ivan KharchenkovFr.F28.310.5Motiejus KrivasJr.C25.310.4Tobe AwakaJr.F20.99.3Anthony Dell’OrsoSr.G21.18.6Dwayne AristodeFr.G13.43.9
It can be hard to compete for a championship with three freshmen playing major roles, but Tommy Lloyd has made it work this season. Jaden Bradley’s experience and two-way stardom certainly helps, while Tobe Awaka, Antony Dell’Orso and Motiejus Krivas are all holdovers from last season.
Freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat both have the ability to take over games. Peat starred early in the season, and Burries was able to assert himself as an offensive star when Peat battled injuries and a midseason swoon. With Peat looking more like himself of late, the two have been difficult to stop while surrounded by a team of players who know their roles well.
Overall, four of Lloyd’s eight rotation players are freshmen, while Bradley and Dell’Orso are the only seniors.
MORE:Inside Arizona’s Final Four history
PlayerFormer schoolTransfer yearTobe AwakaTennessee2024Anthony Dell’OrsoCampbell2024Jaden BradleyAlabama2023
Not a single one of Arizona’s eight rotation pieces transferred in last spring. The only three transfers were Awaka and Dell’Orso, who came over in 2024, and Bradley, who transferred from Alabama after his freshman season three years ago.
Lloyd instead put his faith in returning players and a loaded recruiting class to be enough, even after losing KJ Lewis and Henri Veesaar to the portal, and that’s exactly what they have been.
Only players averaging more than eight minutes per game are listed.
PlayerClassPos.MPGPPGTarris ReedSr.F26.914.7Alex KarabanSr.F34.113.2Solo BallJr.G28.712.9Braylon MullinsFr.G27.911.9Silas Demary Jr.Jr.G28.510.4Eric ReibeFr.C14.26.2Jayden RossJr.F17.34.6Jaylin StewartJr.F16.84.3Malachi SmithSr.G16.03.6
Dan Hurley brought back a mixture of familiar faces and new additions after a disappointing season, and the combination has worked.
Alex Karaban is the veteran heartbeat of the Huskies after winning two national championships in his first two seasons with the program, while Solo Ball, Tarris Reed, Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart were also on last season’s squad. Reed, who transferred from Michigan in 2024, made a big leap this season and has been stellar throughout UConn’s run to the Final Four.
Freshman Braylon Mullins has filled the shoes of Liam McNeeley, who left for the NBA after his freshman season, while Silas Demary Jr. and Malachi Smith have given the Huskies more consistent guard play after coming over through the portal.
MORE:How UConn leaned on Dan Hurley during improbable comeback
PlayerFormer schoolTransfer yearSilas Demary Jr.Georgia2025Malachi SmithDayton2025Tarris ReedMichigan2024
Only one-third of UConn’s rotation transferred into the program, with Reed coming over in 2024 and the Huskies adding both Demary and Smith through the portal last spring.
Smith has played a smaller role with UConn after starting at Dayton in 2024-25, but Demary has been a major piece for the Huskies after reaching the NCAA Tournament at Georgia last season.
With Mullins and Eric Reibe also joining the program as freshmen, four of UConn’s nine rotation players were not with the Huskies last season. In this era, that’s still a low mark.
