Men's transfer buzz: How Final Four teams are reloading

The NCAA tournament ended just eight days ago -- and in that time, the entire college basketball landscape has changed. More than 2,000 players are in the transfer portal, and a flurry of commitments over the weekend has jump-started the roster-building process for plenty of teams.

Some are further ahead than others, and that also applies to the four teams that were playing in Indianapolis just more than a week ago.

Michigan, UConn, Arizona and Illinois have all lost players to the transfer portal since the season ended, and three of those programs have already added replacements.

How are each of the national semifinalists -- and one team that came heartbreakingly close -- faring in their quests to rebuild and get back to the Final Four?

All information as of April 14

Michigan Wolverines

Players leaving: Starters Yaxel Lendeborg and Nimari Burnett are both out of eligibility, as are Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter. End-of-bench players Winters Grady and Malick Kordel entered the portal. L.J. Cason and incoming freshman Lincoln Cosby are likely to redshirt as they recover from injuries.

Players staying or coming in: The reigning national champions began their reload during halftime of their Final Four win over Arizona, when five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr. announced his commitment. Dusty May then made quick work in the portal, landing a commitment from Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella a couple of days after the title game. In addition to McCoy, Michigan is also bringing in ESPN 100 recruits Quinn Costello and Joseph Hartman. The Wolverines also agreed to deals to keep guards Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney in Ann Arbor.

Players in limbo: Much of Michigan's frontcourt work will depend on the NBA draft decisions of Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara. A dominant late-season surge propelled Mara into the late lottery range of ESPN's last big board update, while Johnson is projected as a late first-rounder.

Work to do: May also clearly wants some additional perimeter pop: The Wolverines hosted Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, one of the elite scorers in the portal, for a visit this past weekend. Harris left the visit without committing and then met with both North Carolina and Tennessee.

UConn Huskies

Dan Hurley has set a remarkable standard at UConn, going to three Final Fours in four years, including two national championships. How will he get the Huskies back there next season?

Players leaving: Program legend Alex Karaban and NCAA tournament star Tarris Reed are both gone, while Malachi Smith is a senior. UConn was also hit by the transfer portal, with former McDonald's All American Eric Reibe opting to depart despite likely filling Reed's shoes next season on a full-time basis.

Players staying or coming in: On the plus side, Silas Demary Jr. announced on Tuesday that he's coming back to UConn, and there is no reason to believe Solo Ball won't follow, so the two can again start alongside each other in the backcourt. Two-way sixth man Jayden Ross is also back, and the Huskies bring in a pair of top-50 wings in Colben Landrew and Junior County.

Players in limbo: Braylon Mullins is a projected first-round pick, but Hurley has spoken publicly about the program's attempts to keep him in Storrs for another season. Veteran forward Jaylin Stewart is also yet to announce his next move.

Work to do: The focus of UConn's portal efforts is the frontcourt. There is a long list of targets for the Huskies, including Syracuse transfer Donnie Freeman and Seton Hall transfer Najai Hines. Saint Mary's transfer Paulius Murauskas was one to watch, but Louisville and Arizona State have made the two-time All-WCC selection a priority and could have the edge. UConn has also been linked with Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) and Andrew McKeever (Saint Mary's).

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona had a roller-coaster finish to the season, reaching the program's first Final Four since 2001, fending off North Carolina to keep Tommy Lloyd in Tucson -- and then losing big to Michigan in the national semifinals.

Players leaving: Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley, Tobe Awaka and Anthony Dell'Orso are seniors, while Brayden Burries has played himself into lottery projections. The only rotation player to hit the portal was freshman Dwayne Aristode.

Players staying or coming in: The only rotation player that seems guaranteed to return is Ivan Kharchenkov, who emerged as one of the best two-way freshmen in the Big 12. Top-five recruit Caleb Holt will slot into the starting lineup immediately, and they also have top-50 recruit Cameron Holmes.

Players in limbo: Lloyd now awaits the stay-or-go decisions from Koa Peat and Motiejus Krivas. Both were projected in the 20s of ESPN's most recent big board but could potentially boost their stock with another year at Arizona.

Work to do: Arizona's portal priority was a point guard. Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad was atop the Wildcats' board, but he committed to Louisville. The Wildcats quickly pivoted and landed a pair of freshman transfers on Monday evening: Derek Dixon (North Carolina) and JJ Mandaquit (Washington). They're also pursuing Kansas transfer Bryson Tiller, who is expected to visit Tucson this week; the Wildcats will need to conduct some frontcourt business regardless of Peat's and Krivas' decisions.

Illinois Fighting Illini

Brad Underwood has found a formula that works, and it centers around size defensively and skill offensively -- in an incredibly efficient offensive system.

Players leaving: Keaton Wagler has announced he's heading to the NBA draft, while starting guard Kylan Boswell and reserve forward Ben Humrichous are out of eligibility. Seldom-used Mihailo Petrovic and Toni Bilic, who enrolled at the semester break and didn't play in a game, are the only players to enter the transfer portal so far.

Players staying or coming in: The frontcourt is in good shape with starters Tomislav Ivisic and David Mirkovic both likely to return, along with backup Zvonimir Ivisic. Shooter Jake Davis is also back, while incoming freshman Lucas Morillo is a top-60 recruit and can play a depth role on the perimeter.

Players in limbo: The Illini await Andrej Stojakovic's decision about his future. Stojakovic could turn pro or enter the transfer portal; he was the team's second-leading scorer this past season but came off the bench for the final 11 games.

Work to do: Underwood began his backcourt reload during Final Four week by landing former Wake Forest signee and top-30 recruit Quentin Coleman and continued it with Sunday's addition of Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks, an Estonia native who emerged as one of the surprise freshmen in the country this past season. Next on the list is Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell, an All-Big Ten selection who had 31 points against the Illini in the Big Ten tournament. The Illini are battling Duke, UCLA and Louisville for the high-scoring guard.

BONUS: Duke Blue Devils

Duke was not a Final Four team, but the Blue Devils came within a 35-foot Braylon Mullins 3-pointer of getting there. They're also facing a fascinating reload, so let's take a quick look at them too.

Players leaving: Cameron Boozer will be a top-five pick in the NBA draft, so he's gone. Maliq Brown is out of eligibility. And Nikolas Khamenia and Darren Harris entered the transfer portal. Outside of that, nothing appears set in stone.

Players staying or coming in: Caleb Foster and Cayden Boozer are both trending toward a return, and Jon Scheyer is bringing in the nation's No. 1 recruiting class, led by three top-25 recruits: high-ceiling forward Cameron Williams, point guard Deron Rippey Jr. and shooter Bryson Howard.

Players in limbo: Isaiah Evans has moved up draft boards and is well inside the first round, while Dame Sarr and Patrick Ngongba were in the second round of ESPN's most recent big board. There's some optimism that both Sarr and Ngbonga will return to Durham.

Work to do: So what does Duke need? The top priority is a high-scoring perimeter player and the top target is Wisconsin's John Blackwell, the best guard in the portal. The Blue Devils are also expected to be a main contender for Santa Clara transfer Allen Graves if he withdraws from the NBA draft. Even if Ngongba comes back, Duke needs another big man, and the Blue Devils are hoping Indiana didn't close a deal with Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell. They've also been linked to Cincinnati transfer Thiam.