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sports17h ago
Does Transfer Portal Success Equal NCAA Tournament Success?
- Recent portal rankings did not reliably predict NCAA Tournament progress for several top teams.
- Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana, and Auburn showed high portal interest but mixed tournament outcomes.
- In 2023–24, only three of the top-10 teams by portal rankings won multiple NCAA Tournament games.
- The analysis notes that four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four without relying primarily on the portal.
- Explanations point to the value of experience, with many Final Four starters being veterans rather than first-year transfers.
- The piece highlights conflicting outcomes across programs, noting coaches who adapted well to the portal era.
- The article includes caution that the data sample is cherry-picked and subject to ranking subjectivity.
- The author cites Mark Story's numbers suggesting older players have been more effective in Final Fours since 2016.
- The piece notes a trend where top portal classes did not guarantee later tournament success in 2023–24.
- The analysis identifies that Florida emerged as a dangerous team ahead of the NCAA Tournament in 2024–25.
- Overall finding: portal success does not guarantee postseason success, according to the analysis.
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