The Michigan Wolverines have a huge game tomorrow night, as Dusty May and company will take on Arizona in the Final Four. If they win, they will play the winner of UConn-Illinois in the National Championship on Monday.
Regardless of whether or not Michigan is celebrating a national title on Tuesday, May and his staff will immediately get to work building next year’s team, as that’s the day the transfer portal officially opens. There’s no doubt Michigan will be looking at the portal once again this offseason, as guys like Yaxel Lendeborg, Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter are out of eligibility. There’s also the possibility that the Wolverines lose some guys to the portal, and they would have to replace those bodies as well.
If you’re plugged in on social media, you’ve probably already seen reports about players that intend on entering the transfer portal once it opens. Among the best players set to be available is Kansas sophomore big man Flory Bidunga. The 6-foot-10, 235-pounder also intends on declaring for the NBA Draft, but there’s a very strong chance he returns to college for another year.
Leading up to the portal opening up, SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell wrote a story about the best potential landing spots for Bidunga, and the Wolverines made the cut.
Here’s what O’Donnell had to say
I assume Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson will all enter the NBA Draft. If that happens, head coach Dusty May will need to build entirely through the transfer portal again, and Bidunga would be a good place to start. Bidunga isn’t quite as massive as Michigan usually likes its centers — he measured 6’7 barefoot with a 7’2 wingspan — but there’s no denying his talent. Lendeborg was the top player in the transfer portal last season and he chose Michigan over Kentucky and others. Bidunga could end up as the No. 1 player in the portal this year, so I’d expect the Wolverines to show some level of interest.
Bidunga played in a reserve role as a freshman, but he really took his game up a notch this season as a starter for the Jayhawks. He played in 35 games and averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 64.0 percent from the field.
The only thing that may hold May back from going after a player like Bidunga is his lack of shooting ability. May has a type when it comes to big men — they have to be a high-quality defender and they should be able to shoot from beyond the arc. Bidunga has yet to make a three-pointer in his college career; he’s 0-for-2, with both misses coming this season.
However, there’s no denying he would be a physical presence on the inside and would be a solid replacement for Morez Johnson Jr. at the 4 spot if he goes to the NBA.
Do you think Bidunga would be a good fit for Michigan next season? Let me know what you think in the comments section below!
