Buzz Williams has the ingredients for a quick leap in College Park, and Maryland looks like the clearest bet on this list to make one. After a 12-win season, the Terps are set up to be one of the sport’s biggest movers in 2026-27 with Pharrel Payne back in the fold after a leg injury.
Payne, who put up 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, gives Maryland a proven frontcourt anchor, and Williams added three transfer starters in DJ Wagner from Arkansas, Bishop Boswell from Tennessee and Tomislav Buljan from New Mexico. Veteran guard Andre Mills returns as well, and five-star freshman Baba Oladotun is expected to make an immediate impact.
The projection here is simple: Maryland will be in the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
LSU is another team that could take a massive step, and the reason starts with Will Wade’s return to Baton Rouge. The Tigers managed only 15 wins last season under Matt McMahon, but Wade has already changed the talent profile of the roster.
Donovan Dent, Skyy Clark and Mouhamed Dioubate arrive from UCLA, UCLA and Kentucky, respectively, bringing power conference experience to the core. LSU also added international prospects Brice Dessert, Saliou Niang and Michael Ruzic, all of whom are expected to contribute quickly.
If the pieces come together, LSU should be good enough to climb back into the thick of the SEC race, just as Wade’s 2018-19 team did when it won the league’s regular season title.
Marquette’s case is built on continuity, and that’s a valuable thing after a rough season that ended with just 12 wins and the program’s first NCAA Tournament miss under Shaka Smart. The Golden Eagles bring back 62.1 percent of their scoring, which is the highest return rate in the Big East.
Nigel James is the headliner there after averaging 16.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals, and he’s a strong candidate for Big East Player of the Year as a sophomore. Royce Parham, who averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds, and Adrien Stevens, who put up 7.9 points, are back too.
Marquette also added projected starters Sananda Fru from Louisville and Nolan Minessale from St. Thomas, giving Smart more pieces to work with in a season that feels set up for a sharp rebound.
At Xavier, the optimism is tied to both the coach and the budget. Richard Pitino already has two NCAA Tournament appearances on his résumé, from New Mexico and Minnesota, and now he has a chance to make it three different schools by March of 2027.
His first year at Xavier ended at 15-18, but the Musketeers got a major boost when their NIL budget increased, allowing the program to upgrade its talent base. The transfer group front and center includes Chance Westry from UAB, Ruben Dominguez from Texas A&M, Tru Washington from Miami and Michael Nwoko from LSU.
That quartet is expected to drive what many around the program view as a major turnaround at the Cintas Center.
Ole Miss rounds out the list, and Chris Beard’s Rebels sound ready to leave last season’s 15-20 record behind. That campaign was the first losing season of Beard’s Division 1 head coaching career, and he has spent the months since March pushing to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
The offense should lean on the perimeter, with returnees Ilias Kamardine, who averaged 11.3 points, and Patton Pinkins, who scored 9.3 points, both bringing All-SEC caliber potential. Seton Hall transfer Budd Clark adds steady play at point guard after averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 assists, while Pitt transfer Roman Siulepa brings versatility as a small-ball mismatch option with his 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Micah Handlogten from Florida and Corey Stephenson from Florida International are also in the mix for fifth-year eligibility and could become rotation pieces if cleared. The one thing Beard still needs is a rebounder, but if he finds one, Ole Miss should push into the top half of the SEC.
In Other News...
LSU Tightens Game Day Rules After Ugly Scene Around Tiger Stadium
LSU is tightening its game-day approach after a brawl broke out around Tiger Stadium during homecoming and required police intervention. In response, the university announced enhanced crowd-control measures meant to keep Saturdays safer and more orderly for everyone coming to campus, with president Wade Rousse making clear that disruptive behavior will not be tolerated.
The new policies include increased patrols, clearer lines on what counts as acceptable tailgating and tougher consequences for violations. For a program that treats game day as part celebration, part showcase, the goal is to preserve the atmosphere without letting it spill into the kind of scene that forced security and law enforcement to step in. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Recruiting Takes A Hit At Running Back Again
LSUs running back recruiting picture took another turn this week when Brennen Lacey announced on social media that he is withdrawing his verbal commitment and reopening his recruitment. Lacey had committed to the Tigers in June after taking an official visit, giving LSU a promising early piece in its backfield class before this latest change.
Laceys statement was respectful, as he thanked LSUs coaching staff for the opportunity, but the move adds another layer of uncertainty to a position the Tigers have been trying to secure in the cycle. For LSU, it leaves a familiar question hanging over its efforts at running back: how quickly the staff can stabilize the board and replace a key pledge it had hoped to build around. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Passing Game Faces A New Twist With TreyDez Green Returning
TreyDez Green is poised to rejoin LSUs offense for the upcoming game against Auburn after missing time since Week 3 with a knee injury, giving the passing game another layer it has not had in recent weeks. His return comes after Jackson Harris stepped into a bigger role and quickly became quarterback Sam Leavitts top target, emerging as the team leader in receiving yards and touchdowns while giving the Tigers a reliable option in the middle of the field.
Harris, a redshirt junior transfer from Hawaii, has earned the staffs trust during Greens absence and is expected to be available despite a recent ankle injury. For LSU, the timing creates an interesting adjustment point: the Tigers suddenly have more than one pass-catching threat to sort through, and how they balance Greens return with Harriss momentum could shape the way the offense looks going forward. [Read more 🡒]