When Texas Tech squared off with Virginia for the national championship, three of its best players were transfers. Starters Matt Mooney and Tariq Owens joined the Red Raiders as grad transfers, and Brandone Francis, who began his college career at Florida and sat out the 2016–17 season after arriving in Lubbock, came off the bench to star in the title game.
In the current college basketball landscape, transfers have become an important and, in some cases, essential component to building a roster. It’s easier than ever to get an NCAA waiver to avoid sitting out a season, and immediately eligible grad transfers have created a de facto free agency in college hoops for several years now.