In this episode, Evan Miyakawa breaks down some of his favorite transfer portal additions of the offseason using his proprietary player evaluation model at EvanMiya.com. He walks through how his projections are built—combining box score production, on-court impact, and historical data—and explains why defensive value and overall impact often lead to different conclusions than consensus rankings. Evan highlights a range of notable transfers, including Flory Bidunga to Louisville, Acaden Lewis to Miami, Sananda Fru to Marquette, Isaiah Johnson to Texas, Leroy Blyden Jr. to Kansas, Najai Hines to UConn, Miles Byrd to Providence, and Zoom Diallo to Kentucky, while also discussing broader themes like freshman-to-sophomore leaps, the importance of multi-skill versatility, and how certain player archetypes tend to translate better when moving up levels.

Chapters

(00:00) Key metrics for evaluating players
(05:05) Flory Bidunga to Louisville
(08:26) Acaden Lewis to Miami
(11:01) Sananda Fru to Marquette
(15:22) Isaiah Johnson to Texas
(17:08) Leroy Blyden to Kansas
(19:23) Najai Hines to UConn
(21:15) Miles Byrd to Providence
(24:25) Zoom Diallo to Kentucky
(28:13) Comparison to Alex Wilkins

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The transfer portal is exploding—and so are NIL prices. In this episode, Evan Miyakawa breaks down a “Transfer Portal 101” guide to how teams are navigating the modern roster-building landscape, including why the NIL market is up 65% year-over-year and how that’s impacting decisions across college basketball. He dives into the economics of the portal, explaining why centers are being overpaid, why point guards may actually be the best value right now, and how supply and demand is reshaping roster construction. Evan also highlights key player archetypes to target (like sophomore breakout candidates) and ones to be cautious of (like high-volume scorers without well-rounded skill sets). If you want a clear, data-driven understanding of how teams are spending millions to build rosters in today’s game, this episode is for you.

Chapters

(00:00) Transfer Portal 101
(01:56) NIL Market is up 65%
(05:25) Front Office Suite tool for teams
(11:26) Is the market sustainable?
(14:09) Bigs are being overpaid
(17:47) Where teams can find value in the portal
(21:08) The Vandy and Nebraska model
(22:32) Freshman to Sophomore leap
(25:25) Teams are overvaluing volume scorers

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Michigan is your 2026 national champion, and in this season finale of The EvanMiya College Basketball Show, Evan Miyakawa is joined by analyst Eric Fawcett to break down how the Wolverines captured the title and what made their roster construction so dominant. The episode dives into Michigan’s 69–63 championship win over UConn, the tactical battle between Dusty May and Dan Hurley, and the defensive switching scheme that helped shut down UConn’s offense. Evan and Eric also revisit Michigan’s semifinal blowout of Arizona, discuss Terris Reed’s incredible tournament run for UConn, and examine how players like Elliot Cadeau and Yaxel Lendeborg powered Michigan to the title. The show wraps up with a look at the future of roster building in college basketball, including NIL economics, the transfer portal market, and why elite big men are becoming the most valuable commodity in the sport.

Chapters

(00:00) Eric Fawcett joins the show!
(01:34) Michigan wins the national title
(10:54) Xs and Os title game battle
(17:15) Standouts: Cadeau and Yaxel
(25:51) MIchigan dominates Arizona
(33:41) UConn beats Illinois in semis
(41:21) How rosters will be built this offseason
(56:59) Recapping bracket performance
(59:15) The Front Office Suite tool at EvanMiya.com
(01:02:54) Best moments from Indianapolis
(01:07:12) Listener contest winner!

Connect with the show:

• Visit EvanMiya.com
• Follow on Twitter/X
• Subscribe on YouTube
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• Full Show Archives
• Merch