SEC Basketball Transfer Portal: Flurry of activity in final 48 hours

By Chris Marler

Finally we are starting to see some consistent activity around the SEC as the final two days of the portal opening are drawing to a close. That is, activity from almost everyone except LSU.

By the Numbers

Yesterday was a day that finally went as expected. Only eight players entered the portal and 29 found new programs to commit to. 

The overall numbers for Division I saw the players entered reach the 1,200 mark with 1,201 players in the portal to be exact. The number of committed players reached 341. That means 28 percent of the players have found a new home. 

That’s still less than half of what we saw in the football portal at this point in the cycle. 

Bama gets shoved in a locker

Alabama got gutted by the portal once again, which wasn’t necessarily a surprise. They’ve become a program that has relied heavily on the portal and seen a decent amount of turnover in most years that Nate Oats has been in Tuscaloosa. Saturday was a tough day for the Tide, though. 

Kentucky guard Jasper Johnson was thought to be a potential lock to Alabama considering he picked the Cats over the Tide in a very tight recruiting battle out of high school. Johnson instead chose to take his talents to Oregon for what is probably a great payday and a fresh start away from the SEC. 

Hours later, their top 50 recruit from this year’s recruiting class Davion Hannah announced that he was going to enter the portal, as well. 

Losing a potential starting scorer to a team like Oregon was tough enough. But, losing a player who seemingly had a clear path to playing next year? That’s a brutal four hour stretch for a team desperately needing bodies for next year’s roster. Some people in Alabama’s camp assume Hannah’s premature exit means the Tide are close to signing someone. That has yet to be seen as of Sunday morning. 

NEWS: Alabama guard Davion Hannah plans to enter the @TransferPortal, his agency Seros Partners tells @On3.

The 6-5 freshman is a former top-50 recruit. https://t.co/DDJejfXXtP pic.twitter.com/zy0Udxby82

— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 18, 2026

Tennessee continues to thrive 

Tennessee has done a better job in this cycle than anyone else in the conference. The commitment from Rick Barnes to building through the portal has been very evident, and he hasn’t stopped since it opened. 

His latest prize was VCU shooting guard Terrence Hill Jr. Hill is a top 25 player overall in the portal and torched UNC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for 34 points. A true scorer is something that Tennessee basketball desperately missed at times this year. As good as some of their young talent was, having a guy like Dalton Knecht who can go get you a bucket at any time you need was very clearly missing from last year’s roster. Hill provides that, and he showed that when the lights were brightest. 

BREAKING: VCU transfer guard Terrence Hill Jr. has committed Tennessee, @JoeTipton reports🍊

Hill scored 34 points in the Rams upset win against North Carolina. https://t.co/ysleEmcH4I pic.twitter.com/G4amWX2Tzq

— On3 (@On3) April 19, 2026