CBB analyst makes bold comparison to last year’s Kansas basketball transfer portal move

While the 2023-24 Kansas basketball campaign did not go as planned, the Jayhawks entered the season as the top team in the country due to the addition of Hunter Dickinson. The highly lauded center from Michigan was as good as advertised during his first year in Lawrence, averaging 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game en route to All-American honors. He will return to KU to finish out his career in hopes of capturing his first-ever NCAA championship.

When Dickinson transferred out of Ann Arbor one year ago, he was widely regarded as one of the best players to ever hit the portal. Very few transfers of his caliber have come across the open market, even with the influx of talent that re-located this offseason. However, some college basketball enthusiasts believe a recent portal player is on his level. Field of 68's Rob Dauster said Arkansas' addition of Johnell Davis is as big as Dickinson to Kansas in 2023.

"I think Arkansas getting Nelly Davis is on the same level as Kansas getting Hunter Dickinson last year."

- Rob Dauster

Davis, a transfer from FAU, averaged 18.3 points and 6.3 rebounds across 34 contests as a senior. He is entering his final year of eligibility and decided to take his talents to Fayetteville to join newly hired HC John Calipari. The Razorbacks have made great use of the transfer portal since landing their new leader, and Davis could be the best player on the team next year.

Although Davis is an incredible player, Dauster is making an extremely bold prediction here. Dickinson was a tremendous player the second he stepped onto the floor against much higher competition in the Big Ten. There have been very few, if any, players of his echelon to enter the portal.

He was selected to the Consensus All-America Second Team as a freshman, whereas Davis has played just one full season as a starter. Additionally, a dominant big man like Dickinson is harder to come by than a high-scoring guard.

Dauster could be right with this prediction, but it will certainly be difficult for Davis to match Dickinson's production surrounded by other score-first players on Arkansas. Regardless, the Jayhawks and Razorbacks are expected to enter the upcoming season as two of the best teams in the country, so perhaps they will meet in the NCAA Tournament again to hash this out.