Top 10 most impactful transfers in college basketball this season ft. Hunter Dickinson, Dalton Knecht, and more

The transfer portal has seen a lot of big names change schools during this college basketball season. Many could argue that these marquee players have been impactful on the new schools they landed at, and were a big loss for those they left behind.

But which of these players have been the most impactful? Here's a list of the 10 biggest names in the NCAA D1 men's basketball transfer portal. Is your favorite college hoops player on this list?

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#10 Cam Spencer, UConn (from Rutgers)

The no. 2-ranked UConn Huskies are right on the coattails of defensive powerhouse Houston partly because of for Rutgers transfer Cam Spencer. It's mostly his elite shooting from three (44.4%) that's been critical to the Huskies' success all year, basically balancing out all the other attributes that Jordan Hawkins brought to UConn (via USA Today's College Sports Wire).

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#9 Keshad Johnson, Arizona (from San Diego State)

Four years in San Diego State definitely didn't do anything good for Keshad Johnson's career. So when he moved to Arizona, he was definitely looking for a far more advantageous position--both for him and the team.

True enough, the Oakland, CA native is now a veritable all-around threat for the no. 5-ranked Wildcats (13 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game) while being a solid fourth option on offense.

The currently no. 21-ranked Aztecs could definitely have used this kind of production from him, but his late bloomer kind-of-game is something that Arizona definitely reaps massive benefits from this year.

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#8 L.J. Cryer, Houston (from Baylor)

After moving from Waco to Houston, LJ Cryer is now the best scorer on an elite defensive team that could find it hard to score most of the time. They technically didn't need to score that much to succeed this year, but that's beside the point. It's good that they have Cryer's offensive production on hand when they need it (15.5 PPG on 40.8% FG).

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#7 RayJ Dennis, Baylor (from Toledo)

The senior guard from Plainfield, IL leads Baylor in assists/game (6.8) and FG shooting (49.8%), and is also the team's second-best scorer behind the talented Ja'Kobe Walter. Head coach Scott Drew has shown a penchant for developing highly skilled guards, and Dennis' passing and efficiency from the field is more than enough proof of this.

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#6 Ace Baldwin, Jr., Penn State (from VCU)

A former A-10 Player of the Year and DPOY awardee, Ace Baldwin Jr.'s excellent two-way play is the only silver lining that Penn State has in their downer of a 2023-2024 season.

Right now, the Nittany Lions aren't even in the March Madness bubble. With just one more game left in the season against Maryland at the time of this writing, it would take a miracle for them to make it to the postseason.

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#5 Max Abmas, Texas (from Oral Roberts)

Abmas' performance for Texas should be enough to help the team make it just in time for March Madness. The 22-year-old leads the team in scoring, passing, and FG percentage for the year and is their clear #1 guy when they need a bucket, especially against marquee teams in the clutch.

His career-high shooting marks in two-point FGs and threes (56.3 and 39.2%) should be his biggest weapons for the Longhorns come tournament time.

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#4 Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga (from Creighton)

With the Gonzaga Bulldogs now a lock to make the postseason (via ESPN), Ryan Nembhard's passing and rebounding at the guard position will be key to help them make a run.

The Zags lacked a true PG last season, and they now have the junior Creighton transfer to settle things down on offense when things go awry (via USA Today).

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#3 Caleb Love, Arizona (from UNC)

An athletic two-level scorer with a flair for the dramatic, Caleb Love is handily leading the Wildcats in scoring (19.4 PPG) while also playing great defense. But don't let that scoring average hide the fact that Arizona isn't relying too much on him to create his own shot for them.

The Wildcats have a balanced offensive attack all throughout, though his elite scoring would definitely be needed come the tournament.

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#2 Dalton Knecht, Tennessee (from Northern Toledo)

Recently leading the Vols to their latest SEC title, Dalton Knecht's sweet-shooting ways from downtown this season are just leaving opposing teams in the dust. He was perhaps the most impressive during Tennessee's seven-game winning streak to end the year, shooting the lights out in all but one game.

His signature performance was a 39-point explosion against Auburn, where he shot 12-21 from the field, 5-8 from three and 10-12 from the free throw line. Now, he's clearly one of the best scorers heading into March Madness. He just has to prove he can perform in the biggest moments as well.

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#1 Hunter Dickinson, Kansas (from Michigan)

After leaving Ann Arbor to join the Jayhawks, big man Hunter Dickinson has been a true tower of power for the boys from Lawrence. He's a walking double-double machine that can not only pass but also defend the paint, while also scoring on great efficiency from the floor.

Kansas isn't winning a Big 12 title this season, but Dickinson would have way more opportunities in March Madness to prove that he belongs when the team needs him the most.