College hoops notebook: Hunter Dickinson building suspense around next stop

There have been countless takes across the college basketball world on the pros and cons of the transfer portal.

But in late April, the biggest name in the history of this era — in which players can be immediately eligible at their new school — has yet to make his decision, and the anticipation surrounding his choice is generating buzz across college hoops.

I'm talking about Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, the 7-foot-1 All-American caliber talent who has averaged at least 18 points and nine rebounds in each of the last two seasons on better than 56% shooting from the floor.

Dickinson's talent is accompanied by an outspoken personality on his podcast, making him one of the sport's most recognizable faces. He is maximizing the attention and NIL that he can receive in the college game, and going about the process of picking his next destination in a clever way. By essentially holding sweepstakes between some of the sport's biggest brands, there's been chatter about his process through every step of the way, with his most recent visit coming in Lexington with John Calipari. 

Dickinson's roots in Alexandria, Virginia are why the rumor mill has swirled, with the possibilities of Maryland and to a lesser extent, Georgetown. New Terrapins assistant Mike Jones coached Dickinson at DeMatha Catholic, and the two have remained very close. Speaking of DeMatha ties, Dickinson was a high school teammate of Justin Moore, who announced earlier this month that he would be back for a fifth year at Villanova.

Could we see Dickinson go the blue blood avenue with Kansas or Kentucky, where NIL money is presumably as strong there as it is at any school, if not stronger? Dickinson has kept a poker face during all of this, so it's hard to know where he's leaning at the moment.

Wherever he does end up, any of the potential programs he lands with will be ranked in the preseason with his addition — if they aren't already — and you're talking about a centerpiece player who can dominate the interior in any game.

For now ... the wait goes on, with a visit to Villanova next.

Here are some other recent developments in college basketball to monitor:

Hubert Davis is betting on the returning talents of Armando Bacot and RJ Davis, and attempting to build around that star duo in the portal. 

The set of moves that the third-year North Carolina head coach has made have been solid, with Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Jae'Lyn Withers (Louisville), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame) and Paxson Wojcik (Brown). 

The Ingram commitment was a splash, as the Tar Heels beat out Kansas for the former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game this past season and should fit very well as a complementary option in the starting lineup for UNC. I fully expect Ryan to start alongside Davis in the backcourt, while Withers could very well end up at the 4. After a rough 2022-23 that saw the Tar Heels go from preseason No. 1 to missing the NCAA Tournament, Davis has gone about building this roster well.

Could UConn run it back for another national championship in 2024? 

The Huskies look like a consensus preseason top-five team heading into next season, and a repeat is certainly on the table. There will be questions to answer heading into next season, though, including a need to replace two major faces in Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins, who are off to the NBA Draft. 

With Stephon Castle headlining the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, plus the high-impact returns of sophomores Donovan Clingan and Alex Karaban, Connecticut will have some high quality weapons. The key question to monitor now: Will captain Andre Jackson and dynamic point guard Tristen Newton come back after testing the NBA Draft waters? It seems like that could very well happen for both, but this is going to be a fascinating draft evaluation period ahead, so anything is on the table. If both those players come back, UConn should be preseason top-three.

Gonzaga is making some moves

What did Mark Few and Gonzaga show last Friday by picking up transfers Graham Ike (Wyoming) and Ryan Nembhard (Creighton), who announced within an hour of each other? The Zags aren't going anywhere. 

A team that looked like a fringe top-25 group heading into next season hopped right into the conversation as a potential top-15 squad, thanks to addressing its point guard problem with Nembhard. Also, Ike is a talented big man who can fill the hole left by the departing Drew Timme. 

With Efton Reid entering the portal and former top recruit Kaden Perry being a bit of an unknown after dealing with back issues, there were major questions about the Zags' frontcourt situation. Ike shores it up. 

As for Nembhard, he can go to Gonzaga and be "the guy" in their backcourt. With questions surrounding whether Nolan Hickman could do that for next year's team, along with the loss of Rasir Bolton plus Malachi Smith's pending decision on his future, Few needed somebody like Nembhard. It's great news for Few that he beat out his former assistant Tommy Lloyd, who served as the point person in recruiting Ryan's brother Andrew to Spokane. It also reaffirms their consistency as a power in the country. 

Rodney Terry had a nice weekend in Texas

Terry shored up his frontcourt next year with the return of Dylan Disu and the addition of Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick. The addition of Shedrick will surely help the Horns in the rim protection department, as the UVA transfer averaged close to two blocks per game in each of the last two seasons while ranking second in the ACC in points per possession allowed as a defender. On the offensive end, his finishing ability and imposing frame make him a difficult matchup for opposing teams, which led Shedrick to the top of the ACC in free throw attempt rate last season (67%). He and Disu, who averaged 8.1 points per game on 61% shooting from the floor this past season, give Texas a formidable frontcourt heading into next year. With Tyrese Hunter back to charge the backcourt, if Terry can pursue more in the portal to bolster his guard play, the Horns can be a top-25 team in the loaded Big 12.

We leave you with some Big Ten scheduling news …

On Tuesday, the league announced its 2023-24 conference play opponents for each team's 20-game slate. Some takeaways: The likely top-two teams in the league, Michigan State and Purdue, will only play once next season, with the Spartans visiting Mackey Arena. Additionally, if Dickinson does transfer to Maryland, he would never have to step back inside his former home, the Crisler Center, because the Terps and Wolverines will only square off in College Park. For the full rundown of who each team will be matching up against in conference play, you can check out the complete list of opponents right here.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.