Ranking top first-year transfers in Sweet 16 of NCAA Men's Tournament

First-year transfers are making their mark in the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament ahead of the Sweet 16 . In the current era of name, image and likeness (NIL) overtaking the sport, transfers have as big an impact as ever on college basketball rosters. Most of the top transfers still alive in March Madness were paid handsomely for a chance at a deep NCAA Tournament run.

REQUIRED READING: Re-seeding Sweet 16 teams: Separating the contenders from pretenders Depending on the situation, a Sweet 16 run could be considered "mission accomplished" for a few programs. For others, such as No. 1 seed Michigan, it serves as the potential first stop en route to on a Final Four berth.

Here's a ranking of the top first-year transfers of the Sweet 16 in the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament: Ranking top first-year transfers of Sweet 16 1. Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan The No. 1-ranked transfer portal prospect from the offseason has lived up to his billing in his first season at Michigan after transferring from UAB.

The first-team All-American won Big Ten Player of the Year this season, averaging 14. 7 points with 6. 9 rebounds and 3.