Basketball enthusiasts have every reason to skip work and watch the second round of the NCAA March Madness tournament, which has officially begun. The Kansas State Wildcats and Casey Alexander should be keeping a careful eye on things in the interim.
Before the 2027 season, a number of mid-major standouts are becoming attractive transfer portal targets.
March Madness standouts Kansas State could target this offseason
Day one of the NCAA Tournament’s opening round was just as chaotic as expected. A number of stories emerged from the Round of 64, such as High Point guard Chase Johnston making his first two-point basket of the year.
Even though Johnston has been entertaining, Kansas State is unlikely to give priority to a guard whose influence is mostly restricted to perimeter shooting, particularly given that a number of former Belmont players are reportedly looking at the transfer portal.
Even though he’s intriguing, the Wildcats have plenty of other options, so he’s not a long-term solution. This is especially true given his expiring eligibility.
Siena guard Gavin Doty turned heads in the first round against Duke
On the first day of the competition, the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils nearly lost to the third-ever 16-seed triumph in the round of 64. The Blue Devils are still dancing, which is fortunate for head coach John Scheier.
However, the fact that the Saints used all five of their starters for forty minutes was more noteworthy than a late-game scare. Gavin Doty, a 6’5″ sophomore who averages 18 points per game, was one of them.
Doty was one of three players in double figures before the final bell, and he finished with 21 points against the best team in the country, losing by a mere six points. Additionally, that performance wasn’t unique.
The sophomore scored more than 20 points in each of the final two MAAC tournament games, including a season-high 31 against Iona. The Wildcats need performances like that going into 2027.
Miami (OH) guard Brant Byers among Redhawks with remaining eligibility
The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks’ accomplishments this season—going 31-0 in conference play and defeating SMU in the First Four—cannot be disregarded. They made the field despite losing to UMass in the conference tournament.
You can anticipate some disruption in the recruitment process if certain players from that roster choose to leave. However, the transfer portal’s list of mid-major prospects to keep an eye on is led by sophomore Brant Byers.
Byers never really got going against Tennessee in the round of 64, after scoring 19 points in the team’s victory against the Mustangs. He averaged slightly over four rebounds and 14.2 points per game at the end of the season.
He performs well in crucial situations, just like Doty. He matches Alexander’s usual level of competitiveness when you include in his MAC tournament experience.
Missouri Valley Conference names Kansas State can’t afford to miss
The only Missouri Valley Conference team to qualify for the NCAA this year was Northern Iowa. The Panthers, a late 5-seed, made it to the final rounds of Arch Madness by defeating Bradley and Illinois-Chicago.
Northern Iowa was an unbeatable team in this year’s tournament thanks to their outstanding roster and head coach Ben Jacobson. Following their first-round defeat to St. John’s, a few names might attract attention.
Max Weisbrod, Leon Bond III, and Will Hornseth are among the starting five with remaining eligibility. Hornseth is a standout prospect if Alexander decides to pursue his former Bruins players. Against the Red Storm, he logged 10 points in 25 minutes.
In addition to being a conventional forward, Hornseth is 6’8″. As a sophomore this season, he had one of the top three-point shooting percentages in the conference with 44.4%. Hornseth might actually become a target, depending on what happens to Andrej Kostic, Dorin Buca, and other Wildcats players from the 2025–26 roster.
