Recapping this summer's mid-major roster construction

It feels like just yesterday the transfer portal officially opened after the national championship game. But in fact, that was seven months ago. A ton has happened since then in college basketball roster construction.

Much of the national attention went to massive dollar increases in NIL compensation for players, the strong market emphasis on big men, and the headache the NCAA's shift to the 5-in-5 eligibility model created.

But the ripple effects of those shifts played a major role in what an offseason looked like for many mid-major programs. In an era where power conference schools put up seven-figure roster salaries and use the legal system to get even more talent, smaller-level schools have had to get more creative and adapt even faster to the changing landscape.

With that in mind, let's recap some of the ways mid-major programs built a new roster this offseason, and what it may mean for this campaign and next summer's portal cycle.

The big man exodus

By my count, power conference teams added 65 bigs or combo forwards from mid-major teams this offseason. I don't have a historical database on this, but I'd imagine it is nearing the most ever.

Last season, teams that won the paint and the rebounding battle dominated, prompting programs with substantial resources to invest heavily in frontcourt players to emulate that style. As Evan Miyakawa researched this summer, market demand for bigs was by far the highest relative to value of any position on the floor.