NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S BASKETBALL — More than 1,000 NCAA Division I men's basketball players entered the transfer portal within ten hours of its opening at midnight on April 7. The portal opened approximately 40 minutes after Michigan won the national championship over UConn, with that game ending just before 11:20 p.m. ET on Monday.

The surge of entries came at the start of a 15-day window that runs from April 7 through April 21. The NCAA enacted rule changes earlier in the year that changed the transfer portal window across all sports, establishing the current timeline for men's basketball. Players have until the end of the window to enter the portal in order to complete a transfer.

Under the rules, players can enter and exit the portal during the 15-day period. They do not need to choose a new school or withdraw from the portal before the window closes. The sole requirement is that a player's name appear in the portal at some point within the designated timeframe for a transfer to go through.

The pace of entries in the opening hours of the window follows a pattern of rising annual totals. The transfer portal drew approximately 2,100 players in 2024 and nearly 2,700 last year. Coaches expect this season's total number of entrants to surpass 3,000 players.

Separate provisions exist for programs that undergo head coaching changes. When a head coach is replaced, a 15-day transfer window opens five days after a new coach is hired, providing players on those rosters an additional opportunity to enter the portal outside the standard April window. If no new coach is announced within 30 days of a coaching change and the standard transfer window has already closed, a 15-day window opens on the 31st day for players at that program, according to the rules. The standard window closes on April 21.