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Report: Rutgers Transfer Cliff Omoruyi Eyed by Kentucky, Kansas, St. John's in Portal

Andrew Peters

After Rutgers senior Cliff Omoruyi announced he was entering the transfer portal following the end of the season, the star is getting interest from some big names around college basketball.

According to college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Kansas, Kentucky and St. John's are among the schools eyeing Omoruyi. Zagoria noted that Omoruyi is doing Zoom interviews with several schools and has a meeting with Kansas scheduled for next week.

Omoruyi, who spent his first four collegiate seasons with the Scarlet Knights, averaged 10.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season.

Omoruyi is considered to be the No. 3 overall transfer prospect and the No. 2 center in the portal, per 247 Sports. At 6'11", Omoruyi will provide rim protection at whichever school he transfers to. He averaged a career-high 2.9 blocks per game this season—the third-most in the NCAA in 2023.

All of the aforementioned teams would benefit greatly from grabbing Omoruyi out of the portal.

Kansas could lose star center Hunter Dickinson, a senior, to the NBA draft, though he has another year of eligibility. The 7'2" Dickinson averaged 17.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game this year. Even if Dickinson decides to stay another year, pairing him and Omoruyi in the paint would give the Jayhawks a formidable frontcourt duo.

For Kentucky, its main weakness this season was its lackluster defense. The Wildcats had all the makings of a championship team on offense but ranked 110th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. If John Calipari can get Omoruyi to Kentucky, it would go a long way toward refurbishing the Wildcats' defense.

Much like Kentucky, St. John's struggled on defense this year. The Red Storm were a bubble team ahead of the NCAA tournament, and the lack of solid defense was a major factor in why they weren't able to earn an at-large bid.

Needless to say, the Omoruyi sweepstakes is on. Whether he lands with one of the big names already eyeing him or another team is still to be determined as he's still in the early stages of his transfer journey.

   

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