Clemson Tigers Could Benefit from Emerging Trend in College Basketball

A well-hidden trend has begun to take place in college basketball of late, and the Clemson Tigers could benefit from it this year.

Dec 29, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Illinois State Redbirds forward Myles Foster (4) goes to the basket during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers men's basketball program has faired well under the watchful eye of Brad Brownell who is approaching his 15th season at the reigns.

He has helped lead the program to a 265-189 record overall with a 128-126 record in conference play, along with four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four just last season.

Contrary to Brownell's counterpart Dabo Swinney on the football side of the university, Brownell has no aversion to working the transfer portal to help improve his team in any way, shape, or form.

That has proved no different this year, as one key transfer who is joining the Tigers is Myles Foster from the Illinois State Redbirds in the Missouri Valley Conference.

While we have yet to see how the move will work out for either party, there has been a trend emerging in college basketball of late Missouri Valley Conference players transferring to more well-known programs and providing an immediate impact on the success of the team.

The trend has yet to gain steam in the eyes of the nation, but Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports says that it is one to keep an eye on moving forward.

"Missouri Valley Conference transfers didn't get a lot of buzz in the 2023 portal cycle, but they ended up being key cogs," writes Trotter, "Purdue does not make the National Championship Game without the contributions from Southern Illinois transfer Lance Jones who hit maybe the biggest 3-pointer in school history in the Elite Eight dub against Tennessee."

It is a promising trend that could prove beneficial for Clemson in the coming season, perhaps even helping the program reach the NCAA Tournament in consecutive years for the first time since making it four times in as many years from 2007-2011.

While the trend can be beneficial for the Tigers, it can also prove to be a double-edged sword for the college basketball landscape as a whole.

"It's a double-edged sword," adds Trotter, "Good players are going to get even more well-deserved exposure at the high-major ranks, but a great league like the Missouri Valley was also pillaged."

Pillaging the lower levels of the college basketball landscape is not a newly added feature, it has existed for as long as players could swap teams at the drop of a hat, though it could be new for the Missouri Valley.

Foster looks to make an impact on his new team, after being named to the MVC All-Newcomer Team last year on the strength of 12.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 28.3 minutes in 32 games.