As UCLA sits with two open scholarships remaining. The question becomes how are those scholarships going to be used. It is known that they are interested in a traditional center and a wing type player. Paul McNeil Jr. is one of the best players still available and is a guard/wing. Indications point that he could return to North Carolina State. But if UCLA wants to make a splash, they should make a run at him.
NEWS: NC State guard Paul McNeil Jr. is entering the transfer portal, per @jeffborzello.
— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) April 8, 2026
The 6-5 sophomore averaged 13.8 PPG and shot 42.7% from three. LSU is the obvious favorite. pic.twitter.com/vDB5BBgOs2
All of this is dependent on how the Tounde Yessoufou sweepstakes finish. That by far is UCLA’s top target as he is going to be an elite player. But with the way, the transfer portal has gone for UCLA trying to grab top names. You need to keep all options open and cannot wait too long. They tried to bring in John Blackwell and lost out on him. But in that same process, they also lost out on Matt Able and Rowan Brumbaugh as they were after Blackwell.
McNeil Jr. is a very talented player that has two years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 13.8 points per game this past season as a sophomore. Doing so on a shooting line of 43.3/42.7/82.4. His 3-point shooting at 42.7% was done so on a large volume of attempts at 7.2 per game. Getting a total of 105 on the season. His spacing is some of the best in the nation and would instantly change this offense.
With NC State's season coming to a close earlier in the week, I wanted to spotlight Paul McNeil Jr.'s absurd shooting season. Per Synergy, Mcneil's 1.43 PPP 'Off Screens' is the highest mark of any D1 player of the past 5 seasons (min. 70 possessions) pic.twitter.com/wemEl2l4lw
— Ahmed Jama (@slipthescreen) March 19, 2026
UCLA needs to bring in another elite scoring option. We know the transfer portal has dwindled with top names. But there are players there that could make a difference. UCLA needs to be able to land one of them with whatever NIL there is. Because right now they’re a bubble type team with this roster. But bringing in a scoring option like Yessoufou or McNeil Jr. would completely change the outlook of this 2026 team.
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