Despite finishing 12th in the SEC with a solid 20-12 record—good enough to earn a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament—the Vanderbilt Commodores saw their dreams cut short by No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s. In a hard-fought 59-56 loss, Vanderbilt battled until the final buzzer, but Saint Mary’s 28-5 record proved too much to overcome. Yet, for them, it was a moment of pride tinged with disappointment, as the program had been absent from March madness since 2017. The players were still peeling off their jerseys when the actual shocker came- a freshman guard had decided to never step on the court with the same squad again.

Less than 20 minutes after the final buzzer, reports surfaced that guard Karris Bilal had entered the transfer portal. The news caught many off guard, not just because of the timing, but also because Bilal had barely had a chance to make an impact at Vanderbilt. Dushawn London tweeted at 14:53 PDT: “Vanderbilt freshman point guard Karris Bilal has entered the transfer portal,” citing agents Parker St. Pierre and Ryan Straining of Always On Sports Agency. “Bro was still in the locker room.. smh,” posted @CBBcontent on Instagram, earning thousands of likes as fans marveled at the speed. The viral post asked, “Are these new NIL agents ruining college sports?”—and the answers are anything but simple.

The 6-foot-9 guard was a three-star recruit from Riverwood High School in Atlanta, ranked as the No. 269 overall player in the 2024 class by On3 and the No. 43 point guard in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He originally committed to Vanderbilt in September 2022 as a holdover from the Jerry Stackhouse era. His strong relationship with Stackhouse was one of the major reasons why he chose Vanderbilt in the first place, as he told 247Sports. However, he stuck around even after Stackhouse’s exit following a 9-23 season in 2023-24.

His decision wasn’t entirely unexpected, though. According to Joe Tipton of On3, Bilal had already planned to enter the transfer portal. And with no minutes on the court this season, it’s not hard to see why. After all, he watched transfers like Jason Edwards and AJ Hoggard dominate the guard rotation while he sat. His potential went untapped and we understand why it must have stung so much.

Vanderbilt might have fallen in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but the team’s journey was remarkable. This was the Commodores’ first tournament appearance in seven years, marking one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball this season. Just a year ago, they won only nine games under Jerry Stackhouse—who had led them to 22 and 19 wins in the previous two seasons. Under Byington’s leadership, Vanderbilt hit the 20-win mark, proving just how much progress had been made. However, Bilal was nowhere to be seen. As RecruitsNews noted on X, ” (Karris Bilal) Didn’t play or travel for any games – Only practiced with the team”. 

Byington himself acknowledged the challenges his team overcame. “We said we were against the odds—odds of being successful, odds of coming together, odds of having a winning team, odds of making the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “We were against all those, and we used that as a unifying thing, that we were going to try to overcome the odds and put ourselves in this situation.” And to do that, he used a roster bolstered by transfers and upperclassmen, prioritizing immediate impact, a shift from Stackhouse’s approach.

So, for Bilal, those odds never really changed. He remained on the sidelines, watching from a distance, and now he’s looking for a fresh start elsewhere. As is obvious, fans had a lot to say about the move, flooding the comment sections with their reactions. Some questioned his loyalty, while others understood his frustration. Either way, Bilal’s decision is yet another reminder of how college basketball is changing.

Did he leave too soon? Fans erupt over Vanderbilt guard’s sudden transfer decision

As expected, fans didn’t hold back their frustration after the player made a swift move to enter the transfer portal. “He ran to the locker room after the loss in enter portal,” one user remarked, highlighting just how quickly the decision was made. For many spectators, the timing felt rushed—they believed that he could have at least waited a little longer before making it official. But what needs to be understood here is that the NCAA transfer portal has become a revolving door in recent years- over 1,800 men’s basketball players entered in 2024 alone, per NCAA data. While the minutes Bilal took might come across as shocking, the decision was also inevitable. With four years of eligibility left, the portal offered a lifeline to a court where he could actually play. And the haste only hints at premeditation instead of impulse. Enter his agents.

“It’s definitely good when a three-star recruit who redshirted has his agents announcing he’s transferring five minutes after a tournament loss. This is a good system,” said a Reddit user, highlighting the same. Still, the debate rages on. “How long should he wait?” another fan asked, pointing out that the transfer portal exists to help athletes find better opportunities that align with their academic, athletic, or personal goals. While this is great for players, it has undeniably created challenges for college programs. Many coaches have voiced concerns about the instability it brings, making it harder to build long-term success.

“That’s so awful,” another fan commented, echoing the frustration of those who see the portal as a disruption. The ease of transferring has led to increased player turnover, making it difficult for teams to maintain continuity. However, many comments also echoed what Will Leitch argued in The Washington Post: “Money and player turnover were supposed to destroy men’s college basketball. Instead, they’ve saved it“. This, as debates often do, reminds us of a counterpoint Legendary Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz made, stating, “The NIL and the transfer portal are both terrible for college athletics.” And if correct, Vanderbilt appears to be the latest victim of this shifting landscape.

“He kind of has to with the portal machine starting up on Monday,” one user noted, acknowledging the reality of modern college basketball. The portal has created a “free agency” environment where coaches aren’t just recruiting new players—they’re constantly re-recruiting their own roster to prevent departures. This puts added pressure on programs, forcing them to dedicate more resources to roster management rather than focusing solely on coaching and development. Also, the first week is a feeding frenzy as top programs scoop up talent. Bilal, a redshirt freshman with four years of eligibility, needed to get his name out early to stand out among thousands. Strike when the iron is hot, right?

Not everyone had a measured response, though. “I would drive his punk a– to the airport if I was the coach,” one fan ranted, while another added, “What a j—. They need to put restrictions on this portal stuff.” It’s clear that emotions are running high, but when you take a step back and look at Bilal’s situation, his decision seems justified. Despite being ranked as the No. 20 point guard in the country by On3 and averaging 22.8 points per game as a junior while leading Riverwood to the Georgia 6A Sweet 16, he never saw the court at Vanderbilt. As a redshirt with no stats, Bilal needed this extra time to sell his high school tape.

So while fans may be frustrated with the constant movement in college basketball, it’s hard to fault a player for wanting a real shot to showcase his talent. What do you think??