3 mid-major March Madness stars Oklahoma needs to go after in Transfer Portal

In bringing back Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser for another season, OU athletic director Roger Denny also vowed to funnel the men's basketball program more resources than ever to get better talent, so as Moser watches stars be born in the NCAA Tournament like the rest of us, he should be taking note of who could benefit the Sooners next year in March Madness.

The Transfer Portal for college basketball doesn't open up this year until April 7, the day after the national championship game, and will remain open for 15 days until April 21.

Despite teams still finishing up their seasons, including the Sooners in April's College Basketball Crown, players whose seasons have ended are already making their intentions known. And many of those still dancing in the NCAA Tournament will also soon be looking for a new home, especially those mid-major stars who can use their big moments to get promoted to Power Four programs like Oklahoma. It's also naive to believe connections aren't already being made when a new talent is discovered.

Once the portal opens and Moser should have more leverage than ever to get the Sooners' next star, he should already have his targets set on a few mid-major players who could enter the portal after emerging as March Madness standouts, and all would have the benefit already of NCAA Tournament experience.

Porter Moser needs to set his targets on these NCAA Tournament standouts

No. 16 Siena had No. 1 overall seed Duke on the ropes with a double-digit halftime lead before the Blue Devils finally broke away for a 71-65 win as the Saints played their starting five almost the entire game.

Sophomore Gavin Doty never left the court while leading Siena with 21 points, plus four rebounds and two assists. And he finished the game on a hurt ankle.

That was similar to what he's been doing all season after averaging 18 points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore. There's also another exciting number about Doty: he's a towering 6-foot-5 guard. That'll do in the SEC, and he proved against Duke he can hang with anyone at any level.

No. 12 VCU upset No. 6 North Carolina 82-78 in the first round as 6-foot-11 junior forward Lazar Djokovic wreaked havoc down low. Djokovic played all but two minutes of the win as he posted 15 points, five rebounds and two assists. Despite his size, he also made a pair three-pointers and never turned the ball over.

Djokovic, originally from Serbia, averaged 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 51.1% from the floor in his first season at VCU. Considering Djokovic has been at three different stops in three years during his career, it's fair to assume he'll be available again this offseason for the Sooners to snatch and give him his first Power Four opportunity.

OU fans can get another look at Djokovic when VCU plays No. 3 Illinois at 6:50 p.m. CT Saturday on CBS.

No. 12 seed McNeese stuck with No. 5 Vanderbilt in the first round before falling short 78-68, and freshman guard Larry Johnson was a major reason why. Johnson scored 15 points in his NCAA Tournament debut. He also pulled in five rebounds.

After starting his career as a redshirt at Creighton, Johnson averaged 17.5 points a game and shot 49.2% from the floor while earning First-Team All-Southland and Rookie of the Year honors in his first season with McNeese.

That stellar season could be the leverage Johnson was looking for to make a jump. The Sooners will have a lot of holes to fill at guard, even if Johnson would just be a depth piece next season, but he's also young enough to develop into something really good if OU can keep him around.