They played at the strangest time in college basketball's history.
Not one of the 11 players below could have expected to still be playing college basketball in 2021-22 when they began as freshmen. But the "free year" offered by the NCAA as a result of the coronavirus pandemic's impact on a disjointed 2020-21 season meant all 11 could return for a fifth -- or in a couple of cases, sixth -- year of eligibility.
But it wasn't just the pandemic that altered the college basketball landscape over the past half-decade.
The introduction of the NCAA's one-time transfer rule and the explosion of the transfer portal meant staying at one school for an entire career -- much less one extended by an additional season -- became an increasingly rare decision.