Doors open when players leave.(College Basketball)

As the early entry list for the NBA draft grows longer, the panic grows louder. This has become a fixture on the spring sporting calendar, as much as pitchers and catchers reporting and the unearthing of Mel Kiper.

The exodus of players diminishes college basketball's overall competitive level, but its impact on individual teams can be as overstated as a groundhog's ability to predict weather patterns.

Last spring, 14 major-conference schools lost contributing players to early draft entry, from the great (Carmelo Anthony, T.J. Ford) to the near-great (Mario Austin, Michael Sweetney) to the not-so-great (Doug Wrenn, Chris Alexander).

In 2002-03, those teams were 281-158, including 14-6 in the NCAA Tournament. This past season, they were 281-162 and 14-7 in the NCAAs. Successful programs find ways to win even as productive players depart. Georgia Tech advanced to the championship game without Chris Bosh; N.C. State thrived minus Josh Powell, and Alabama improved without Maurice Williams.

Next year will be no different. Because of their teammates' early departures, many players will get a chance for expanded roles. Some examples:

Boo Wade, Wisconsin. If point guard Devin Harris leaves, Wade will have the first shot to replace him. He's known most as a defensive stopper, but Wade had three or more assists in 12 of the final 22 games. Coach Bo Ryan's swing offense is diverse enough to emphasize what Wade does better than Harris (primarily, posting up).

As long as he fully recovers from an ACL tear he suffered in March, Penn State transfer Sharif Chambliss could replace some of Harris' scoring, and Wisconsin will be bigger up front. That's not to say the Badgers wouldn't be better with Harris, but they might be better, regardless.