Bossi's Best: The nation's top intra-conference recruiting battles

The beginning of the early signing period in November is just over two months away. As it is, some major recruiting battles are shaping up in conferences around the country. Today we take a look at some of the top recruiting battles where multiple schools from the same league are among the finalists for a big-time prospect.

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Contenders: A versatile and lengthy 6-foot-8 swingman, Knox cut down his list to 10 finalists and almost half of them came from the ACC. Duke, Florida State, Miami and North Carolina are the ACC teams that made the list and there’s a good chance he ultimately ends up choosing from one of those programs.

Analysis: Those who have followed Knox closely are aware of his ties to Florida State where both his father (football) and mother (volleyball) played during their college days. Though he’s never named a leader, both Duke and North Carolina received unofficial visits from Knox last season and conducted spring in home visits. Miami was a courtside regular during the spring and summer evaluation periods. Don’t count out the ability of Kentucky to come in and spoil the party, but it’s looking pretty strong that Knox ends up playing his college ball in the ACC.

Contenders: A five-star point guard, Young has a final six that includes two non-Big 12 finalists in Kentucky and Washington. Representing the Big 12 are Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Analysis: First and foremost, there is a very distinct possibility that Young makes it out of Big 12 country given that Kentucky is doing very well with him. However, that won’t stop the “local” schools from trying to keep the Oklahoman close to home. Oklahoma is in Young's hometown and their offense is a fit for his free-wheeling and three-point bombing style. Young has been to Kansas multiple times, his father played at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State is another local program. More than likely, if he stays in the Big 12, it will be for either OU or Kansas.

Contenders: A flashy four-star point guard from New York City, Washington has never released an official list, but many Big East programs have been involved. Xavier, Seton Hall, Providence and DePaul have all offered scholarships.

Analysis: There has been a lot of speculation that Minnesota from the Big Ten could ultimately steal Washington away, but this is a guy that Big East programs can get legitimate traction with. Seton Hall has long sat well with him and he’s been their priority recruit for a while now. After losing out on four-star Makai Ashton-Langford, it seems natural that Providence would turn to Washington next as a guy to turn up the heat on.

Contenders: Since the end of July, Jackson has been on a visit spree that has allowed him to see Maryland, Michigan State and Purdue. He’s also seen Notre Dame from the ACC and Georgetown from the Big East.

Analysis: Though Notre Dame is a potential darkhorse and even though Jackson’s father played at Georgetown, he is looking like he’ll end up in the Big Ten. Maryland has been considered a slight favorite for a bit now but Michigan State and Purdue have both helped their cause. Wherever he lands, Jackson could prove to be a bigger get than his lofty ranking, he’s still just 16 years old and has immense upside.

Contenders: A four-star point guard who was once committed to Washington, Davis has a final five of Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, Stanford and Washington, with official visits set to all five schools.

Analysis: Given that Washington has added both a point and shooting guard since Davis decommitted, it might be tough for the Huskies to keep him home and get a second commitment. Arizona has big-time curb appeal and recently landed combo guard Alex Barcello and 2017’s No. 1 player in big man DeAndre Ayton. Oregon is close to home with a wide open style while Stanford offers academics and a new staff. Sure Gonzaga could spoil it all and he’d be a great fit there, but as of today we’re betting he lands in the Pac-12.

Contenders: A four-star shooting guard who made a big impression as a jump shooter with size during the summer, Jones has emerged as a priority in the SEC. He’s already visited Georgia and Auburn officially and still has official visits set for Florida and Alabama.

Analysis: Georgia Tech is also in play here but we would be very surprised to see Jones end up outside of the SEC. Reading the tea leaves on this one, it looks like Auburn and Florida may be slightly out in front of the pack.

Contenders: For everybody else we are going to go in a little bit of a different direction and talk about Harvard’s pursuit of the nation’s No. 4 and No. 5 ranked players, Bamba and Carter. The Crimson are fighting the usual list of big-time hoop programs for their services.

Analysis: Harvard just had Bamba on campus for an unofficial visit this week and they have Carter coming for an official visit later this month. Bamba has only officially visited Michigan and has one of the most mysterious recruitments in America with Duke, Kentucky, Connecticut, Syracuse, Villanova and many more involved. Carter on the other hand seems to be coming down to a battle between Harvard and Duke. Can Tommy Amaker and the Crimson pull off one of the biggest upsets in hoops recruiting history and get either Bamba or Carter? It will likely be difficult, but they are positioned with a somewhat legitimate shot to land one or the other.