9/27/2013 football Edit

College basketball practice kicks off this weekend

Eric Bossi

Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst

Thanks to new rules, the college basketball season gets the earliest start it has had in some time. While teams can officially begin practicing this weekend, most are holding their Midnight Madness-type events next weekend or in the middle of October. Those will be mega-visit weekends, but this one isn't bad. High-end four-star Goodluck Okonoboh will actually take two official visits.

Two visits on tap for Okonoboh

The No. 32 player in the country, Okonoboh is nearing a decision. The 6-foot-9 center from Wilbraham (Mass.) Wilbraham and Monson is down to Indiana, Ohio State and UNLV.

The high-flying shot blocker has seen the Hoosiers, and he'll knock off visits to the Buckeyes and Rebels this weekend. He'll start in Columbus -- where he'll be joined by several other notable visitors listed below -- before making his way to Vegas on Sunday.

This week, rumors had indicated that the Hoosiers and Rebels were co-leaders. Now, as the weekend begins, the word is more that all three schools are running even.

Regardless, these visits appear to have huge significance in Okonoboh's decision-making process and the expectation is that he'll decide relatively soon after returning home from Las Vegas.

Onuaku schedules additional visit

Just last weekend, four-star big man Chinanu Onuaku scheduled and then canceled a visit to Georgetown. Well, it looks like the Hoyas are back in business as the post player from nearby Upper Marlboro (Md.) Riverdale Baptist is expected to visit this weekend.

As recently as two days ago, the race for Onuaku was looking like one between two horses, Louisville and Miami. Given that he has decided to visit Georgetown after initially electing not to, you have to figure that the Hoyas are looking to hit a walk-off home run of sorts with this weekend's visit.

What's gotten into the purifying water of Lake Minnetonka?

The state of Minnesota has three high-level prospects in the class of 2014. Five-stars Tyus Jones and Rashad Vaughn and four-star Reid Travis. All four were initially scheduled to be taking trips this weekend.

Now, they've all been canceled. That means no trip by Jones to Kentucky, no trip by Vaughn to North Carolina and no trip by Travis to Notre Dame.

For now, Vaughn -- who recently cut his list to the Tar Heels, Arizona, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Minnesota and UNLV -- plans to visit UNC during the season, but it is looking like UK and Notre Dame are likely out for Jones and Travis.

Other weekend visitors

Alabama: Devin Mitchell

Albany: Wheeler Baker

Arizona: Kameron Chatman

Arizona State: Tra Holder, Jabari Craig, Roosevelt Scott, Ray Smith (2015)

Arkansas: Anton Beard, Kevaughn Allen (2015), Malik Monk (2016)

Colgate: Tanner Leissner

Connecticut: Rakim Lubin

Georgia: William Lee,Daniel Giddens (2015), Tre Scott (2015), William Jackson (2015)

Georgia Tech: Tadric Jackson

Georgetown: Chinanu Onuaku

George Washington: Rashard Kelly, Eric Lockett, Jayln Patterson