With the regular season now in its final month and recruiting news remaining relentless, Rivals national recruiting analysts Rob Cassidy and Dan McDonald tackle three of basketball’s most interesting topics and debate whether each statement is true or false.
*****
More: Five-star Amari Bailey re-commits to UCLA
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
*****
1. The ongoing NCAA investigation is costing Kansas recruits.
Cassidy's take: FACT. Kansas coach Bill Self even said it himself earlier this week. Nothing in college basketball is more detrimental than uncertainty. Losing, coaching changes, scandal and anything else you can name are easier to deal with than operating under a cloud of question marks. The longer this investigation drags on without a resolution of some kind, the worse it is for Self.
The entire foundation of recruiting is answering questions from prospects and their parents and putting everyone at ease while convincing them they’re entering a stable situation. Having to say “I don’t know” when asked questions about the future of the program is almost recruiting suicide. Nobody likes a shoulder shrug when they’re being asked to move to a new city and dip their toes into a new living situation.
The Jayhawks would have an easier time recruiting under a multi-year postseason ban than their current situation. Doors that were once wide open to one of the most successful programs in history are now closed. Everyone needs to know the situation and the stakes when deciding to pledge their future to a basketball coach, and there’s simply no way for anyone to know what’s to come in Lawrence at this juncture.
McDonald's take: FACT. I always tell people when it comes to investigations that it’s usually not the actual penalties from the NCAA that cripples a program. It’s the uncertainty about what could happen during the investigation that will kill a school in recruiting. Other schools can spread gossip about what they hear is going to happen to recruits and there is really nothing the school can do about it. It hurt North Carolina for years and it happened with Miami in football. I definitely think Kansas is having issues with this and will continue to until there is a resolution.
*****
2. Ayo Dosunmu is now the favorite to win Big Ten Player of the Year.
Cassidy's take: FACT. This is incredibly close in my mind. And while Iowa’s Luka Garza is scoring at a bit of a higher clip and obviously holds the edge when it comes to rebounding numbers, Ayo Dosunmu’s assist totals can’t be ignored. Nor can the fact that the Illinois star seems to find another gear when his team needs him late in games. The two massive shots he knocked down to ice Tuesday’s victory over Northwestern were a mere sample of what Dosunmu has been doing all season. If he’s able to lead Illinois to a share of the Big Ten title, it should easily push him over the edge.
McDonald's take: FACT. He has to be at this point. What he’s done lately is simply ridiculous. While Michigan and Ohio State seem to be a little bit more balanced in their scoring attacks, Illinois seems to go as Dosunmu goes. He does it at both ends and seems to always hit the big shot. He’s the type of player that could carry Illinois not just to a Big Ten championship but also potentially a national championship.
*****
3. UConn will make the NCAA Tournament on the back of a healthy James Bouknight.
Cassidy's take: FACT. They say “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” and that was obvious while watching James Bouknight return from injury to score a neat 18 points and lead UConn to a comfortable win over Providence. The Huskies are totally healthy for the first time this season and now have a star capable of willing them to statement-type wins down the stretch. Dan Hurley’s team will end up getting into the tournament somewhat comfortably. I’d almost forgotten how much fun it was to watch Bouknight do his thing.
McDonald's take: FACT. I’ve watched UConn’s last two games, one which Bouknight didn’t play and one where he played. The Huskies are good without him, but obviously much better with him. Bouknight gives them a legitimate star player and there is a strong enough supporting cast for the Huskies to have a really strong finish. Hurley is a terrific coach too and it always seems like he has teams ready to play their best ball late in the season. I’d be surprised if UConn doesn’t go dancing.
