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Making the case: Five-star forward Kevin Knox

Kevin Knox
Kevin Knox (Nike/Jon Lopez @NikeEYB)

Five-star small forward Kevin Knox is expected to make his college decision sometime in early to mid April. Today, experts from around the Rivals.com network weigh in on where Knox could land and why.

A versatile forward who can be utilized as a big wing or as a floor-spacing stretch four-man, Knox has been down to a final four of Duke, Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina for some time now.

Both of Knox's parents were athletes at Florida State and they are the home-state school. He has been on Tobacco Road multiple times and has family in North Carolina, while Kentucky has made itself a legitimate factor in the race as it does with just about every big-time prospect.

Though Knox hasn't tipped his hand, the growing expectation has been that he's likely to end up choosing between Duke and North Carolina. However, it's far from a done deal that he picks from those two so it's important to look at all four of his finalists and what each has going for it.

MORE: Top coaching candidates | Who will finish 2017 recruiting strongest?

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THE CASE FOR DUKE

"They've done well with similar long forwards who can play on the perimeter. They like to space the floor with a four-out-one-in offense that maximizes room for versatile guys like Knox to be a playmaker. They sell freedom to make basketball plays and offer more room to get isolations that some of the other schools on the list.

"The Duke staff can point to similar examples of success, many of them one-and-done prospects as well. The names roll off the tongue for Mike Krzyzewski and his staff: Luol Deng, Jabari Parker, Justise Winslow, Brandon Ingram and Jayson Tatum. The pitch to Knox is simple. You are next.

The Knox camp has done a fantastic job of keeping all four staffs on the hook. Simply put, I don't sense that any of the four feel completely out of this. My feel is that it comes down to a UNC-Duke choice with Kentucky as the darkhorse." – Clint Jackson, DevilsIllustrated.com.

THE CASE FOR FLORIDA STATE

"Personally I think he ends up Duke or Kentucky. More than likely Duke from what I hear as long as they want him based on those close to the family. Now for Florida State there are several angles that work in its favor of why FSU could be the pick. First, and the most obvious would be his family tree with his mom and and his dad both attending FSU. That has helped FSU with visits to campus and Knox also has friends on the football team or FSU program that he knows.

"Another big thing for FSU is the performance this year by Jonathan Isaac, who plays the position Knox wants to play and he's been extremely impressed with how he has been used and the freedom he gets at the position. Not to mention Knox is really close friends with Isaac and I think that helps FSU's chances. Then also the season FSU has had I think is big selling point for the 'Noles. They finished as the No. 2 seed in the ACC tourney and the perception of the FSU program has changed in being a consistent big-time player in the best conference in America.

"Also you have to wonder why he hasn't committed to Duke since that's always been his dream school. FSU isn't letting up and its continued success is something that is making an impression. Now it's tough to compete against the big boys for the Seminoles, but this situation is a little different with the amount of connections to FSU. So would the 'Noles really be a shocker?" – Michael Langston, Warchant.com.

THE CASE FOR KENTUCKY

"Kentucky hasn't had a true wing like Kevin Knox since Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and with all of John Calipari's recruiting success, it's wild he's continued to miss out on elite wings.

"Things worked out pretty well for Kidd-Gilchrist. He won a national championship at Kentucky and worked his way up to the No. 2 draft pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and would have been No. 1 if not for a guy named Anthony Davis. Will Knox be able to do that at UK? Possibly, but it appears his odds of being drafted higher are increased at Kentucky vs. Duke, UNC and Florida State. There's been talk about Florida State and North Carolina "needing" Knox more than Kentucky and Duke. And maybe that's true for postseason success, but the Cats could certainly use a scorer like Knox next season.

"There's a chance that UK loses 97.4 percent of its scoring after this season – 97.4 percent. It will be a team loaded with freshmen and Knox would likely be the best scorer of the bunch if he picked UK." – T.J. Walker, CatsIllustrated.com.

THE CASE FOR NORTH CAROLINA

"Roy Williams has invested more time recruiting Knox than any other prospect in the class of 2017. With the expectation that Justin Jackson will be leaving for the NBA, UNC can offer Knox exactly what he wants in ample playing time as a small forward at a blueblood program.

"Jackson’s success this season has provided a blueprint of the offensive freedom the UNC system offers its wings. Not only could Knox get out and run in transition, Williams is selling him on having the freedom to grab a rebound and push the ball himself.

"It’s possible that the biggest win UNC could have from landing Knox would be a potential change in the narrative that North Carolina cannot land one-and-done talent. With the likely return of Joel Berry, Theo Pinson and Tony Bradley, Knox could be the missing piece to round out a team that could make a deep run at the national title." – Rob Jones, TarheelIllustrated.com.

THE VERDICT

"As was pointed out while setting up Knox's options, the latest talk has been that Duke and North Carolina seem to be emerging from the pack. I don't want to discount the draw of the home school that he has ties to in Florida State and it's foolish to ever dismiss Kentucky in a recruitment. However, I do think this one is going to come down to North Carolina and Duke.

"I think North Carolina should be able to prove it has a spot for him because it would be a surprise if Justin Jackson didn't turn pro and I think that the likelihood Joel Berry comes back is a huge plus for the Tar Heels. Duke's history with players similar to Knox is very tough to dismiss and if the talk that it was his dream school growing up holds water then it's tough to beat the Blue Devils.

"Right now, though, I feel like we may have all been discounting Roy Williams in this one and I'm giving the slight edge to the Heels at this point." Eric Bossi, Rivals.com National Basketball Analyst.

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