Each Friday, Rivals national analysts Rob Cassidy and Jason Jordan come together to weigh in on three topics related to college hoops and college hoops recruiting. This Friday is no different than the rest, as the duo shares their thoughts on intriguing college teams, high school prospects they’re most excited to watch this season and teams off to slow starts on the recruiting trail.
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2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position | Team
2026 Rankings: Rivals150
2027 Rankings: Top 60
Transfer Portal: Full coverage | Player ranking | Transfer tracker | Player search
1. WITH THE SEASON APPROACHING, WHICH COLLEGE TEAM ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO SEE TAKE THE FLOOR AND WHY?
Cassidy: There are a number of teams I find interesting for a number of different reasons, but I’ll ride with Indiana today. My reasoning here is twofold. First, the stakes of the season seem absolutely massive because this is a signpost moment for the Mike Woodson era in Bloomington to say the very least. Fan perception along with his future as the Hoosiers' head coach could ultimately be determined by what happens in the next five months or so. Indiana’s battle-tested backcourt also provides intrigue, as Washington State transfer Myles Rice and Stanford expat Kanaan Carlyle both shined in the now defunct Pac-12 last season and, at least on paper, seem like one of the more dynamic and reliable backcourts in the Big Ten. I’m a sucker for intrigue, high stakes and the unknown, and this year’s Hoosiers squad boasts plenty of all three.
Jordan: For sure I want to see how Jon Scheyer molds all the talent at Duke. The Blue Devils have three potential lottery picks, including the likely No. 1 overall pick in Cooper Flagg. They’ve added more firepower from the perimeter and have trees in the paint. Scheyer went to the second round in his first season, the Elite Eight in his second and this squad looks built for a Final Four run. Can they gel early to gain necessary experience to thrive in conference and in March?
2. WHICH PROSPECT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING LIVE DURING THE UPCOMING HIGH SCHOOL SEASON AND WHY?
Cassidy: For me, it’s Ryan Hampton. We slotted the Texas-based standout on the No. 2 line when we released our initial 2027 rankings because of his tools and the impression he made in an extremely small sample size. This season, Hampton will play at Oklahoma’s South Central Prep High School, which plays in the same high-profile league as Utah Prep which hosts No. 1 2025 prospect A.J. Dybantsa. Hampton’s new school will provide him the opportunity to square off with other high-profile prospects and get additional eyes on him. I’ll likely see him multiple times and am excited to not only observe his development but to watch him play what I feel is a particularly exciting brand of attacking basketball.
Jordan: I want to see Jordan Smith more this season after making significant strides into stardom heading into his senior season. Smith was one of the most explosive guards in the country this summer and he’ll have more of a go-to role at national powerhouse Paul VI this season. How does he handle the bullseye? That’s always something I look for with prospects.
3. WHICH TEAM’S 2025 RECRUITING STRUGGLES HAVE SURPRISED YOU MOST?
Cassidy: I’m not sure you can call what North Carolina is doing “struggling” in the traditional sense of the word, but the 2025 cycle has gotten off to a less-than-ideal start in Chapel Hill. Hubert Davis’ lone 2025 commit, Derek Dixon, is a fantastic player but he’s not the type of prospect that typically headlines Tar Heel recruiting hauls. The fact that North Carolina has missed on targets such as Jasper Johnson and Isiah Harwell isn’t super damning, but Davis also looks likely to come up short in his pursuits of Braylon Mullins, A.J. Dybantsa and Koa Peat.
There’s really no such thing as a true must-win recruiting battle in the transfer portal era, but North Carolina’s slow start has made five-star Caleb Wilson seem close to one. Davis will need to beat out Kentucky, Auburn and others to land Wilson, and that task appears tall to say the least.
Jordan: For me it’s Michigan State. Tom Izzo has had a few high-profile misses over the last couple of months with everyone from Jalen Haralson to Trent Sisley to Darius Adams and others. The Spartans finally landed their first commit from the class in Jordan Scott on Thursday. Perhaps that kicks off a domino effect, but to this point it’s been a bit dismal.
I’m always perplexed by multiple misfires with bluebloods. Tom Izzo's program still is in the running for elite forward Nikola Bundalo and dynamic guard Cam Ward, so there’s time for all to be well in East Lansing.
