As signing day draws closer, the number of available players begins to dwindle. Still, there are some important visitors this weekend and places like
Illinois and
Villanova are among those hosting big groups while two of the nation's top three players --
Julius Randle and
Jabari Parker -- will also make visits. Here's a look at some of the weekend's notable visitors and the buzz surrounding their visits.
It's a big weekend at the University of
Illinois. It's homecoming weekend for the Illini and on top of the football team being in town new hoops coach
John Groce will take the floor for the first time with his team in a exhibition game Saturday.
Not surprisingly, the Illini staff has chosen to use this weekend as a big recruiting opportunity. To start with, commitments
Jaylon Tate and Rivals150 big man
Maverick Morgan will be on hand.
Also in town on an unofficial visit will be four-star shooting guard and future Illini
Kendrick Nunn. While it's always good to have commits on campus and they'll be given plenty of attention, the group of underclassmen expected is quite impressive.
The group of visitors features several key Illini recruits and at or near the top of the list is the No. 21 junior in the nation
Keita Bates-Diop from nearby Normal (Ill.) University. Another Rivals150 junior expected on campus is Champaign power forward Michael Finke.
The weekends visitors are rounded out by class of 2015 five-star
Charles Matthews and his older brother
Dominique Matthews, along with 2015 four-stars
Hyron Edwards and
D.J. Williams.
As far as we can tell,
Villanova tops the list when it comes to holding out the longest to host a "midnight madness"-type event. Friday night,
Jay Wright and the Wildcats host their fan friendly Hoops Mania season opening festivities.
As is usually the case with these events, already committed seniors such as
Josh Hart and
Kris Jenkins will be on hand. The objects of their attention will be a pair of Rivals150-ranked big men.
The nation's No. 31 player,
Tyler Roberson, will be taking his fourth official visit after seeing
Syracuse,
SMU and
Kansas.
He's also been to
Rutgers unofficially and will visit
Kentucky next.
Joining Roberson as an official visitor will be top-100 big man
Austin Colbert. Like Roberson, Colbert hails from New Jersey and is nearing the end of the recruiting process. Over the past week, Villanova has gained a lot of steam behind the scenes and are now in the thick of it for the 6-foot-9 big man along with Illinois,
Miami and
Seton Hall. Look for Colbert to make a decision soon after this weekend.
Also expected in Philadelphia on Friday night are four-star combo guard
Phil Booth and four-star power forward
Ben Bentil.
The nation's second-ranked player continues his tour of schools. After earlier fall trips to Kentucky and
FloridaClick Notable visitors Here to view this Link., 6-foot-9 five-star
Julius RandleClick Notable visitors Here to view this Link. will head up I-35 from the Dallas area to
OklahomaClick Notable visitors Here to view this Link. for an unofficial visit.
While Randle will be in Norman, the No. 3 player in the country will take his second official visit. After checking out
Michigan State last weekend,
Jabari Parker will be in Durham to visit
Duke.
The near seven-footer attends high school in Gainesville and Florida is considered the team to beat for his services. He needs strength but has been improving at an astronomical rate since picking up the game of basketball and moving to the States from Cameroon just over a year ago.
Five-star big man
Austin NicholsClick Here to view this Link. will most likely announce his college decision within the next week or so. But before he makes his announcement, the 6-foot-8 forward from Memphis is making a trip to
AuburnClick Here to view this Link..
Mark Gottfried and the Pack are as hot a team as there is on the recruiting trail and they're hoping to continue that with
BeeJay Anya. The big man was at
Indiana last weekend and the Hoosiers would seem to be the team to beat headed into his weekend visit to Raleigh.
UAB will try to beat out Georgia and
Mississippi State for
Tosin Mehinti while
Virginia Tech hosts shooter R.J. Currington and
Virginia hosts former Florida commitment
Schuyler Rimmer.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see either Currington or Rimmer commit after the weekend.