NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing Cade Cunningham’s top 10 teams
Kansas Jayhawks
No fan base was more worried about their respective point guard position than Kansas, having to wait until the final day to find out what their two ball handlers were doing. It ended up being both positive and negative, with Devon Dotson coming back to the team and Quentin Grimes leaving the draft but deciding to transfer to another program. That leaves the Jayhawks with one true ball handler on the roster, with Dotson likely needing to go 35+ minutes a night.
Assuming he breaks out as a sophomore and leaves for the 2020 draft, Kansas will have to find a star in the next recruiting class. Cunningham may be the likeliest bet, coming from Big 12 country and having a clear path to being a starter as a freshman. Bill Self and the Jayhawks are going to make a big push for him so don’t be surprised if they end up as a frontrunner as time goes on.
Odds – Very good, clear contender
Kentucky Wildcats
Similar to Duke, the Wildcats are almost always among the finalists for a top-10 national player. But how serious they are for Cunningham remains to be seen. Both of their guards (Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley) are coming back for another year. And quite frankly, they each may stick around longer than expected. Add five-star combo guard Tyrese Maxey and you have another situation for a crowded backcourt.
Kentucky has no one committed to the 2020 class yet so Cunningham could make a power move and go first, causing others to not consider them. But unless Big Blue Nation is the dream destination for this five-star recruit, there are other players with clearer pathways to playing time at the point guard spot.