Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Look at 2019 recruiting classes for each state of Ohio team

By Andrew Dieckhoff

PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: Brutus, the mascot for the Ohio State Buckeyes performs in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 21, 2015 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: Brutus, the mascot for the Ohio State Buckeyes performs in the second half against the Arizona Wildcats during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on March 21, 2015 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: Paul Scruggs #1 of the Xavier Musketeers celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: Paul Scruggs #1 of the Xavier Musketeers celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Both Cincy schools have secured Top 50 recruiting classes

Xavier (#24) – The Musketeers could be poised for a really good year in 2019-20, as they wrangled a Top 25 recruiting class while also getting stars Naji Marshall and Tyrique Jones back. With those studs back in the fold to secure the post, the signings of four-star guards KyKy Tandy and Dahmir Bishop are even bigger. Both of these players can score in droves and should get solid minutes off the bench behind returning starters Paul Scruggs and Quentin Goodin.

When you factor in the trio of three-star bigs, it’s clear that Travis Steele has a really good core for the future of the program. My favorite of these three is Zach Freemantle, a 6’9” center who has some good range inside the paint and should be a strong presence on the boards. Daniel Ramsey has size and length and should contribute well on the defensive end while he works on his offensive game. The last of the three, 6’11” Dieonte Miles, may have the most upside, but is also the rawest prospect. He’s drawn comparisons to Jaxson Hayes, which is pretty high praise.

There’s also some help coming from the transfer portal, as grad transfer Jason Carter comes over from Ohio. With the Bobcats last season, Carter averaged 16.5 points and nearly seven rebounds per game. The Musketeers’ frontcourt could be scary good next season.

Cincinnati (#42) – The biggest offseason addition for new head coach John Brannen has to be Oakland transfer Jaevin Cumberland, the cousin of Bearcats returning scorer Jarron Cumberland. That doesn’t mean that they haven’t made some moves on the recruiting trail, though. Brannen has a four-star talent in shooting guard Zach Harvey in addition to three-star shooters Jeremiah Davenport and Mika Adams-Woods.

Harvey was a late reclassification into the Class of 2019 and could immediately step into Cane Broome’s old role as sixth man. The 6’4” guard was a Top 50 recruit when he was in the 2020 class, but drops down to the 66th ranked player in this year’s crop. He is a very athletic guard who promises to score a lot of points for Cincinnati. While he’ll be most comfortable as a two-guard, he also has good vision and play-making abilities as a ball handler.

Davenport and Adams-Woods also bring extra depth to the guard position for the Bearcats, which is crucial for Cincinnati’s long-term future. However, one issue that Brannen will have to deal with in his first year is a lack of size. After Mick Cronin left, so did starting center Nysier Brooks, along with four other players. To help make up for these losses, Valparaiso transfer Jaume Sorolla was brought in via the transfer portal and is immediately eligible, while Northern Kentucky 7-footer Chris Vogt will sit out a year after following Brannen from Highland Heights.

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