NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Ranking 7 finalists for 2020 F Earl Timberlake

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: A general view in the first half between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 09: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts in the second half of their game against the Miami Hurricanes at Dean Smith Center on February 9, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. UNC won 88-85 in OT. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

1. North Carolina

The University of North Carolina has won a National Championship, made it to two of them, four Sweet Sixteens and all five tournaments since 2015. This being said, North Carolina is clearly the best school on Timberlake’s list of seven.

If he were to pick North Carolina he would be joining one of the six players ahead of him who have announced their college decisions in the Class of 2020. That player is 6’9″ 246lb center, Day’ron Sharpe, who verbally committed to UNC in mid June.

If Timberlake were to choose the Tar Heels, North Carolina would become only the second school to have two commits from the Class of 2020 who are ranked in the top-50 by ESPN. In doing so they would join their rivals from eight miles down the road, the Duke Blue Devils.

This however is not the only reason Timberlake should choose the Tar Heels though.

North Carolina is the only school on his list that has ever won a National Championship, they are one of two schools to make it to the Final Four since 2015, they are the only school to make it to every NCAA Tournament since 2015 and they are the only school to make it to multiple Sweet Sixteens in that time frame as well.

With all this in mind, it would almost seem as if Timberlake would be crazy not to choose North Carolina, but not so quick. When picking a school one must think about whether they want to play one year in school and put their name in the draft, or if they would like to stay for more than a year.

If Timberlake plans on being a one-and-done, then North Carolina MIGHT not be the best option for him. UNC has been known to be a school where guys want to stay for more than one year. In Roy Williams’ now 16 years at North Carolina, we have seen only five one-and-done’s come through the program.

Granted, three of those one-and-done’s have been since the 2017 Draft, but the point remains that North Carolina is not the destination most would go to if they plan on only spending a single season playing in the NCAA.

However, if Timberlake plans on staying for more than a season, then North Carolina is likely the best option on this list. The chance to play in front of a national audience night in and night out and the fact that he is nearly guaranteed to play in the NCAA Tournament every single season, is something none of the other six schools can offer.

With all this being said, of the seven schools on Earl Timberlake’s list, North Carolina appears to be the best option at the moment.

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