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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Ranking five-star 2020 G Cade Cunningham’s final 5 teams

By Matthew Travis

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: A view of the official game ball in the basket prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: A view of the official game ball in the basket prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies speaks with Nahziah Carter #11 after a play against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 24: Head coach Mike Hopkins of the Washington Huskies speaks with Nahziah Carter #11 after a play against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game in the Second Round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at Nationwide Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

4. The University of Washington

Coming in at fourth for the best fit out of Cade Cunningham’s final five, we have the Washington Huskies. The Huskies aren’t a good fit for Cunningham for several reasons, one of which is the fact that Washington plays in the weakest of the power-five conferences, the PAC 12.

The PAC 12 is by far the weakest conference out of the five power-five conferences and it is because of this that Cunningham’s success in college might come with an asterisk next to it if he were to commit to Washington.

The PAC 12 sent only THREE teams to the 2019 NCAA Tournament and obviously only two of those three teams were at-large bids, one of which was Washington. This just goes to show you that the quality of play in the PAC 12 simply is not very high.

Washington did however make it to the Big Dance for the first time since 2011, unfortunately for the Huskies they were bounced in the second round at the hands of another one of the final five teams on Cunningham’s list, the North Carolina Tar Heels.

However, Washington will be expecting to head to consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since 2010-2011 when the upcoming season rolls around. The reason Washington will have these expectations placed upon them is because Isaiah Stewart will be donning the Husky uniform for at least the 2019-20 season.

Stewart, who is the third ranked player in ESPN’s Top-100 for the Class of 2019, will likely be a one-and-done as he hopes to follow in the steps of former Washington Husky, Markelle Fultz, and be a top draft pick.

This means that there is a greater chance than not that Stewart will be long gone once Cunningham steps on a college court for the first time.

The only reason Washington comes in at number four on this list and not number five like Florida is because of a name I mentioned earlier, Markelle Fultz. Fultz, a former Washington Husky, was the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

What this means is that even if Washington isn’t very successful when it comes to making and winning in the NCAA Tournament, it is possible for their players to be drafted amongst the best in the nation, which obviously is very valuable to a top ranked recruit.

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