NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top schools for Carlik Jones

COLLEGE PARK, MD - DECEMBER 29: Carlik Jones #1 of the Radford Highlanders dribbles by Anthony Cowan Jr. #1 of the Maryland Terrapins during a college basketball game at XFinity Center on December 29, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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LOUISVILLE, KY – FEBRUARY 19: Louisville Cardinals (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Marquette Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles finished the 2019-20 season 18-12 (8-10 Big East) and sixth in the conference. They were led by dynamic scorer Markus Howard who averaged 27 points, three assists and shot 40 percent from both the field and three-point line. In the 2020 recruiting cycle, the Golden Eagles have been focused on size and depth in the frontcourt. Their three four-star power forwards Dawson Garcia, Justin Lewis, and Osasere Ighodaro are very talented.

Garcia is more of a point-forward hybrid who can push the ball down the floor, drive to the basket, shoot the three and defend. Lewis can shoot the three as well, but he makes his mark in the post. He can face up a defender and shoot jumpers, back them down and use his post moves and protect the rim. Osasere can do a lot of the same things as the other two. His 205-pound frame lends to speed, quickness and the ability to get to the basket, but he will need to put on more muscle to deal with the big men at the college level.

Jones going to Marquette is a good fit because he would be the main guy for a program in a bigger market like the Big East and he’ll face tougher competition. Villanova, Seton Hall, Creighton and other teams in that conference will assist Jones in his pursuit to get better.

Louisville Cardinals

The Louisville Cardinals finished the 2019-20 season ranked second in the ACC with a 24-7 (15-5 ACC) record. The Cardinals were led by Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch who averaged 18 points and 9.5 points per game respectively. Nwora entered his name into the NBA Draft last season but decided to return to Louisville for his junior season. Doing so served him well.

Louisville has an offense that thrived through the three-point shot, Nwora’s scoring and the ability of their bigs to rebound and score when the opportunities presented themselves. Jones would fill the void that Nwora would leave if he decided to go to the NBA. Head Coach Chris Mack will be welcoming three four-star playmakers in the 2020 class.

D’Andre Davis, Jay Scrubb and JJ Traynor are the best players in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky respectively. With the freshmen coming in and the talent that the Cardinals already have on the roster, Jones wouldn’t have to score a big number of points every game to keep the team competitive in the ACC.

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