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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 5 finalists for top-100 big Papa Kante

By Tristan Freeman

Feb 20, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard directs his team during the game with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Juwan Howard directs his team during the game with the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Clifford Omoruyi Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Clifford Omoruyi Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

Pittsburgh Panthers

The Panthers currently have an all-conference big man in junior John Hugley, who very well could go pro after this season. There’s not much proven frontcourt depth outside of him, though top-100 freshmen twins, Jorge and Guillermo Díaz Graham have talent. But those two can spread the floor and play on the perimeter as well so Kante would be a very nice fit with them, plus, he could get plenty of minutes if Hugley isn’t around.

The issue with Pittsburgh is that they’ve been down for years now and head coach Jeff Capel could be on the hot seat if the team doesn’t make big improvements this season. That kind of instability stands out in a negative way compared to the other options on this list.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

It’s weird to see the Scarlet Knights in play for top-100 talent but head coach Steve Pikell has turned things around. In this class alone they already have top-40 guard Gavin Griffiths and Kante would make this the best recruiting group in program history.

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The concern here is that Rutgers has a starting center in Clifford Omoruyi, coming off a breakout sophomore campaign. He’s the clear guy in the frontcourt but not a sure pro prospect so he could be around for another year if Kante joins them. They could play together for a year, though that may not be a great fit. But if Kante is willing to do what Omoruyi did and play limited minutes in year one for the Knights, then this pairing could work out well.

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