There has been no recruitment in the NCAA Basketball offseason that has captured everyone’s attention more than Hunter Dickinson. The 7’1 center from Alexandria, Virginia is a three-year impact starter at Michigan and started out as the Big Ten Rookie of the Year as a freshman.
Dickinson is a multiple-time All-Big Ten big man, making two Sweet 16 appearances for the Wolverines and being one of the best frontcourt players in all of NCAA Basketball. The center averaged a team-leading 18.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg last season, including a 31-point and 16-rebound performance against Illinois.
Dickinson had entered the portal early in the offseason. The first teams that were linked to the big man were Georgetown and Maryland, two local teams where Dickinson is from. But afterwards, not only did a pair of blue blood programs (Kansas and Kentucky) enter the fray, but also the Villanova Wildcats, a team with two national championships in the past decade.
The center has visited all of them, finishing up with the Wildcats this past weekend. Tuesday was potentially a big day for a commitment, as there were rumors of Dickinson making a decision. But on his “Roundball Podcast”, the star big man said he wasn’t ready to announce and that everyone is still in it.
The ultimate decision could be coming in days for Dickinson, with one of the teams, including a possible return to Michigan itself, getting an All-American caliber big man to anchor their frontcourt for the 2023-24 NCAA Basketball season. Looking at all of the teams and the factors involved, here’s how I would rank each of the six programs.