NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Ranking top 4 teams for 5-star center Flory Bidunga

Flory Bidunga has become one of the top rising prospects in the 2024 NCAA Basketball recruiting class. The 6’9 center from Kokomo, Indiana is an outstanding athlete, whose explosiveness and physical style will allow him to compete with anyone out the gate. And with a little more development can become a star frontcourt player in college.

Originally, the Cincinnati Bearcats were viewed as an early frontrunner for his services almost a year ago. However, the big names started to get involved, including some blue bloods. And in the end, they ended up not making the final cut for Bidunga.

With four teams left, which of them makes the most sense for Bidunga and his development? Here’s a close look at the pros and cons of each potential landing spot.

4. Michigan Wolverines

It’s a rough time to compare Michigan with the other schools, as they’re coming off not only missing the NCAA Tournament but a rather rough offseason. They lost their star big man (Hunter Dickinson) to the transfer portal, with NIL reportedly being a factor. Looking at the three other options, that may hurt their chances of landing Bidunga.

But Dickinson leaving does open a spot in the center position, which only has Tarris Reed. So among the four options, Michigan can offer the clearest path toward playing time without Bidunga worrying about being recruited over.

There are other issues at play, including the possibility that Coach Juwan Howard may not be long for the job if there is still administrative red tape. And will there be enough supporting players for the Wolverines to be good enough to make it back to the NCAA Tournament? Michigan is still a good option but compared to the other three, remains a distant fourth.