NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 5 main teams for Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo

Louisville Cardinals

New head coach Pat Kelsey is clearly swinging for the fences, landing a ton of visits in the next week. Ballo is one of them, who’d easily be the biggest name among them if the team can get a commitment. They already pulled one surprise, landing Sun Belt Player of the Year wing, Terrence Edwards Jr. from James Madison.

Coach Kelsey did bring with him James Scott over from College of Charleston and he’s more of a forward. Last season’s starter, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, already transferred out to NC State. They don’t have a center right now and can sell Ballo on being a focal point on offense and have a chance to expand his role on that end, instead of just being a defensive anchor.

North Carolina Tar Heels

One of the top centers in NCAA Basketball the past two years was Armando Bacot, who has records for how many double-doubles he amassed. He’s gone, along with James Okonkwo. That leaves underclassmen Jalen Washington and Zayden High, guys who don’t have the kind of resume that Ballo has.

The obvious appeal for UNC to Ballo is to simply slide him in to replace Bacot and potentially play with ACC Player of the Year, RJ Davis. If he and Harrison Ingram come back, adding someone like Ballo would put them among the early contenders for the 2025 national title.