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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing 5 teams in play for 4-star forward Nigel Walls

Rice v Memphis
Rice v Memphis / Justin Ford/GettyImages
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One of the top NCAA Basketball prospects in the state of Texas is Nigel Walls, a 6'10 big man who is a talented athlete with two-way potential. He can rebound at a high level, while also able to score on the inside.

Walls' recruitment seems to have taken another step. According to Brandon Jenkins of 247sports, the big man listed five programs he'd like to visit before a future decision. While things can change, the big man could be playing for one of these following teams.

Here's a closer look at how Walls would fit with them.

Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats landed several frontcourt transfers this offseason, including senior forwards, Coleman Hawkins and Achor Achor. Along with returning forward David N'Guessan, they'll all be gone after next season. So even without knowing who else arrives via the portal a year from now, Walls would likely find a way into the rotation as a freshman if he's good enough.

Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners are moving to the SEC and have a completely revamped roster to work with. That includes seniors Jalen Moore, Sam Goodwin and Yaya Keita, who'll all be gone after next season. That leaves four-star freshman forward Kuol Atak, with a big need need for frontcourt depth in the 2025 class. Walls would be a nice pickup for Coach Porter Moser, who has a good history of frontcourt development, dating back to his days at Loyola-Chicago.

Rice Owls

Rice had a top-100 prospect commit a year ago in Keanu Dawes, who elected to transfer to Utah after one year. The program is also a newcomer to the AAC and needs more talent to get competitive and unless any of the incoming transfers breaks out, there will be a massive need for someone like Walls to come in and be a focal point early on.

TCU Horned Frogs

The Frogs is the only power conference option currently from the state of Texas, which may give them an edge in this recruitment as times go on. The projected starting forward is transfer Trazarien White, who'll be gone after next season. The team does have four-star freshman prospect Malick Diallo joining and he alone could cause a roadblock into big minutes for someone like Walls, though he could play the five behind Ernest Udeh Jr. as well.

UTSA Roadrunners

UTSA went 5-13 in its first season in the AAC and as a program, has been rebuilding for a while. They've had a solid offseason via the transfer portal, landing a bunch of transfers with one year of eligibility left.

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Not only are the Roadrunners one of the in-state options for Walls but he'd instantly come in as one of the top players and have a large role on the roster. That's something that the power conference programs can't guarantee.