Perhaps the biggest offseason story in college basketball will be announced tonight, as 5-star recruit Marvin Bagley III reveals where he will be playing collegiate basketball for presumably the 2017-18 season. While the Arizona native is a class of 2018 recruit, he recently filed papers to reclass to the 2017 class, allowing him to play in college this fall. With the juncture of Bagley's announcement, the consensus is that Bagley will most likely be playing college basketball this season.
Bagley released his final six schools back in March consisting of Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA and USC. However, Kansas and Kentucky are seemingly no longer in the running considering Bagley never took an official visit to either campus.
I break down why and how each school appeals to Bagley and give a final decision on where he will play college basketball this season.
Arizona
The in-state program has produced plenty of renowned one-and-done power forwards as of late, Lauri Markkanen and Aaron Gordon, showing that Sean Miler has the ability to send Bagley to the NBA quickly. Additionally, the No.
3 recruit in the class of 2017, power forward DeAndre Ayton, will be headed to Tuscon as well. The duo of Ayton and Bagley will create the best front court in the entire country.
While the arguments for Arizona are rather strong, it seems like the Wildcats are the least likely to land Bagley out of the four schools.
Duke
Duke basketball, obviously, is one of the most storied programs in all of college sports. Playing under head coach Mike Krzyzewski is something every high school basketball player dreams of. Does Bagley like the opportunity?
Yes, it appears.
The Blue Devils are currently the favorite to land Bagley, according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball. 88 percent of predictors favor Duke, who, too, have produced plenty of talent at Bagley's position in recent memory.
Like Arizona, the Blue Devils have an excellent power forward recruit of their own already in 5-star Wendell Carter. With 5-star point guard Trevon Duval and 5-star shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. already on campus, Coach K could bring in one of his best recruiting classes ever in the event that Bagley ends up at Durham.
UCLA
UCLA offers close proximity to home in one of the country's best colleges. Considering UCLA is on a quarter's program, UCLA gives Bagley more time to finish his courses before classes begin. Depending on Bagley's academic standing at the moment, the Bruins could be the only option.
Coming off the Bruins' best season under Steve Alford, UCLA could be a very intriguing option as it was the most exciting team to watch in all of college basketball last season.
There's no doubt that the Bruins will generate loads of attention come March if Bagley decides on UCLA.
While UCLA is barely a top-25 team without Bagley, the addition of the big man would make the Bruins a top-10 team and a contender for the Pac-12 title. Unfortunately, I just don't see UCLA landing Bagley.
USC
The Trojans may be one of the most intriguing teams for next season, as USC returns virtually all of its talent from last season. As it stands right now, USC looks to be one of the best teams in the country and one of the favorites to earn a Final Four bid in March. Add Bagley to the equation and USC could emerge as the favorite to win it all.
Andy Enfield even extended an offer to Marvin's seven-year-old brother, Martray, in an attempt to improve relations with the family.
While Duke appears to be the favorite to land Bagley, USC has quietly become a front-runner. Despite holding just 12 percent of the 247Sports Crystal Ball, prominent experts in Ricky O'Donnell of SB Nation and Seth Davis of The Athletic have both predicted that Bagley will commit to Andy Enfield and USC.
All I'll say is: Don't sleep on USC.
Prediction
While I do think all four schools have some odds of adding Bagley, Duke and USC seem to be the favorites. It's difficult to bet against Duke, but I do think USC will ultimately land the nation's top recruit. Staying close to home and Enfield's style have to appeal greatly to Bagley, who will lead the Trojans to a deep, deep run in March.
USC will certainly be a top-3 team in the nation with Bagley. A Final Four is not a stretch at all, and a national championship is well within reach. This might be USC's best team ever if it lands Bagley.