Michigan Basketball: Evaluating chances with top targets left in 2021

Bryce Hopkins

2021 Ranking: 30th overall, four-star 

Power Forward: 6’7 220 

Bryce Hopkins was supposed to cut his list to five this week, but he changed his mind. It appears his top-nine may stay intact until he’s ready to commit. His top nine includes Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Cal, Iowa State, Oregon, Providence, and Texas.

I didn’t think Michigan would end up in play for Hopkins, but after missing on Ingram, it would make sense for Howard to go after him. Hopkins is a really physical power forward that thrives attacking the basket and slashing off the ball.

His jump shot is a work in progress but will improve. I think he’d be a good fit in Michigan’s 2021 class. Kentucky appeared to be the leader when he first decommitted from Louisville, but the longer he waits, the more I feel Kentucky no longer leads.

Even though its probably not the leader at this point, Michigan basketball should have a decent shot here if Juwan prioritizes Hopkins.

Other Targets

Michigan remains (somewhat) in play for Hunter Sallis, Patrick Baldwin, Jaden Hardy, and Charles Bediako. I would consider all of these extreme longshots as they all have clear cut favorites.

Just because a player isn’t on Michigan’s recruiting board yet, that doesn’t mean that can’t change. We saw that last winter with Terrance Williams. As classes start to fill up, decommitments happen and teams start to scramble to fill needs.

Michigan’s 2021 recruiting board could look a whole lot different in a couple months if they are still searching for additions to the 2021 class.