Michigan Basketball: Top 2022 target sets decision date

One of Michigan basketball’s top targets in the 2022 recruiting class just announced his decision date and here’s what it means for the Wolverines.

Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball have done an impressive job in the recruitment of Tarris Reed Jr. over the past month or so and hopefully that will be enough to land his commitment.

Either way, we will find out soon enough as one of the top big men on the board for Michigan basketball in 2022 is announcing his college decision on August 5.

Reed took an official visit to Michigan basketball in June and since then, the Wolverines have felt like the favorite in his recruitment, although Ohio State, Purdue, and Michigan State have all been involved and mentioned as top teams.

While each of those programs received a visit, Reed also started hearing from Kentucky, following a really impressive week of play down at the Peach Jam.

Reed went 9-for-9 in one game down at the Peach Jam and on Wednesday, was really impressive again with a 10-for-12 performance from the field for 21 points according to 247 sports’ Travis Branham who wrote this about Reed’s recruitment:

"“Recruitment: Reed is being prioritized by a handful of Big Ten schools including Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue and I would personally keep a close eye on the Wolverines.”"

Michigan basketball has surged into the pole position for Reed and it’s not that surprising considering Juwan’s record of recruiting and developing big men.

How timeline impacts Michigan

When I heard that Kentucky was recently involved, I wasn’t surprised because Reed performed like a top-50 recruit. He’s ranked 71st in the 247 sports composite rankings but is due for a jump and is more skilled offensively than I realized.

Reed is going to have a chance at being an NBA player down the road and Howard can help him reach that goal. Juwan was also the one to offer Reed and his presence in this recruitment has made a major impact.

While there haven’t been any crystal ball projections (update: an MSU expert has projected Reed to the U-M) for Reed at this point, a decision that’s right around the corner can only be good news for the Wolverines.

Most experts have mentioned them as the favorite or among the top two and I honestly just don’t see Ohio State beating out Michigan in this recruiting battle. This isn’t football.

If Reed had extended things out to allow Kentucky more time to recruit him, I’d be more worried about the Wildcats. But as it stands, I’m confident calling Michigan basketball the favorite.