Breaking down a new crystal ball for Michigan Basketball in 2023
Michigan basketball picked up a new crystal ball projection this week for 2023 big man Papa Kante and we break it down for the Wolverines.
The 2023 recruiting class has been hard to read for Michigan basketball. The Wolverines have made the cut list for each of their top targets in the class but it doesn’t seem like a commitment is imminent.
Five-star point guard Isaiah Collier is one of those targets. Michigan basketball is a finalist there but USC is trending and while the Wolverines are one of the top 2-3 contenders, it doesn’t seem as though they are going to land the elite point guard.
However, there are some other key targets still on the board too. Four-star forward Zayden High is another and he just released a top five that included U-M. It feels more like a big three which also includes North Carolina and Villanova.
That recruitment won’t be easy to win. Another that’s proven to be more challenging than expected is that of four-star center Papa Kante.
Kante is 6-foot-10, 215 pounds and is ranked 108th overall according to the 247 sports composite rankings. He’s a top-100 prospect in the On3 consensus rankings and that’s because On3 has him as a top-50 recruit (32nd overall).
What A new crystal ball means for Papa Kante
Up to this point, there haven’t been any expert projections for Kante, until earlier this week when an Indiana insider put in a crystal ball projection for Michigan basketball.
The insider is Trevor Andershock from peegs.com which covers Indiana sports for 247 Sports. While he’s not a well-known name nationally in terms of recruiting, it should be noted that Andershock is 18/18 on his crystal ball projections in 2023 and 21 of 21 all-time.
He’s never been wrong.
There’s always a first time for everything, but for everyone dismissing this projection, maybe we shouldn’t be quite so quick to do that.
Sure, if it came from a Michigan insider or one of the national reporters, it would carry more weight. But I’ll still take it as a good sign. On3’s prediction machine gives Rutgers a 29-percent chance of getting Kante, but Memphis, Maryland, and Pitt are involved too.
The all-time Michigan basketball team. dark. Next
Michigan basketball has something the others don’t — Juwan Howard. And that’s why it wouldn’t be shocking, if, in the end, Howard was able to reel in the commitment of Kante, who would be a great fit for the Wolverines.