Editor's note: With Andrew Wiggins' decision on tap for Tuesday, we update our staff predictions on the eve of his decision.
No. 1 recruit Andrew Wiggins (Thornhill, Ontario/Huntington Prep) will finally reveal his college decision Tuesday afternoon, ending a long and much-dissected recruitment for the most coveted player in the country.
Wiggins, who is down to Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, has been as hard to read as anyone else in the 2013 class. Florida State offers a family connection, with both of his parents having attended FSU. Kentucky offers a track record of one-and-done success and a chance to win immediately with a loaded recruiting class. Kansas and North Carolina, meanwhile, offer similar situations: national-caliber programs with long traditions of success and strong incoming recruiting classes that lack only the kind of superstar Wiggins projects to be.
By all accounts, the race is still wide-open. So on the eve of his decision, we've enlisted our RecruitingNation basketball experts for one final round of predictions on which lucky basketball program will land Wiggins on Tuesday.
Dave Telep: I'll stay with Florida State. The "Criminal Minds" aficionado in me tells me to follow the profile. Florida State has him surrounded from all sides. Both parents didn't just go there; they were star athletes in Tallahassee. FSU-bound Xavier Rathan-Mayes grew up with him in Canada and played alongside him at Huntington Prep. Wiggins also doesn't like media attention, and as long as they're still playing football in Tallahassee, hoops won't get the same daily coverage (although Wiggins has the potential to change that dynamic). Florida State's 2013-14 season would tilt on a different axis with him. Kentucky wants him, but he's a luxury item for the Wildcats. For the Seminoles, though, he'd be a new brand within their basketball program. Let's also not dismiss the intensity with which FSU coach Leonard Hamilton has chased this kid longer and harder than any other program on his list. And did I mention his parents went there? Paul Biancardi: Once Wiggins reclassified to the Class of 2013, his recruitment went from intense to crazy. Yet because of how silent he's been on the topic, it's been a high-profile but quiet recruiting race for the nation's No. 1 prospect. It's been well-documented that Wiggins' parents are Florida State alumni, and Hamilton has created a great relationship with the Wiggins family. But the longer Wiggins' recruitment has gone on, the more it has allowed the bluebloods of college basketball to gain ground on early favorite Florida State. He is a superstar in the world of high school basketball but has a reserved personality and wants to fit in with a group of players to win a championship. With the departure of Ben McLemore to the NBA and his older brother Nick Wiggins playing in the state of Kansas at Wichita State, the Jayhawks have solid footing in the race. Also consider how much Wiggins enjoyed his official visit to Lawrence, and it looks good for the Jayhawks. My prediction: Andrew Wiggins will call Kansas home for the 2013-14 season. Adam Finkelstein: Truth be told, I'm as curious as everyone else to see exactly where Wiggins will choose. While most people seem to assume it will be Florida State or Kentucky, you would think those decisions could have been made much quicker than this. Does the length of his recruitment mean North Carolina and Kansas are in play? We'll have our answer soon enough. While Florida State would be the most anticlimactic of his four choices, I think that option is most consistent with what he's looking for. He'll have a chance to carve out his own legacy but do it in a relatively smaller college basketball media market. He'll represent the same school that both of his parents did and will also have the familiarity of playing with one of his good friends, Rathan-Mayes. But honestly, at this point I'm not sure anything is out of the question. Reggie Rankin: I am going to stay with my previous prediction of Kansas. Bill Self will have a young but very talented team next season, and Wiggins could be the marquee player from day one. Plus, the recent success of McLemore, who is projected as a top-five pick in the upcoming NBA draft, has to be attractive and a great selling point. At Kansas, Wiggins could have one of the biggest stages in college basketball to himself for probably his only season on campus. Wiggins would provide the Jayhawks with elite athleticism that could put him in position to be not only Big 12 Rookie of the Year but Player of the Year as well. Wiggins is a special talent who will transition easily into major college basketball. Joel Francisco: Usually you have a good sense regarding a prospect's decision, but that hasn't been the case with the enigma that has been Wiggins' recruitment. Kentucky seems as about as far-fetched as any of the other choices at this point, but as we have seen, you can never count out John Calipari. That said, I'm going with continuing the family legacy at Florida State. Hamilton is a savvy recruiter, and the family ties at Florida State appear to be the likely choice. To be honest, however, any of his final schools would not surprise me. John Stovall: Just a gut feeling, but I think Kansas. The Jayhawks have made some nice inroads throughout the entire process. This one is almost too close to call, though. Florida State and North Carolina are right there, and Kentucky may not be totally out yet. Mike LaPlante: It's safe to say Wiggins has been very patient and thorough in his handling of the recruiting process. I believe that when all the dust settles, he will end up playing for Hamilton and Florida State. Although Wiggins would be an impact player (and likely one-and-done performer) at any school he chooses, Florida State just seems like the perfect fit for him. His father played there, Florida State is poised to make a strong run within the basketball-crazed ACC, Wiggins will have an opportunity to put his own stamp on the program and the family trusts Hamilton, who has been a head coach in the NBA and understands how to develop players for that level. My final prediction: Florida State.