Indiana Basketball: 2020 four-star sets decision date, what it means for IU

One of the remaining targets for the Indiana basketball program set his decision date. We break down how it impacts IU and what to expect.

Jalen Bridges has seen a huge rise in the rankings since the start of the summer. What once was a three-star prospect ranked in the 200’s, Bridges has jumped all the way up to the No. 75 player in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Over the weekend, Indiana was one of the programs included in his final five list, with all five schools receiving an official visit. On Tuesday, Bridges announced that he will be making his college choice on Halloween.

https://twitter.com/jalenbridgess/status/1166469674688815104

What exactly does this mean for the Hoosiers?

Well, for starters, Bridges is set to take his official visit to Bloomington on October 4-6, his last planned visit, for IU’s Hoosier Hysteria. Not only does this mean Indiana gets to have the last pitch to the four-star prospect, but it will also take place on one of the biggest weekends in the fall for Indiana basketball.

However, as we say that, Miami and Xavier come into the planned official visits as the two teams that seem to have a leg up on the remaining three programs. With those two visits coming Sept 13-15 (Xavier) and Sept 20-22 (Miami), and his announcement a month from Miami’s visit, it gives him ample time to break down those two visits and make a real educated decision about his future.

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Assuming he makes his trip to Bloomington, it could mean he is just giving Indiana the respect to try to sway him from one of the prior two, or he could keep it on the schedule just to go see another campus and get an inside look at the historic Indiana program, with no intention of committing there.

Either way, it would only give him two weeks to really dive into Indiana’s pitch and try to compare it to Miami or Xavier, whose visits he had been able to process for a couple of weeks already.

One other point to bring up is the recruitment of Matt Cross. Cross is set to take his final visit to Texas A&M this Labor Day weekend, but also has Indiana and Miami high on his list. IF Cross were to make a decision to commit to Indiana before Bridges’ IU visit, Bridges may cancel the visit altogether and make his decision. If Cross decides to head to Miami, while the Hurricanes would still have the possibility of taking both him and Bridges, it could make Indiana’s visit more crucial.

Trending. 5 Signs Matt Cross Will Commit To Indiana. light

While Bridges is still a prospect to keep an eye on, other four-star prospects in Cross and Jordan Geronimo, who will be on his Indiana official this weekend, are two targets that the Hoosiers have higher chances landing, as we believe Bridges will be headed elsewhere come Halloween.

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