Indiana Basketball: Pieces falling into place for 2020 IU target

Indiana basketball’s top priority target in the 2020 class has seen some shakeup to some of the other schools on his list, benefiting the Hoosiers.

Archie Miller and the Indiana basketball program has zeroed in on one of its remaining targets in the 2020 class and some recent developments could come back to benefit the Hoosiers in the long run.

Five-star forward Dawson Garcia cut his list last week, a list of seven that included Indiana. Rumored to be one of the top two teams on the list, IU may have received some news over the past couple of days that will only help their chances with Garcia.

One of the other programs on Garcia’s list, Kansas, continues to be in the middle of the NCAA FBI investigation. On Friday, news ‘broke’ that the NCAA is preparing to issue a notice of allegations against the Kansas program that details ‘multiple major violations’. Kansas’ involvement in the pay-for-play scandal has been widely known, and now with violations expected to be announced, their postseason availability for the near future could be at risk. For a big name recruit like Garcia, the ability or lack thereof, to play in the NCAA Tournament could be a major factor in the program that ultimately receives his commitment.

As for now, Kansas is still very much involved, and could be until the punishment against the program is publicized, but this certainly doesn’t hurt Indiana’s chances of landing Garcia.

For North Carolina, another program expected to be a major player in Garcia’s recruitment, their recent commitment of yet another talented and five-star forward could impact Garcia’s recruitment even more.

The Tar Heels have two commitments in the 2020 class, but both are 6-foot-10+ big men and top-20 talents. Obviously Carolina loves to run with a lot of depth in the front court, but with at least six big men projected to be on the roster next season, where Garcia fits into the mix gets a little shaky. Yes, his game is entirely different from Walker Kessler – who committed to UNC on Sunday – and Day’Ron Sharpe, but there is only a certain amount of minutes that can go around and positions that the trio of big men can play.

Indiana, who conducted an in-home visit with Garcia just last week, has a high demand for big men in the 2020 class. With three wings/guards already committed, the staff has turned their attention to securing a commitment from a big man and are going to pull out all of the tricks in Garcia’s recruitment.