UNC Basketball: Tar Heels in the middle of two big recruiting battles

The UNC Basketball program is in the middle of a few intriguing recruiting battles as we head into the Fall

We are just under 50 days away until the start of the 2018-19 college basketball season with programs allowed to begin practice next week at their respective universities. With a new season on the horizon, it also means the recruiting battles will begin to heat up.

This past week has already seen some big recruits make their decision as to where they will attend college and we should expect some more in the coming weeks.

Some of the top players in the 2019 class are still left undecided, including high targets on the University of North Carolina’s recruiting board.

Roy Williams and his program are set to host both Josh Green and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl this weekend for visits and both play at IMG along with UNC verbal commit Armando Bacot. But the duo aren’t the only recruits left unsigned that Williams is recruiting.

Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans wrote on some big recruiting battles this Fall and what teams are still involved for the prospects.

Evans noted Robinson-Earl third on his list and broke down where his recruitment is headed going into the Fall. The Kansas native has moved to Florida to play at IMG Academy and he was once thought of as a sure thing to land with the Jayhawks. But since then, UNC got involved and they might just be the only school who could pry him away from going back to Kansas.

Here’s what Evans wrote:

"Robinson-Earl’s ties to Kansas from growing up nearby and his father playing there have been well documented. Roy Williams and North Carolina really turned things up over the summer, Arizona used a strong unofficial visit last winter to jump start things, Notre Dame has been as persistent as anybody and Villanova’s past few years have caught his attention. If I’m handicapping it, though, I’d guess that Kansas and North Carolina have the upper hand as visits begin."

The other prospect Evans wrote on with UNC being heavily involved is center Vernon Carey Jr. out of Miami.

He’s one of the top players in this class and although many don’t think UNC has as strong of a chance as say Duke, Miami or Michigan State, the Tar Heels have stuck in there in his recruitment.

Carey Jr. was once thought of as a heavy Duke lean but Evans doesn’t think thats the case anymore:

"What stands out to me is that Carey’s recruitment is starting to head down a path that we didn’t think it would. He’s been down to five for a while, but headed into the summer Duke looked to be a pretty clear favorite, and in my eyes that’s no longer the case."

The Tar Heels will get an official visit from Carey Jr. and they might just be a dark horse in his recruitment as they are really not being talked about. If Williams and UNC impress the recruit at his visit, we could be in for a surprise come his announcement. But as it stands, it appears as if Michigan State or Kentucky are the favorites.

Evans also listed UNC among the schools interested in James Wiseman but as of now they don’t have an official visit scheduled for the five-star big man. Don’t expect UNC to come in and swoop him up although they do continue to show interest.

Expect things to continue to pick up in the recruiting cycle, especially with a few prospects set to make their official visits to Chapel Hill in the coming months.

For more on UNC basketball recruiting targets, please check back with Keeping It Heel.