UNC Basketball: Could Kentucky play a factor for top Tar Heels target?

One of the top targets for the UNC Basketball program in the 2020 recruiting class could wait a while to commit but one school could change some things

The North Carolina Tar Heels have continued to prioritize class of 2020 five-star recruit Ziaire Williams, making him arguably their top target in the class.

The West Coast native has made some trips to Chapel Hill for visits and as it stands now, it appears to be a two-team race between UNC and Stanford. Williams has shown significant interest in both programs and while his recruitment lingers, both teams feel like they have a strong shot at landing him.

With a need on the wing, head coach Roy Williams and his staff are hoping that Williams is one of those pieces that will fit. The Tar Heels currently have five-star center Day’Ron Sharpe verbally committed and he continues to climb the recruiting rankings, earning praise following AAU events.

Williams would be a key piece to this class which could be one of the biggest in Roy’s tenure.

But just how close are the Tar Heels to landing him and is there a dark horse that is starting to get involved?

With Stanford and UNC appearing to have the best chance to land him, Kentucky has recently become a surprise team in his recruitment. The Wildcats have shown some interest and have hung around but have yet to offer. An official offer from Coach Cal and the Wildcats might change this recruitment according to one recruiting analyst.

247 Sports recruiting analyst Evan Daniels talked to the Kentucky Herald-Leader about some recruits the Wildcats recently watched at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. One of those recruits was Williams as Daniels had this to say:

"“Those two schools are the ones that most have talked about, and those two certainly did their early work,” Daniels said. “But I don’t think he’s in a hurry to make a choice, and it certainly wouldn’t hinder other schools from being able to get into that top tier.” Daniels said a scholarship offer from Kentucky might move the needle for Williams, who seems to be taking a relatively deliberate approach to the process at the moment."

Daniels does say that Williams is in no hurry to make a decision, meaning this could be another recruitment that drags out into 2020. UNC was patient with point guard Cole Anthony but you’d be lying if you say you weren’t at least a little concerned about UNC’s chances as the days went by early in 2019.

The 2020 class has only seen a handful of commitments in the Top 100 and just three Top 25 players committing. There is a belief that a domino effect will take place eventually, with several recruits committing in a short period of time.

Even if that is the case, Williams doesn’t appear to be one of the recruits to follow that trend.

For now UNC should still feel good about their chances with Williams as all signs have pointed to him really liking the Tar Heels. But it’s a college recruitment, so anything could change.

For more on Williams and other UNC Basketball recruiting targets, please check back with Keeping It Heel.