Will 5-star UNC Basketball target stay on the West Coast?

One of the top recruiting targets left for the UNC Basketball program will likely either stay on the West Coast or go cross country to the Tar Heels. One analyst thinks he’s bound to stay home.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have been in pursuit of five-star small forward Ziaire Williams for a long time. It’s no secret that the forward has been atop Roy Williams’ and his staff’s recruiting board and is a key target for the 2020 class.

For a while, it felt like Williams was destined to commit to the Tar Heels after taking a few visits to campus. The West Coast native has made the trek cross country to visit UNC, signaling good things.

Williams will again be on campus Friday night for “Late Night With Roy” as one of several top recruits scheduled to be in attendance. This will be an official visit for Williams as the Tar Heels look to impress. As he goes into this visit, the Tar Heels are still up there among the favorites along with Stanford but other West Coast programs like USC are doing their best to sway him to stay on the West Coast.

Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans touched on the Tar Heels 2020 class that features Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler committed as they look to add another five-star recruit. In the Twitter Tuesday mailbag, Evans also talks about Williams and where he thinks the recruit will land.

Here is his take on Williams and where he will end up:

"Lastly, Ziaire Williams has been often connected with UNC. What helps even further is the great relationship that Cunningham and Williams have forged. I do not see Williams leaving the west coast, but if he does, the Tar Heels chances with Cunningham would be ramped up another few notches."

Evans does predict that Williams will stay on the West Coast, which is not good news for UNC fans. However, there is an interesting tidbit about Williams and Cade Cunningham possibly playing together. Cunningham is the No. 2 overall prospect in the class and is also visiting UNC on Friday night.

While Oklahoma State appears to be the front runners to land Cunningham, the Tar Heels haven’t backed down yet. The longer they stay in this recruitment, I think the better their odds.

It’s also possible that UNC misses out on both Williams and Cunningham, which would be worst-case scenario.

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