Michael Malone should have this advantage over Kansas in pursuit of Terrence Brown

North Carolina looked like a lock to land Utah transfer Terrence Brown after he visited Chapel Hill, but in the days since, a commitment has yet to come, and confidence has waned. While he reportedly canceled a trip to Kentucky, Brown took a visit to Kansas, so the Jayhawks are Michael Malone’s clear competition. 

The bad news is that Brown has hinted on social media that Kansas could be the pick. The good news is that Malone should have a clear recruiting advantage over Bill Self, so long as the No. 1 high school player in the country continues to drag out his recruitment. 

Kansas is holding out for Tyran Stokes while UNC is all-in on Terrence Brown

Tyran Stokes looked to be a Kansas commit throughout much of the process, but after signing a shoe deal with Nike, Kentucky has emerged as a real threat. Many expected Stokes to commit after the Nike Hoop Summit last weekend, but that deadline has come and gone, so the prevailing wisdom now is that he’s waiting to see how both the Jayhawks and Wildcats fare in the transfer portal before joining a team. 

The opportunity to play with a one-and-done talent like Stokes is appealing in Kansas’s pitch to Brown, but ultimately, the logistical mess of waiting for his decision should work in UNC’s favor. A player like Stokes demands a healthy financial package for one year, so Kansas has to hold that money aside, assuming he’ll commit, and if he doesn’t, Self will be forced to scramble late in the portal window to find a way to spend it. 

Clearly, the Jayhawks have the money to land Brown, or else they’d be out of the mix at this point. Still, Stokes is holding up everything as Self has lost Flory Bidunga, Bryson Tiller, and six other outgoing transfers. While he’s not considered to be on the level of Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, or the top of the 2025 recruiting class, that is mostly forgiven if Stokes goes to Lawrence. If not, the Jayhawks could be in trouble, and that’s leverage for UNC. 

North Carolina has swung and missed on a few top prospects already and will seemingly do the same with Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris. So, at this point, Brown appears to be the top priority for Malone and his staff. There’s no waiting for other dominoes to fall because in Chapel Hill, he’s the biggest domino right now. 

Brown hasn’t slipped away yet, but there’s a chance it's trending in that direction. Malone cannot allow that to happen, or he risks a very rocky Year 1 leading the Tar Heels. 

UNC has other talented portal targets in NC State transfers Paul McNeil Jr. and Matt Able. UNC is also after elite recruit Miikka Muurinen. However, none of those players are the primary backcourt initiator that Brown represents, and with so many other top guards off the market, it will quickly become Brown or bust for UNC.

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