On September 8, five-star Class of 2026 prospect Tajh Ariza cancelled his scheduled visit to North Carolina, all but officially ruling the Tar Heels out of the mix.
Fast forward a few weeks, and Ariza's recruitment is nearing the finish line.
NEWS: 2026 Top-15 overall recruit Tajh Ariza is down to two schools, source tells @Rivals:
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 27, 2025
USC and Oregon
The 6-9 small forward is the son of 18-year NBA veteran Trevor Ariza. https://t.co/pbIMQf3z5O pic.twitter.com/2c01vMzAAH
Joe Tipton of Rivals revealed that Ariza, the son of former NBA standout Trevor Ariza, is down to two finalists: USC and Oregon. At the time of his cancelled visit to North Carolina, the two west coast programs were expected to be the teams ahead of the pack in this particular recruiting battle.
While this is "old news" for the UNC basketball program, it demonstrates that the speculation surrounding this particular recruit has proven true. Ariza has officially eliminated the non-West Coast squads from his list of potential suitors and now will aim to make his final decision over the next few weeks.