Mail Call: Indiana, Big East freshmen, hypothetical fight, Kiyan Anthony

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With the college basketball offseason in its dog days and commitment season for the class of 2025 set to begin in the months ahead, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy opened himself up for questions from the public and received all manner of queries relating to the sport.

Below, Cassidy responds to four such questions that cover everything from high-profile Indiana targets to potential impact freshman to a hypothetical brawl.

More: Five storylines from the first live period

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Whether or not Indiana bounces back in 2025 will have a lot to do with how the season starts on the floor. Mike Woodson is one mediocre season away from his seat getting uncomfortably warm. A poor start would likely doom the 2025 class because of the level of uncertainty that would take hold within the program. That said, the potential for good news is strong if the Hoosiers show progress on the court.

First and foremost, Woodson and company almost absolutely need to land Indiana native Braylon Mullins, who has improved his stock drastically over the last month and will land well inside the top 40 or so in the next Rivals150 update. His stock-rising spring has also come with additional offers, as North Carolina has suddenly become involved with the Greenfield Central High Schools star. Indiana has traditionally done well in that area of the state and should be a major player until the end, but losing Mullins, even at the last moment, would be a massive blow for a program that built its reputation on keeping in-state talent home.

Then, there’s the case of Bryson Tiller. The five-star forward is also a realistic target for Woodson and company, as he’s already been on campus and seems legitimately intrigued by the Hoosiers.

Landing both Tiller and Mullins is realistic for Indiana, which is flush with NIL money and will have a strong pitch to both provided things go well on the court this season. There’s also the case of Jalen Haralson, the top prospect in the state of Indiana and a prospect IU would love to land.

Obviously, the Hoosiers are serious players, but Duke, Purdue, Michigan State and Kansas aren’t just going to lay down. IU fans should expect to land the five-star because of how long-standing and deep his ties to the staff run, but the class won’t be ruined should it fail.

Now, if Tiller, Mullins and Haralson all land elsewhere, it may be time to hover your hand above the panic button because other priority targets such as Mikel Brown, Nate Ament and Maleek Thomas seem significantly less likely to land in Bloomington.

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I’m torn between Marquette’s Damarius Owens and St. John’s Jaiden Glover because a convincing case for or against either becoming a true impact freshman could be made. I’ll go with Glover due to the fact that Owens is walking into a Marquette roster that lost nothing to the transfer portal and has a deep pool of returning talent that will eat up a lot of minutes.

Glover’s appeal as an impact guy is multifold. Handing Rick Pitino a 6-foot-6 wing with a sweet and consistent shooting stroke seems like a recipe for success to me. Also, there should be plenty of minutes available on a team with a reshaped roster and in need of dangerous outside shooters that can defend multiple positions. Glover checks that box.

Pitino has developed countless players with Glover’s markers, and it helps that the four-star’s trajectory as a prospect has been overwhelmingly positive for the last year or so. He reeks of a player that could start off the season hot and cold while he adjusts to the college game before really coming into his own once conference play gets under way.

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Listen, I don’t know if I would win either hypothetical fight but a lifetime spent watching big men embarrass themselves throwing long, lethargic punches on the basketball court tell me the obvious answer is one Zach-Edey-Sized Max Abmas (ZESMA).

If ZESMA lands a punch I’m probably cooked, but I’ve watched guys like Shaq and Alonzo Mourning throw punches and was less than impressed. If I decided to fight dirty and go low on a 7-foot-4 version of Abmas, I’d give myself a chance. My problematic grandfather once told me that size doesn’t matter in a fight if the smaller guy is comfortable swinging a brick.

I guess what I’m saying is, tell ZESMA where to find me.

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First, there are no such things as locks in the NIL era. Secondly, I’d be a lot more confident in Syracuse’s ability to land Kiyan Anthony if Jim Boeheim was still in the big chair based on the trust level and lineage.

The good news is that I think Syracuse is rightly seen as the leader for the time being. The bad news is Anthony and his family have wide-ranging relationships all over the basketball world, so there’s not a shortage of backup plans should the Orange stumble to a second consecutive mediocre season under Adrian Autrey.

I think Anthony wants to go to Syracuse if all things appear equal. It’s up to Autry to make things appear equal in the months ahead. Florida State seems like the biggest threat but programs such as Memphis, Indiana and Providence shouldn’t be ruled out all together.

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