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CBT’s Recruiting Roundup: Nebraska invades Chicago, Wake Forest lands big recruit, Wisconsin gets another system fit

Tim Miles

Nebraska coach Tim Miles directs his team during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Michigan State, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, in East Lansing, Mich. Michigan State won 66-56. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)

AP

Each Monday and Friday, College Basketball Talk’s Scott Phillips goes over some important news and notes in the world of college basketball recruiting. This week, Nebraska recruiting Chicago very well, Wake Forest lands a big one and Wisconsin lands a good system fit.

Nebraska continues success recruiting Chicago

Tim Miles has build Nebraska into an attractive destination for potential recruits and the head coach struck in Chicago again on Monday as four-star forward Ed Morrow pledged to the Cornhuskers.

Landing a high-energy and athletic front court player from Simeon -- the same high school that produced Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker, Illinois’ Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate and so many others -- is a good feeling, but it’s an even better feeling for Nebraska fans knowing that Miles already dipped into the Land of Lincoln and landed St. Joseph point guard Glynn Watson in the 2015 class.

Nebraska is going a great job of recruiting Chicago and it goes back to hosting Jahlil Okafor on an unofficial visit before he eventually committed to Duke. Okafor might not have given the Cornhuskers much thought, but getting a McDonald’s All-American from Chicago on campus for a visit resonated with players and coaches from the area.

In order to recruit and succeed in the Big Ten, recruiting Chicago and its premier national talent is very important and Nebraska is doing a great job of getting involved in the area.

Wake Forest lands a big one for its recruiting efforts

Danny Manning is recruiting his first full class at Wake Forest with the 2015 group and he got off to a great start with that class with the Sunday addition of four-star guard Bryant Crawford.

While Manning got commitments from some serviceable players late in the 2014 class when he took the job this spring, Crawford was a player he had to win over some significant competition.

Georgetown was thought to be a favorite for Crawford’s services and the Hoyas and N.C. State had official visits set with Crawford the next two weekends, but Manning and Wake Forest got the job done during its official visit over the weekend.

For Wake Forest to land a top-100 player in a big recruiting battle shows that they can hang in the ACC and land premier talent. Manning still has to prove he’s capable of producing a winner on-the-floor in Winston-Salem, but at least he’s off to a positive start getting some good players in the door.

Wisconsin gets another Bo Ryan system fit

Alex Illikainen committing to Wisconsin on Sunday morning didn’t get a lot of national attention, but landing a 6-foot-9 forward capable of making threes and playing inside is another great fit for the way Bo Ryan’s team can play.

For years, Wisconsin has chugged along as a Big Ten contender and NCAA Tournament team because Ryan and his staff identify skilled players like Illikainen and make a move to secure them.

Illikainen shot 44 percent from three-point range during EYBL regular season play in 2014 and represents another inside-outside threat for Wisconsin that we’ve seen so many times over the years.

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