Florida Man: Ohio State's big win, latest on five-star Mohammed

Each week, Rivals national basketball analyst and very own Florida Man, Rob Cassidy, takes readers around the hoops recruiting world, touching on news, notes and developments that relate to prospects from coast to coast.

This week, he takes a look at a massive recruiting win for Ohio State, an upcoming decision and an impressive start for a Big Ten program.

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MORE: Ranking the Contenders for Jonas Aidoo | Ranking the Contenders for Aminu Mohammed

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team

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Ohio State won a major recruiting battle on Thanksgiving Day, when five-star point guard Bruce Thornton chose the Buckeyes over Purdue, Alabama and Indiana in addition to Georgia, the school at which both of his parents were athletes.

The victory is obviously a massive one for head coach Chris Holtmann, who was able to pluck an elite guard out of a recruiting hotbed in the heart of SEC country. What that says on a macro level about the Buckeyes’ national appeal is significant, but Thornton himself is quite a prize on his own.

The broad-shouldered and nails-tough Thornton fits the mold of what people mean when they talk about New York City point guards without being from New York City. Atlanta stole hip-hop from The City. Now it’s unapologetically pilfering player profiles, I guess. Thornton needs to become a more consistent shooter, but he’s an incredible passer and can get to the bucket with regularity while finishing through contact. He’s a floor general with a tight handle, sure, but he also rebounds relatively well for the position and isn’t at all afraid to score on the inside.

In my opinion the Atlanta-area star has one of the highest floors of any guard in this class. There’s an exceedingly low bust factor here.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OHIO STATE FANS AT BUCKEYEGROVE.COM

Five-star Aminu Mohammed has tentatively set a mid-December announcement timetable, but that hasn’t made the talented wing’s recruitment any easier to predict. There are a host of moving parts here.

First, Mohammed isn’t totally sure when he’ll enroll. According to his guardian Shawn Harmon, the 2021 star could arrive on the campus of his choice in January, which would change the feel of his recruitment. Some involved schools, including Georgia, would need to free up a scholarship in order to welcome the Washington D.C. native in early. So if that timetable comes to fruition, Georgetown and Indiana, two schools with roster spots, will likely be the beneficiaries. If not, the Bulldogs should be among the favorites. This thing could head in a number of directions down the stretch.

Nothing simple is ever much fun, after all.

This could (and probably should) be a section about top-ranked Gonzaga, but we’ve given the Bulldogs enough virtual ink as of late and they were ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll. The status quo is easy, and easy is boring.

Instead, let’s have a look at the fifth-ranked Illini. Brad Underwood’s team sits 3-0 heading into Wednesday night’s showdown with No. 2 Baylor. So while Illinois’ first three wins were all impressive in different fashions, Wednesday will tell us all we need to know about where the team sits in the pecking order of the elite.

What’s indisputable already, however, is the talent on the roster. Underwood has future pros in All-American Ayo Dosunmu and sophomore star Kofi Cockburn. Freshman Adam Miller, who is already scoring at an incredible clip, has the look of a guy that could develop into a draft pick as well.

Illinois hasn’t been ranked in the top five since 2005, when the program came one victory away from the national title, and it’s starting to seem as if there are some similarities between that squad and the current one. History suggests you need between three and six future pros to win a title, and the Illini are somewhere in that zone.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ILLINOIS FANS AT ORANGEANDBLUENEWS.COM

The setup of this season is less than ideal both morally and logistically. I don’t think anyone needs to be told that. But if as a guy that loves surprises, games popping up on the schedule 72 hours before they tip has been a flair of light in an otherwise overcast year.

Turns out, set schedules are boring. Being told exactly which teams will play each other and when they’ll do it is very 2019. We’ve evolved past that as a society. Knowing that a top-25 matchup could pop up on the docket at literally any moment adds a measure of spice to a bland year.

At this point I’ll take any silver lining I can find, and this qualifies.