Mohamed Bamba recruiting update: 5-star big man breaks down his list

Mohamed Bamba talked with Scout Hoops about his recruiting status after Kentucky’s loss in the Elite Eight.

Bamba, Scout’s No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2017, said that his recruitment process will start picking up now that all the teams recruiting him have concluded their season.

Bamba also made it clear that he’s still not leaning in any particular direction yet.

“People always ask me like, ‘When are you going to announce? When are you going to announce?’ Assuming I know what school I’m going to go to and I’m like, ‘Yo I got to figure out what school I want to go to first,’” Bamba said.

He went on to say that there’s no way he could make a decision today if he he had to.

“Honestly, I couldn’t. I would second guess it and honestly I think I can see myself at any four of these places and that’s why it’s really hard. Like it’s really crazy, it’s a great process to be a part of but like I can see where some guys see it and like it can be a little bit stressful but it’s still a blessing… I can honestly say I can see myself at any four of these places.”

Bamba said that he doesn’t want to drag the process on, but he’s interested to see what the draft grades will be of players who are on the fence about leaving. According to him, who goes and who stays will play a big part in his decision.

Bamba spoke about Michigan’s strong run through the Big Ten Tournament and the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and why he has them on his list.

“Michigan is on my list because of it’s excellence behind the university and behind it’s athletics,” Bamba said. “I think I can fit into their playing style pretty well.”

Bamba also told Rivals.com national analyst Eric Bossi that he could see himself playing for any of the four programs, but added he has had a conversation with Michigan coach John Beilein on where he would fit with the team.

"He's told me, 'We've had guys outside the top 100 and not ranked and two-stars, and have turned them into pros,'" Bamba said. "He was saying that he can't even imagine what they could do with someone like me."

Bamba said a lot more about the Wolverines, which you can read above.

He isn’t really giving a hint on where he’s going, but his praise of Michigan turns the tables a bit when it comes to predictions.

Kentucky and Duke are still the top dogs on 247’s Crystal Ball, with Kentucky leading 58 percent to 32 percent.

Last week, Scout.com’s Evan Daniels told CBS Sports that he would guess Kentucky is the pick if Bamba made his decision.

In the interview with Rivals.com, Bamba also pointed out that Kentucky having five-star center Nick Richards actually makes them more attractive of a landing spot.

"Having Nick Richards there as a solid five kind of gives me that freedom and I don't have to worry about some of the responsibilities of playing that position. It's something that's very appealing to me. I think there's a couple swing three-fours coming in so it will be interesting to see what happens."

While Kentucky may have a slight lead as of now, there’s still a lot of work to be done to get the elite big man in Lexington for next season.