UK recruiting: Zion Williamson decision time set; Is South Carolina a real threat?

Zion Williamson will make his final decision on Saturday, and it will come right before Kentucky hosts Florida.

According to The State, Williamson will make his decision at 8 p.m. EST. That comes right before the Cats and Gators tip off at 8:15. That makes it kind of odd that Williamson would pick against Kentucky right before they play, but that still looks like the likeliest outcome as of now.

However, it may not necessarily be Clemson and instead another Carolina school. During Monday’s Hoophall Classic, ESPN recruiting guru Paul Biancardi that Williamson would choose South Carolina.

“I think it’s a closer race between Clemson and South Carolina than most people think,” Biancardi said, via Next Cats. “It’s going to be one of those two schools. I’m picking South Carolina.”

That would certainly qualify as one of, if not the biggest upset of the 2018 recruiting cycle. The Gamecocks were thought to be in the running back in the summer of 2017, but as time wore on, it became clear that Kentucky and Clemson were the two perceived favorites in this recruitment.

Even North Carolina, Duke and Kansas got more buzz that South Carolina, who Kentucky happens to play tonight in Colonial Life Arena.

Biancardi isn’t the only analyst picking South Carolina. 247 Sports reporter Sam Kwiatkowski logged a crystal ball prediction in favor of the Gamecocks recently.

Perhaps this is just a late smokescreen to help build up more interest and uncertainty around Williamson’s decision. I still think he ends up at Clemson, but never say never in the recruitment of a high school teenager.

Sea of Blue comes loaded with the best Kentucky Wildcats links, news and analysis, and some other stuff, so be sure to go ‘like’ our Facebook page and follow our Twitter page.