Kentucky Sports article (Mudiay likely SMU)

[The PonyGrad]

By Ben Roberts — [email protected]

Kentucky basketball fans already had plenty of reasons to tune in for the nationally televised Under Armour Elite 24 game Saturday night.

Now Emmanuel Mudiay has given them even more incentive to watch.

The highly touted Texas point guard revealed Friday that he will announce his college decision during ESPNU's live broadcast of Saturday's game, which starts at 7 p.m.

UK has long been seen as the favorite for Mudiay, but recent buzz over his recruitment and the timing of his decision has changed that thinking.

The new favorite? Coach Larry Brown and the Southern Methodist Mustangs.

"This thing kind of has an SMU vibe to it," Scout.com national analyst Evan Daniels told the Herald-Leader on Friday night.

Scout.com ranks Mudiay as the No. 3 overall recruit in the Class of 2014 and the No. 1 point guard. The 6-foot-4 prospect recently narrowed his list of schools to UK, SMU, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas.

Mudiay lives within an hour's drive of the SMU campus and has already visited several times.

"He's been on SMU's campus at least five or six times," Daniels said. "He's from that area. He's very close to his mother and his brother. I think SMU probably has the edge here."

"He was scheduled to visit Kentucky in October, but that visit obviously won't happen unless he ends up being a Wildcat. I like SMU in this one."

So does 247Sports analyst Jerry Meyer, who changed his Crystal Ball prediction Friday night to say that Mudiay will commit to the Mustangs. Meyer, who ranked Mudiay as the No. 1 overall prospect in the country this week, had previously predicted he would end up at Kentucky.

Whoever lands the commitment will be getting an instant-impact playmaker who is likely to bolt after his freshman season as a one-and-done lottery pick.

"I think what sticks out about Mudiay is his physical attributes," Daniels said. "He's every bit of 6-4. He has a strong frame. He's a very good athlete and has really good speed.

"I see some John Wall in him. He's not as fast as John, but similar aspects. He's a really good scorer going toward the basket and has really good vision. ... He's an elite-level recruit."

UK has offered two other point guards from the Class of 2014: Minnesota's Tyus Jones and Chicago-area native Tyler Ulis.

Most recruiting observers consider Duke the favorite to land Jones, who is positioned near Mudiay at the top of the 2014 rankings. Ulis — a 5-foot-8 prospect — is highly touted but not considered a five-star recruit.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/08/23/2783 ... rylink=cpy