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With 3-stars Tomas Murphy (Northeastern) and Maxwell Evans (Vanderbilt) also recently pledging their futures elsewhere, Northwestern's list of realistic prospects with standing offers has been whittled down to just three: Texas wing Savion Flagg, 6-foot-8 shooter Jordan Nwora, and New Hampshire two-guard Anthony Gaines.

Of the three, the electric Flagg is undoubtedly the most-coveted prize. He is hovering just below the top 50 of most national rankings for his class (No. 70 per 247Sports), and his combination of eye-popping bounce, a grown-man's build, and a cultured offensive skill-set give him all the tools to be a foundational player for Coach Collins' desired Northwestern basketball revolution.

For those of you skeptical that the 'Cats have a legitimate chance of landing a near-five-star from a Texas town over 1,000 miles south of Evanston, there is some evidence to suggest that Flagg is intrigued by the opportunity to be the lynchpin of a movement to build a smaller program into national relevance. He has named Northwestern in a list of what are now the final eight schools he is considering, and will be making his first official visit to campus on September 17th, the day of the Duke football game.

The bad news is that the other seven schools on that list who have extended offers to him include Oregon, Florida, and Miami (schools with national championship pedigree), as well as Texas and Texas A&M (huge programs that are close to home). With last year's Pac-12 champion and NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed Oregon pursuing him heavily, as well as suggestions that he has a strong desire to remain in the state of Texas for college, Collins faces a steep uphill battle to secure Flagg's commitment. However, if the Wildcat head coach can do the seemingly impossible and lure the country's No. 15 small forward up north, the entire narrative surrounding this 2017 class will change, and it could turn into one that is remembered in Northwestern basketball circles for a long time to come.

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