For the second straight Monday, a No. 1-rated basketball recruit has proven skeptics wrong and announced a commitment to playing college basketball over more lucrative alternatives. On Monday, Emoni Bates made his choice to play for Michigan State, if and when he's eligible to do so. Bates is in the class of 2022 and has made no clear intention of reclassifying to 2021. Bates, 16, regarded as one of the two or three best prospects this century. Will he wind up playing for Tom Izzo? Norlander and Parrish both say yes and present the evidence and indications as to why. The second half of the pod is dedicated to the Big East and UConn (28:00), a reunion which will become official on Wednesday. With UConn going to the Big East, the guys power-rank every program, 1 through 11, and project the hierarchy of the league over the next five seasons. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices