College Basketball: 4 Reasons the Harrisons Should Choose Maryland

Andrew and Aaron Harrison form a unique, dynamic backcourt duo.

The Twins are the the No. 1 PG and No. 1 SG in the nation. 

They are long and strong and skilled.

On Thursday, the Harrisons are announcing their decision on ESPNU of where they will go to college.

They have reduced their choice to between the University of Kentucky and the University of Maryland.

Kentucky is the winningest college basketball program (2090 victories) with the highest winning percentage (76.3 percent).

Maryland is not even in the Top 50 in wins (1401 victories), but they still have a solid winning percentage (59.3 percent).

It would appear that the decision is a no-brainer in favor of the Big Blue Nation.

However, the Terrapins just may get the Twins.

Here are four reasons why the Harrisons should choose Maryland.

They Would Be the Highest Ranked Recruits in School History

Andrew Harrison is currently the No. 2 overall ranked player on ESPNU's Top 100 for the Class of 2013.

Aaron slips in at No. 4.

Though Maryland has recruited a lot of good players over the years, they have never had one, let alone two, Top-5 players. Ever.

In fact, the highest ranked player since 1998, according to the Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI), was Mike Jones (pictured).

Jones was the No. 17 player in the Class of 2003, and Maryland's last McDonald's All-American.

Other notable Terrapins weren't that highly ranked:

Chris Wilcox (No. 23)

Nick Faust (No. 43)

Steve Blake (No. 55)

Lonny Baxter (No. 80)

Grevis Vasquez (No. 93) 

At Kentucky, the Harrisons would be in line behind some of the recent No. 1's, like Nerlen Noel (Class of 2012) or Anthony Davis (2011).

While this might not be a big deal, wouldn't it be a cool distinction to be the highest ranked players in school history? 

They Would Immediately Become the Driving Force of the Maryland Attack

Second year head coach Mark Turgeon has infused the Maryland program with talent.

In his first year, he inked Nick Faust and Alex Len (pictured).

This year, he reeled in Shaquille Cleare, Jake Layman, Charles Mitchell and Seth Allen.

If the Harrisons came to University Park, they would not only bring their elite-level skill sets, but they would also make everyone around them better.

Faust could permanently move to the wing. Len and Cleare would be able to set up shop down low. And the Comcast Center would be rockin'!  

Andrew and Aaron will be starters and featured players wherever they go. If they decided to go to UK, they would simply be joining something that is already "there." 

That's not bad, it's just different from being the players who get a program "there."

They Would Elevate Maryland into the Top-Tier of the ACC

Maryland has been pretty inconsistent over the last several seasons in the ACC race.

Even though they tied for first in 2009-10, they have been no better than seventh place in three of the last four years.

Evan Daniels, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com, told the USA Today, “Next year, when those two are in college, I can’t imagine they’ll play a backcourt better than them."

If the Texas Twins become Terrapins, it would not be outrageous to think that Maryland would jump up and immediately challenge the conference elite for the ACC title.

They Would Help Maryland Become Relevant Again

Mark Turgeon is getting Maryland back on track, but the Harrisons' arrival at Maryland would thrust things forward significantly.

Les Johns of the Kentucky Kernel said this about the Harrisons':

"

Recruiting analysts believe the duo to be the biggest package deal in recent years, and that both Harrisons are can’t miss future NBA players who could conceivably lead their college team to a Final Four in their likely one-and-only year in college.

"

Obviously, Kentucky, under head coach John Calipari's watch, has jumped back into the place of prominence.

30 win seasons and deep runs in the tournament are expected.

Getting to the Final Four (again) is keeping the UK program where it is currently at.

At Maryland, the Harrisons would have the chance to be the catalyst for that type of success. 

Instead of trolling towards the bottom of the ACC heap, Maryland, with Andrew and Aaron running the show, would be one of the best teams on the East Coast...maybe in the nation.

They're just that good!