Bold Predictions for the College Basketball Early Signing Period in 2014

The new college basketball season kicks off this Friday, Nov. 14. But for hardcore hoop heads, there's a new season (of sorts) starting Wednesday.

It is the early signing period, and it sets the wheels in motion for the influx of new commitments for the class of 2015. Not unlike the early admission option colleges offer to all students who wish to apply early, college basketball's early signing period—running through Nov. 19—allows players to make their decisions sooner rather than later. 

So who's going to land where? Any surprises in the offing? There always are. Here are some bold predictions for the recruiting cycle, which all begins now, ready or not.

North Carolina Falls on (Additional) Hard Times

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Roy Williams

The Tar Heels will enjoy a very good freshman class this season, with the trio of Theo Pinson, Justin Jackson and Joel Berry entering the fold. 

Still, it may not be as historically great as other classes, at least on paper, and longtime fans are wondering why. As hard as it might be to accept for such a proud program, the Tar Heels may need to get used to it. Sure, they landed Luke Maye, but that's only going to get you so far.

A barometer of things to come? Prized prospect Ivan Rabb, whose latest shortlist does not include North Carolina. Per ScoutHoops, Stephen Zimmerman said thanks but no thanks on Tuesday. North Carolina native Brandon Ingram seems to be drifting away as well. 

Against the ongoing drumbeat of bad news around athletics and academics at UNC, it looks like tough sledding ahead.

Stephen Zimmerman Rolls the Dice

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Speaking of Stephen Zimmerman, originally the seven-foot Las Vegas native wasn't going to make an official visit to UNLV. Now, in the late stages of his visiting process, he has reversed course, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

So maybe the big guy's going to stay local after all. The Rebels are on an upswing, and landing Zimmerman would continue that momentum in a big way.

Jaylen Brown Heads Overseas

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There is almost no chance Jaylen Brown will actually make an early commitment, but here's predicting that sooner or later he'll drop one of the biggest bombshells of this overall signing period.

Brandon Jennings set the precedent in 2008. Earlier this fall, Emmanuel Mudiay announced he would not sign with SMU as originally announced and would instead skip college to play in China until he was eligible for the NBA.

When asked if he would think about a similar move, Brown said he "absolutely" would, per ScoutHoops' Evan Daniels.

Mudiay said other players had reached out to him for details about his decision but wouldn't name names. Is Brown among them? Fans of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Kansas and UCLA—the rather wide array of campuses still on Brown's list—hope not. But it could be so.

Isaiah Briscoe Heeds the Bright Lights

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New Jersey point guard Isaiah Briscoe is set to make his announcement Thursday on ESPNU. He has trimmed his list to Connecticut, Kentucky and St. John's. 

It could be the latter of the three.

Just Tuesday, Briscoe blogged on USA Today High School Sports: 

"

With St. John’s, first off, just staying home and having my family and friends and fans around and being able to watch me play all the time is great. Then, playing in The Garden, it doesn’t get any better than that; plus it’s New York City and that’s the biggest market in the world! I’m cool with the coaches and I think it would be a great fit.

"

He also made arguments for why he may be leaning toward the other two; he doesn't want to tip his hand before the cameras start to roll. But this one felt just a little more passionate. 

And it makes sense. He's a local guy. As far as the actual team goes, he'd plug right in. He'd have a high-wattage coach in Steve Lavin. And he would have the best of both worlds as far as teammates: a solid group around him with returning players like D'Angelo Harrison and Rysheed Jordan, but also a chance to get big minutes off the bat.

John Calipari Does Not Go Quietly

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Maybe he'll miss out on Brown and Briscoe. But does that mean a letdown is in the offing for Coach Cal?

No, sir or madam, it does not. The machine keeps a-rolling with big man Skal Labissiere, who will announce his decision on Thursday.

The Memphis Tigers were initially presumed to be a favorite for the 5-star talent, who hails from the Memphis area. But according to the normally reliable Evan Daniels of Scout.com (h/t Nation of Blue), the Wildcats already have Labissiere in the fold.

Payton Plays

You like that slide title? That took me three hours to write.

Anyway, talk about early decision-making. He's only a junior this season, but apparently Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard will commit next week, according to Andrew Nemec of The Oregonian.

Gonzaga, that famous point-guard assembly line, is in the mix, among six other schools. Given that he's already considered one of the country's top floor leaders in his class, here's speculating that the Bulldogs get a big chip in their pockets for 2016.

Frank Martin Scores Big

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Frank Martin is an outstanding basketball coach, as evidenced by the turnaround he pulled off for Kansas State. Given time, he'll do the same thing for South Carolina, which, you know, is why it hired him.

And that ball will really get rolling during this early signing period.

Per WLTX 19, two South Carolina products—P.J. Dozier and Tevin Mack—are set to announce on Wednesday. Both have the Gamecocks on their lists. Reportedly, Louisville has the inside track on Dozier. But he'll pull a fast one on everyone when he goes with his home state and, along with Mack, builds something cool.

Diamond Stone Goes to Huskies

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You can't have that name and not have the game. Diamond Stone, one of the sparkliest big-man prospects in the 2015 class, has it to spare.

He's already announced on Twitter he'll go public with his choice on Nov. 21—a little after the early signing period but close enough. The finalists? Connecticut, Maryland, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin.

As a Milwaukee native, the Badgers might be a sentimental pick. But the lure of being a centerpiece in Kevin Ollie's next big run will be too strong.