UNC Basketball Recruiting: Latest Updates on Tar Heels' Top 2015 Targets

As the current season builds up to its nexus point, it's never too early to glance ahead at the next crop of stars entering collegiate hoops.

Thus far for 2015, just one player has committed to North Carolina. He is 6'8" power forward Luke Maye. ESPN 100 has him barely ranked inside its top 100, coming in at 95. Rivals.com is even less enthusiastic, ranking him 145th in its top 150.

The lack of stellar recruits having already committed to UNC is somewhat explainable. The team is young as it is, having just brought in a trio of highly touted freshmen this season, all of whom are unlikely to leave for the NBA anytime soon.

The players who were already returning also don't come off as likely early departures for professional pastures. Right now, the highest-ranked Tar Heel on Chad Ford's Big Board (subscription required) of eligible draft prospects is one of the freshmen, Justin Jackson, and he barely cracks the top 40.

So with a full team likely returning for 2015, there were fewer spots to go around. Also, it cannot be ruled out that the recent/pending athletic scandal facing the university may have had a negative impact on recruiting.

Also, a lot of top guys have not yet committed anywhere. There is still time!

Of the rest of the offers UNC put out to high school seniors, three have committed elsewhere, and three still remain undecided.

The three players still undecided who are in UNC's crosshairs are forward Jaylen Brown, center Stephen Zimmerman and forward Brandon Ingram.

All three are 5-star recruits who rank inside of ESPN 100's top 12 players. Rivals.com is similarly high on the three, ranking all inside its top 18.

Lastly, of the players considering North Carolina, Malik Newman is also a top talent, although he has a long list of potential schools to attend, and the Heels haven't made him an official offer.

The most likely signees for Carolina are Brown and Ingram.

Zimmerman, as noted by 247Sports, has a group of other schools he is more strongly considering.

Brown and Ingram, however, both have UNC among their final candidates. The small forward Brown had an official visit to Chapel Hill earlier this month that coincided with the team's exciting win over Louisville. Even above the great game, Brown came out of the experience touting UNC's family and tradition, according to Scout.com:

"They have a lot of it [tradition]. They have a family environment. A lot of people come back and give back to the program. That really stood out to me. They are very family-oriented. They do everything based around their tradition." 

Meanwhile, Ingram has his own visit planned for January 26. He recently showed off his skills for scouts at the Chick-fil-A Classic.

It may be unlikely that both small forwards sign, especially since they play the same position, but either one would be a valuable addition to next year's Heels squad.