Josh Crittle sorta likes SIU

Per the SIU Daily Egyptian, 6'8" PF Josh Crittle enjoyed his visit to Carbondale last weekend but identified conference affiliation as a cause for concern.

"The only thing I really don't like is the conference," said Crittle, a senior at Hales Franciscan High School in Chicago. "I feel like they're too good for their conference. I think they should be in a bigger and better conference."

Hmmm. Add in Crittle's concern about the remote nature of Kansas State....

"It's just in the middle of nowhere," he said. "It's just like there's nothing around there, it's just Kansas State in that city."

....and you'd have to figure that MU remains a front-runner for the talented big fella.

Once again Marquette seems to have many of the attributes that Crittle craves from a university. When factoring in the opportunity for immediate playing time as a freshman, the proximity to home, and perhaps his familiarity (and appreciation of?) a Catholic education -- it is plain to see why Crittle has consistently listed MU as a favorite for his signature. He'll visit MU next month.

While Frank Ben-Eze emerged as Crean's priority recruit to replace Ousmane Barro in the middle, Crittle's skills and size would be a welcome addition to a program with only a pair of young PFs, the undersized combo of Mbakwe and Hazel. A group anchored by Ben-Eze, Crittle and Mbakwe, supported by high-energy minutes from Hazel would certainly be an upgrade over the frontline rotations Tom Crean has been stuck with for the last several seasons.

Crittle still lists MU, Oregon, Minnesota, Kansas State and SIU as his final five. Oregon is an interesting wild card here. Ernie Kent already secured verbals from Chicago's Matt Humphrey and Michael Dunigan -- can he complete the trifecta this fall? MU fans hope not.