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BYU got some good news — and maybe even surprising news — Tuesday morning with the announcement that they made the cut of three finalists for Purdue 7-foot-3 big man grad transfer Matt Haarms. The Cougars made the final cut with Kentucky and Texas Tech. He is expected to announce his decision this week.
Purdue grad transfer Matt Haarms now confirms this.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 21, 2020
Final 3 are UK, Texas Tech and BYU.
Says he will make decision this week. https://t.co/nFzxhr7J1P
Purdue transfer Matt Haarms, the top available transfer, tells ESPN he's down to Kentucky, Texas Tech and BYU.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 21, 2020
BYU initially made the first cut of 10 schools last week, but they weren’t considered to be a serious contender. BYU has been in “heavy contact” with Haarms and showed him the campus via a virtual call.
BYU’s very much in the mix for Matt Haarms. Hearing the staff has been in heavy contact plus Mark Pope showed him the campus via virtual call. https://t.co/u1iCF7kB8t
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) April 21, 2020
Haarms is one of the top transfers in the nation and will be immediately eligible next season. He averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2 blocks per game last season at Purdue. At 7-foot-3, he is an intimidating presence at the rim and arguably the best rim protector in college basketball.
I would venture Matt Haarms is the best grad transfer on the market. His rim protection numbers are even more insane than you think they are. When he’s on the floor, opposing teams shoot just 49.1 percent at the basket, per @Pivot_Analysis. When he’s off, teams shoot 58.1% at rim
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) April 6, 2020
Many consider Kentucky to be the favorite, but the fact that BYU is in the mix shows that coaches have made a huge impression on Matt. If BYU were to land Haarms, he would join an already solid frontcourt and give BYU one of the biggest front lines in the nation along with Richard Harward, Gavin Baxter, Kolby Lee and Wyatt Lowell.