At one point, Minnesota getting a commitment from 2015 wing Malik Ellison seemed imminent. Gophers' assistant Dan McHale was spending as much time recruiting and talking with Ellison as he legally could, and Minnesota appeared to be the strong frontrunner to nab the three-star late bloomer.

But now? The feel has changed. Although Ellison said last week over text that his communication with Minnesota is still good and that he was "not really" bothered by the departure of McHale – who recently accepted the head coaching position at Eastern Kentucky – the 6-6 New Jersey athlete suddenly seems less interested in locking down his fate in Minneapolis.

In the last couple of weeks, Ellison – son of former No. 1 overall pick Pervis Ellison -- has officially visited South Carolina (his only other official besides his January trip to Minnesota) and will unofficially visited St. John's tomorrow. He tweeted that he would make his decision soon after that – perhaps very soon after – but at this point, it's anyone's game.

"No favorites," Ellison said over text after picking up the offer from the Red Storm on April 20.

A month ago, those surrounding the program believed a commitment from the versatile scorer was all but in the bag. Now, it certainly appears that Ellison is second-guessing (if he ever was indeed so sure about his landing spot).

The Gophers, who have carried on with their recruiting push, got a commitment last week from Ahmad Gilbert, who, as a small forward with similar game to Ellison's, could affect his ultimate destination. Ellison has been vocal about how important playing time is to his decision. St. John's, which lost seniors D'Angelo Harrison and Sir Dominic Pointer after last season, seems to have room.

Rutgers – which Ellison has visited unofficially -- is also making a big push, and rounds out what are believed to be the wing's top schools, but the high school senior also included Pittsburgh and Wake Forest in his short list of schools, over text.

The Gophers have one more scholarship available for the 2015 class, should they decide to use it. Coach Richard Pitino and staff are going after several others – including JUCO big man Chris Boucher – but more depth at the small forward spot could also be beneficial.

But the timeline has been drawn out in a way that doesn't seem to favor Minnesota – if Ellison does make a decision this week, I'd be surprised if he chooses the Gophers.