A source tells Inside the Hall that Abraham will likely visit Indiana this coming Tuesday, March 23. It will be the 6-9 forward’s fourth official visit. Abraham has already visited Georgetown, Maryland and Tennessee.

The Progressive Christian Academy forward is also expected to play in next month’s Derby Festival Basketball Classic at Freedom Hall in Louisville, an event Inside the Hall will cover. Victor Oladipo is also expected to participate, but rosters for the event have yet to be officially released.

Current Hoosiers Christian Watford, Jordan Hulls and Maurice Creek participated last year.

The event is two days, with the Night of the Future Stars on April 9 at Bellarmine University and the Classic the following night at 7 p.m. Ticket information is available here.

Related: Steve Yanda of The Washington Post also has an update on Abraham.

With offers from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Xavier, 2012 Broad Ripple guard Ron Patterson is quickly becoming a top priority for high majors in the midwest.

The 6-3, 195-pound Patterson averaged 16 points and seven rebounds and led Broad Ripple to a 16-7 record, the most wins for the school since the 1985-1986 season, and a city championship. Inside the Hall caught up with Patterson on Wednesday for a brief Q & A:

On Broad Ripple’s season and his injury down the stretch:

“The beginning of the year went great. When we got the end, I got a couple of injuries. Teammates got fatigued and I tried to put the team on my back, but I had a back injury. It was real sore and bruised from when I fell on it.”

On playing for a Hall of Fame coach in Basil Mawbey and the change in Broad Ripple’s style of play:

“It was a lot different because Coach likes to run a lot of plays and set screens a lot. He changed our game from last year, because we were a run and gun team last year. He changed some of that up. In some games it was part of our success and in some games we could have used the run and gun.”

On Indiana’s recruitment and his relationship with Tom Crean:

“Last time I talked to Coach Crean was after the Lawrence Central game. I like IU. It’s a great facility there to be in, great fans. He thinks I’m one of those players that can come in and play right away.”

Shortly after the meeting, a source told Inside the Hall to “be prepared for some good news.”

The good news, now being reported by The Herald-Times, is that Abraham will hold off on making a decision until he can visit Bloomington. What is not known at this point is when that visit will take place.

Steve Yanda, a writer for The Washington Post, wrote a lengthy story this past Sunday which seemed to indicate Georgetown and Maryland would battle it out for the 6-9 Nigerian. Yanda, too, was under the impression that a decision would be made Sunday. Our source, however, indicated a two-team race between the Hoyas and Indiana.

The decision has morphed into Indiana’s biggest recruiting storyline in quite a while if traffic to this Web site is any indication. Today, Monday, March 15, 2010 will go down as our most successful yet in terms of eyeballs, if you can believe that.

Bigger than the day Kelvin Sampson was let go. Bigger than the day Tom Crean was hired. All of this, for a kid that may or may not be a program changer for IU or the other programs hoping to sign him this spring. While we certainly love the story from that aspect, it might be best, for now, to step back and gain some perspective.

If you follow recruiting as closely as we do, you know that every situation is different. It’s far from a perfect science. Kids struggle to come to a decision. They often change their minds. Such is the tune, it seems, with Moses Abraham.

We will, of course, continue to report on this story until its reaches a conclusion. When that happens, however, is anybody’s guess.

—

Update (3:00 p.m. by Alex Bozich) – The new “target time” for a decision for Abraham is 7 p.m. this evening, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Herald-Times. At this point, I have no idea what to make of this whole situation, so I’ll just sit back and let Moses work his magic.

—

Update (10:27 a.m. by Zachary Osterman) — Just a little bit of extra news on the Abraham front. According to a source familiar with the whole situation, the reason Abraham has yet to decide is because IU is making a strong late pitch. The source would not elaborate on with whom exactly Abraham has been in contact, though it was reported yesterday that Tom Crean would be in the Washington, D.C., area.

Whomever he might be talking to is selling Indiana hard enough to make Abraham push back his decision and give them extended consideration. Keep in mind that the contact period for the spring recruiting window begins tomorrow, so if Abraham extends this decision to at least that point, then Indiana is allowed in-person contact with him, as opposed to just phone calls.

—

Update (8:43 a.m. by Alex Bozich) — Moses Abraham did not choose a school last night, says Dustin Dopirak of The Herald-Times. According to Dustin’s source, which is likely the same one we’ve been using, “Indiana is doing a great job” in the recruitment of Abraham. The source adds that Abraham will speak to Tom Crean again this morning, but that a timetable for a decision is “up to Moses.”

—

It is 4:16 a.m., and I have finally arrived home in Goshen.

I am tired. Very tired. Incredibly tired. Hands-shaking, world-spinning, can’t-spell-words-anymore tired. I am not sure how I made it home from my drive, except to say that listening to Outkast, Tom Waits, The Band, Alan Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Ludacris, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, the Boomtown Rats and a whole host of other good tunes probably kept me going.

That and the UFO that chased me for several miles. No seriously, right outside Rochester. It was terrifying.

I stopped for recaffeination and leg-stretchery in Logansport and Argos. I downed a large cup of coffee and two bottles of Vault. (Which, by the way, is actually just Surge, renamed. And I loved Surge. It was great.)

I had some scintillating political and philosophical discussion with my traveling companion. It was the potted daisy pictured below:

It’s a gift from my mother to my girlfriend. Do not fear, daisy lovers, I did not make it ride sideways. The picture is just tilted 90 degrees.

As you can see, I had quite an eventful ride home. I did not, however, touch base with the Moses Abraham camp, despite calls and texts and voicemails left. I was not the only one to try either. As best I can tell, the H-T and Peegs also came up short, although the IDS did have an update literally several hours ago saying Abraham might not make his decision until tomorrow. (During awake-people time tomorrow, not this time tomorrow.) I am now guessing that is what will occur.

In truth, it’s easy to understand why Abraham is taking his time — you’ll recall he’s already pushed this decision back once. I know his adviser, Joe Boncore, has spoken in the past about Abraham’s positive impression of IU’s rebuilding effort, and his desire to visit Bloomington if possible.

The Hoosiers are one of just two schools he is considering, a source told Inside the Hall yesterday, so he might want an extra day or two to keep sorting things out. These really are important decisions — ones that will impact the rest of a young person’s life — and so it is perfectly understandable that this one is not being rushed.

That said, I am finally checking out. We will, of course, try to follow up on this when it’s regular morning instead of really, really ridiculously early morning, and keep you updated as much as we can.

I myself must go regenerate for my trip to New Orleans to cover Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament, (I wish you could come too, Chronic) a trip which I will likely be making by car. So I need sleep. Badly.

Until tomorrow/whenever I wake up, friends.

The Herald-Times reported that Tom Crean is in the Washington D.C. area today to watch Victor Oladipo play in the city championship. (Editor’s note: Crean will be unable to meet with Abraham because it’s currently a no-contact period.)

Abraham’s recruitment has been, from IU’s perspective, quite rapid. Crean only offered the 2010 four-star forward in mid-February, but interest from the player has ramped up quickly. Joe Boncore, Abraham’s adviser, has said in recent interviews that Abraham is attracted to the idea of being a major player in rebuilding IU’s program.

Georgetown was considered a favorite for the big man when IU entered the mix, and Steve Yanda of the Washington Post (who first prepared me for life covering Tom Crean — Yanda covered Crean when he was at Marquette) has reported that Maryland and Georgetown are Abraham’s favored two. So it’s going to be an interesting night.

Also, take this for what it’s worth, but this just rolled across my Twitter feed:

(via @TomCrean)

From the cornfields to the Capitol we are out and about today. We need to get the guys added that can help us get back to Selection Sunday.

Size, toughness and athleticism is the ingredients of the day.

(Photo credit: Mark Gail/the Washington Post)

You can send us stats or results for this report at tips@insidethehall.com. Here’s our latest update:

2010 SIGNEE

+ Victor Oladipo – DeMatha (MD): Eight points in 53-47 win over St. Johns’s on March 7 and 12 points and 12 rebounds in 71-52 rout of Gonzaga on March 8. Up next: Ballou in the City Championship later today.

2011 COMMITMENT

+ Matt Carlino – Bloomington South (IN): 14 points in 71-61 regional semifinal win over Evansville Harrison on March 13.  Led the Panthers with 19 points and 11 rebounds in 58-56 regional final loss to Jeffersonville on March 13, snapping a 49-game winning streak for South.

2011 CLASS

+ Branden Dawson – Gary Lew Wallace (IN): 16 points in 47-35 regional semifinal win over Plymouth on March 13 and 13 points in 71-52 regional championship win over West Lafayette on March 13. Up next: Ft. Wayne Elmhurst on March 20 at Lafayette Jefferson.

+ Cody Zeller – Washington (IN): 29 points and 13 rebounds in 52-45 regional semifinal win over Corydon Central on March 13. Led the Hatchets to regional title with 21 points and nine rebounds in 55-47 win over Boonville. Up next: Danville on March 20 at Southport.

+ Jeremiah Davis – Muncie Central (IN): 21 points in 66-52 regional semifinal win over Lafayette Jeff. 12 points in 50-44 regional final loss to Carroll.

2012 CLASS

+ DeJuan Marrero – Bowman Academy (IN): 11 points in 86-36 rout of Pioneer in regional semifinals on March 13 and eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in 72-60 regional championship win over Ft. Wayne Blackhawk Christian on March 13. Up next: Monroe Central on March 20 at Huntington North.

+ D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera – North Central (IN): 25 points in 77-67 regional semifinal win over Ben Davis on March 13. North Central beat Noblesville, 54-53 (OT), to win the Lawrence Central regional at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 13. Up next: Jeffersonville on March 20 at Southport.

+ Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell – Park Tudor (IN): 19 points in 44-30 regional semifinal win over South Ripley on March 13. 18 points in 50-41 regional final win over Winchester on March 13. The regional title was Park Tudor’s first since 2001. Up next: Forest Park on March 20 at Seymour.

2013 CLASS

+ Darryl Hicks – Shelby County (KY): 22 points in 76-70 Eighth Region championship win over South Oldham on March 9. Up next: Louisville Ballard on March 17 at Rupp Arena.

Translation: I follow Yogi Ferrell on Twitter, and just about 12 hours ago, he announced to the Twitter world (Tworld? Let’s make that happen) that he had, in fact, received an offer from IU.

“Got offered by IU,” Ferrell said via his Twitter account. This comes on the heels of a March 7 trip to Illinois to watch the Illini take on Wisconsin. That visit, according to Ferrell’s Twitter feed, (can’t you tell I’m enjoying this?) yielded an offer from Illinois as well. So according to Rivals, this brings Ferrell’s offer tally up to four, with IU and Illinois joining Butler and Purdue in the chase for the Park Tudor sophomore.

The 5-foot-10, 160-pound Ferrell, whose real first name, by the way, is Kevin, has been on the radar for quite some time. In fact, he was once considered the No. 1 player in the nation — in the fifth grade. I point you to this 2005 Indianapolis Star article, (in pdf format) which features Ferrell prominently in its exploration of what then qualified as a needs-to-be-explained phenomenon: basketball players getting attention from sportswear companies and other industry figures at an alarmingly-young age.

So add Ferrell, one of a number of talented 2012 prospects coming out of Indianapolis, to the list of prospects with a scholarship offer from IU.

The two most-prominent names being mentioned thus far are Will Yeguete (pictured), a forward from Florida with an impressive offer sheet, and Moses Abraham, a D.C. product that IU entered late for but seems to have made up ground on in a short time.

Yeguete was on campus this weekend for the Northwestern game, and I got the chance to catch up with his coach, Aubin Goporo, who said the visit made a good impression on Yeguete.

“He said the visit went very well,” Goporo told Inside the Hall on Monday night. “He enjoyed his time.”

Yeguete, a native of Meaux, France, who has lived in Florida for the last two years, will take all of his visits before making a final decision on where to sign. Goporo said Yeguete hasn’t set a firm date to announce his commitment yet and has taken three visits thus far. Yeguete has offers from Boston College, Georgia Tech and Indiana, among others.

With effective post play still at a premium in IU’s rotation, Goporo said he believes Yeguete will “make an impact in his freshman year, no question about it.” He described Yeguete as a well-rounded player who can play facing the basket or with his back to it, and sees the court and moves the ball well.

“The kid is a hard worker, and the kid enjoys a challenge,” Goporo said. “(He) understands the game really well.”

Goporo did say he wasn’t sure how much IU’s tradition, a strong Tom Crean selling point, would matter to Yeguete.

“He’s looking for somewhere that he’s going to fit in well,” he said.

On Moses Abraham: I’ve been e-mailing back and forth with his adviser, Joe Boncore. Abraham was unable to make a scheduled visit to IU for the Northwestern game due to illness, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to get to Bloomington before he makes his decision, which Boncore said will come Sunday. Boncore added that Roshown McLeod’s departure will have no effect on Abraham’s decision.

Update: Our good friend Dustin Dopirak of the Herald-Times reports that Abraham won’t visit IU, but that the Hoosiers are still in consideration. So there you go.