Elite senior point-guard prospect Anthony “Cat” Barber on Saturday orally committed to play basketball at North Carolina State during his campus visit to the Raleigh, N.C., school.

Barber, who visited KU on Aug. 31-Sept. 2, chose the Wolfpack over KU and Alabama. He’ll be playing college ball a 31/2-hour drive from his Hampton, Va., home.

“She loves it and is happy,” Barber said of his mom, Pam, in an interview with ncstate.rivals.com. “She liked everything and loved the school to death. She was hyped.

“They played a big part, too,” Barber added of friends and family being close by. “A whole lot of people were telling me (about N.C. State), but I wanted to see for myself. You have to see stuff for yourself, and I saw it and felt good.”

The 6-foot-2 guard, who is ranked No. 9 nationally by Rivals.com, visited Louisville a week ago, but was dropped by the Cardinals as a recruit at the conclusion of his visit for unknown reasons.

“The environment was just made for me — from the coaches, the school and the people around like the academic people,” Barber told ncstate.rivals.com.

KU, which has received oral commitments from No. 28-ranked Conner Frankamp, 6-foot from Wichita North, and No. 22 Brannen Greene, 6-7 from Tift County High in Tifton, Ga., is recruiting at least two other point guards.

No. 27-ranked Demetrius Jackson, 6-1 from Marian High in Mishawaka, Ind., is considering KU, Butler, Florida State, Illinois, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Xavier.

Chris Jones, a 5-11 sophomore from Northwest Florida State College, is considering KU, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Louisville and Florida State. He’s a former Tennessee commit originally from Memphis. KU currently has five scholarships available in the Class of 2013.

Evan Manning hobbled: KU freshman walk-on guard Evan Manning, 6-3 out of Free State High, recently suffered a severe ankle sprain and has been wearing a boot on his right foot. KU coach Bill Self said Manning “will be back (fully) in two weeks.”