Top 10 college basketball recruiting classes: Arizona edges Duke for top class

The 10 best college basketball recruiting classes sees Arizona edge Duke for the top class in 2019 with Kentucky, UNC, USC among the top classes.

College basketball’s recruiting period is wrapping up and Arizona owns the No. 1 recruiting class after overtaking Duke. There are a few big names still uncommitted, including the re-classified R.J. Hampton, but for the most part, college rosters are all but set for the upcoming season. While the commitments of Hampton and several others could shake up the rankings, let’s take a look at the top 10 classes right now, beginning with (once again) Duke.

1. Arizona

• Nico Mannion, Josh Green, Zeke Nnaji, Terry Armstrong, Christian Koloko

The Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament last season, but Arizona has a loaded class coming in to try and get back to the dance. The big question remains whether Sean Miller will be around to coach the team considering his links to the FBI’s recruiting probe.

2. Duke

• Vernon Carey, Wendell Moore, Cassius Stanley, Matthew Hurt

Even though Zion Williamson and friends are off to the NBA, Duke is reloading with another incredible class of one-and-done starts. Point guard Tre Jones will have a lot of fun dishing to impact scorers like Carey, Moore, and Hurt.

3. Kentucky

• Kahlil Witney, Tyreke Maxey, Keion Brooks, Dontaie Allen

Another prominent team atop the recruiting rankings is Kentucky, which always gets a significant roster of one-and-done players to compete for championships under John Calipari. While P.J. Washington and Tyler Herro are among the Wildcats off to the NBA, Witney and Maxey are poised to step into the spotlight at Rupp Arena.

4. Villanova

• Bryan Antoine, Jeremiah-Robinson Earl, Justin Moore, Eric Dixon

The last remnants of the 2018 national championship team are gone, but Jay Wright is set to build his next dynasty with one of his best recruiting classes. The star of this class could be Antoine, who has the ability to put the ball in the basket in a lot of different ways.

5. USC

• Signings: Isaiah Mobley, Onyeka Okongwu, Max Agbonkpolo, Kyle Sturdivant

Like Arizona before them, USC was a Pac-12 disappointment, failing to reach the NCAA Tournament despite some preseason predictions of a deep March run. The Trojans could rectify that with the nation’s fifth-best class, which offers a wide variety of complementing skill sets to lead to a more balanced roster.

6. Florida

• Scottie Lewis, Tre Mann, Omar Payne, Jason Jitoboh

After making a stealthy run into the NCAA Tournament last season, Florida is poised to build on this success with this strong recruiting class. Scottie Lewis is an elite defender who can take on pretty much anyone the SEC can offer while Mann has a chance to be a star at the point.

7. North Carolina

• Cole Anthony, Armando Bacot, Anthony Harris, Jeremiah Francis

For a little while, things looked hairy for North Carolina, which lost Cameron Johnson and Luke May to graduation and saw Coby White and Nassir Little declare for the NBA Draft. Everything changed when Cole Anthony, the top point guard in the class, committed to Chapel Hill and could power the Tar Heels to the top of the ACC.

8. Louisville

• Samuell Williamson, Aidan Iegihon, David Johnson, Josh Nickelberry, Jaelyn Withers, Quinn Slazinski

The Cardinals may not have the one top-end stud like a Vernon Carey or Cole Anthony, but Chris Mack got a ton of potential impact players in this class. After a disappointing first round exit in March, Louisville’s freshman class could help lead to more long term success.

9. Gonzaga

• Drew Timme, Anton Watson, Martynas Arlauskas, Brock Ravet

Gonzaga got hit hard by graduation (Josh Perkins) and the draft (Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke declared), but Mark Few has responded with one of his best recruiting classes. The Bulldogs should continue to dominate the WCC with this crew of freshmen heading to campus this fall.

T10. Memphis

• James Wiseman, DJ Jeffries, Malcolm Dandridge, Damion Baugh

The Tigers already pulled off a shocker by landing James Wiseman, the No. 1 recruit in the class, and Penny Hardaway’s team is in the mix for a ton of the top uncommitted guys, like Hampton and Precious Achiuwa. Landing a few of those players could shoot the Tigers way up this list and into legitimate title contention.

T10. Georgia

• Anthony Edwards, Christian Brown, Jaykwon Walton. Sahvir Wheeler, Toumani Camara

Tom Crean pulled off a recruiting coup when Georgia landed the commitment from the nation’s No. 2 recruit, Anthony Edwards. The 6-5, 215-pound shooting guard from Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Prep School is expected to be a one-and-done in Athens, but it could be the best season for Georgia basketball in a long time. Joining Edwards are small forwards, No. 66 recruit SF Christian Brown and No. 77 recruit Jaykwon Walton. Top-100 signees Sahvir Wheeler and Toumani Camara round out the five-man class.