College Basketball Recruiting: Latest Rumors on Shabazz Muhammad & Top Recruits

While Easter weekend continues and you're sitting around the dinner table spending time with your family, some of the top recruits in the country are preparing for one of the most difficult decisions they'll ever make in their life.

What school will they choose to play for as they continue their basketball journey?

Many of the nation's top players in the country have already made this tough choice, but several of the biggest recruits are still tossing around the pros and cons for each program. When will these decisions come? Who is in the running? Are there any teams that have an advantage heading down the stretch?

Here are the latest rumors and news on the top unsigned recruits.

Nerlens Noel

Noel is the top rated center in the country and many consider him to be the top overall player in the 2012 class. He's had offers from nearly every school in the country, but Kentucky, Georgetown and Syracuse are the only three schools that remain in the running.

He will make his decision on April 11 and wrote a little about the schools he's considering in a blog he's doing for ESPN.

"

I talked to (Kentucky assistant) coach Orlando (Antigua) after they won and he was really happy, of course. He said that all he could think about was me being a part of something like that next season. I wouldn’t say that all of that stuff gives Kentucky an advantage, though. It’s just something I think about a lot.

"

While the Wildcats recently winning a national title gives them a slight advantage, you'd be foolish to count out the Orange or the Hoyas.

"

With Syracuse, they’ve been on me the longest of the three schools on my list. That factors in heavy with me. That’s big for me. With Georgetown, I would've been crazy not to really give them a look with all the history they’ve had with big men and the development that I could get there.

"

It's really up in the air at this point and Noel did say he wants to win a national championship so who remains on the team is an important factor. With so many players leaving for the NBA, it's safe to say it's anybody's game at this point.

Shabazz Muhammad

Another top player in Shabazz Muhammad is uncommitted, but we'll also find out April 11 where he will be playing his college ball. Having offers from every top program in the country, Muhammad has cut his list down to UCLA, Kentucky and Duke. He says he will do his last bit of homework and make his final decision real soon.

“It’s a tough decision,” Muhammad said. “I am ready to get it over with because it’s been pretty stressful. I will listen to the coaches one more time and then kind of lay low until I make my decision on Wednesday.”

Muhammad also went on to say that all three schools remain in the running and he has yet to really favor any over the other.

“I haven’t made a decision,” he said. “The good thing is that I have a lot of good people around me, and they keep me humble.”

Much like the decision with Noel, soon we'll be able to stop speculating and actually be able to start examining depth charts when these talented young men pick their schools. 

Could Noel and Muhammad Join Forces?

Of course the only way these two talented players could team up was if they both decided to pick Kentucky on April 11. We all know this is not impossible, especially with head coach John Calipari pulling the strings and working the magic. In Noel's blog, he wrote about the possibility of playing with Muhammad, but also said they have not talked about it together.

"

Me and Shabazz Muhammad are deciding at the same time on ESPN, so that should be pretty cool. It’s definitely just a coincidence, because me and Shabazz have never even talked about schools or anything like that. I would love to play with him in college, though, but we’ve never talked about that and he’s got to do what’s best for him like I’ve got to do what’s best for me.

"

With so much talent expected to leave the Wildcats this offseason, landing two of the top recruits in one year would just be unfair. Kentucky may very well be able to repeat despite who ends up remaining on last year's squad.

Will Tony Parker Also Decide on April 11?

While the Spurs' Tony Parker is tearing up the NBA, there is another Tony Parker who's trying to decide where he will play his college ball. He's a 6'8", 255-pound center and is an absolute force down low, who can finish with the best of them.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has reported that he will likely make his decision on April 11. That's the same day Muhammad and Noel are expected to make theirs as well. Parker is still considering schools such as Ohio State, UCLA, Duke and Kansas.

Whichever team ends up landing the big fella will have a post presence that very few college teams have on their roster. Question is, will we really find out this week who it's going to be?

Anthony Bennett Won't Make a Decision Soon

Bennett is an athletic big man, who will likely be a dominant rebounder at the collegiate level. But while we're expecting decisions sometime this week from the remaining top players, the 6'7" power forward says he will take a little bit longer with his.

“After the Jordan Brand I’m going to start taking my visits and after all my visits are taken then I’ll make my choice,” Bennett told Scout.com

“It’ll probably be end of April or early May,” he said.

The Jordan Brand Classic game doesn't happen until April 14, so we'll be waiting a while before we hear where he'll attend school. He's currently looking at schools such as UNLV, Oregon, Washington, Kentucky and Florida.