College Basketball 2012 Recruiting: 10 Schools Recruiting Under the Radar

Recruiting is just as vital to success in college basketball as coaching. It's a bold statement, but it's true. John Calipari's Kentucky teams would be good if it came down to coaching, but they are elite because of his recruiting.

Since the NBA implemented the one-and-done rule, recruiting has become even more crucial to the success of teams. Now NBA-ready 18-year-olds across the country go to college for one year before going pro, and landing these critical recruits is very important if a team wants a true superstar.

These programs have been recruiting very well, but they have not gotten a lot of press. They are under-the-radar for most college hoops fans, but they are quietly putting together some of the best 2012 recruiting classes in the nation.

Providence

The Providence Friars haven't been very successful in Big East basketball in recent years, but they look to turn that around in the recruiting game.

Head coach Ed Cooley looks ready to stock his team with Big East talent, and he's done so by recruiting under-the-radar recruits.

Cooley has brought in PG Kris Dunn, who was underrated about a year-and-a-half ago. Now, however, he is the No. 2 point guard in the nation, and he picked Providence because they recruited him so early on in the process.

Cooley didn't stop there, however, as he also brought in SG Ricardo Ledo, who ranks No. 22 in the class, which puts him even higher than Dunn.

Bringing in an all-new backcourt will help, as will landing Josh Fortune, who will bring an incredible work ethic for four years.

Providence could turn things around soon if they can string together a few more classes like this one.

Wake Forest

Jeff Bzdelik is new in town, and he is trying to turn his Wake Forest Demon Deacons program into a power house once again.

Bzdelik must not be happy with the landscape of the team as of now, as he is bringing in six recruits for next season, including PG Codi Miller-McIntyre and SF Arnaud Moto.

Miller-McIntyre was an unknown when Bzdelik started to recruit him, and that hard work paid off, as he is now a very talented point guard.

Moto's athleticism and ability to do a bit of everything is what makes him the best player in this class, and he will be an immediate-impact player.

Bzdelik is looking to change the culture in Winston-Salem, as they haven't gone to a Sweet Sixteen in seven straight years, and 2012 should be the eighth.

Xavier

The Xavier Musketeers started this season off well enough, hovering around the Top 10 for a while. Then they won a game against Cincinnati which ended early because a fight broke out. The team then lost several games in a row and are no longer ranked.

That incident hasn't stopped them from recruiting, however, and head coach Chris Mack is bringing in stellar talent by the truckloads.

The 2012 class has PG Semaj Christon, who could have easily played in one of the six power conferences, but Mack convinced him to play in the A-10 for Xavier.

Myles Davis, Jalen Reynolds and James Farr are also in the class, and they all bring a different aspect of the game with them.

These four players make up a strong class for Xavier. Although Mack lacks a superstar in the 2012 class, this team should be balanced enough to overcome that.

Indiana

Tom Crean's Indiana Hoosiers got off to a fast start in recruiting for the 2012 class. At one point their class was ranked No. 1 in the country, but that was during the summer, when people were paying more attention to the 2011 class.

Crean's early commits went virtually unnoticed by most fans, and he has had little to do since landing five recruits early in the process.

PG Yogi Ferrell, PF Hanner Mosquera-Perea and SF Jeremy Hollowell are all elite players in the ESPNU Top 100. They will form a good core of talent on which to build, and they will join an already talented Indiana program.

We have seen just what Indiana's recruits can do this year with the emergence of Cody Zeller in his freshman season this year.

If any of these five recruits have the same success Zeller is having (and we can assume that Ferrell will, if not one of the others), then Indiana will maintain their Top 25 ranking throughout the season.

Villanova

Jay Wright and Villanova didn't land a single out-of-state recruit in the 2012 class, but they were once ranked second in the nation because of their two Pennsylvania natives.

PG Ryan Arcidiacono and C Daniel Ochefu are both staying close to home for their college career, and they decided that Villanova was the best place for them.

Arcidiacono is ranked No. 34 in the country, and he will be a starter for two, three, or even four years. He will be the keystone for the Wildcats for the next few years, but his new best friend will be Ochefu.

Ochefu is a big center who will provide a huge target for Arcidiacono inside. Ochefu ranks No. 40 in the nation, and he is one of many elite big men in the 2012 class.

These two will make a great pair for Villanova, and they could be back on the national scene next year.

Houston

James Dickey had some big shoes to fill after Tom Penders brought Houston to the NCAA tournament in 2010, their first since since 1992.

"Turnaround Tom" took over Houston and took six seasons to bring the school to the Big Dance, but Dickey may be on a path to do it even faster.

Dickey's recruiting has been solid up until now, and he has put together one of the best classes in the nation.

SF Danuel House headlines the class, while PF Danrad Knowles is also in the ESPNU Top 100.

These two will form a great combination for this school to build around, and if Dickey can bring in a few more recruiting classes like this one, the Cougars could be back in the Big Dance sooner than you think.

North Carolina State

While you might be thinking that you've heard of Mark Gottfried's recruitment of Torian Graham, that's probably all you've heard so far. Graham committing and decommitting twice to the school did make headlines, but what Gottfried has done apart from that lands him on this list.

Very few people know that SG Rodney Purvis is headed to Raleigh, as are SF T.J. Warren and PG Tyler Lewis. These three make up a great trio on which the Wolfpack can rely for years to come.

Purvis is a statement recruit, who has many fans gaining trust in Gottfried. Ranked No. 16 in the class, he is arguably the best shooting guard at his age level.

Warren also ranks No. 23 in the country, and he is an elite athlete, while Lewis will be able to control the offense and distribute well.

NC State is recruiting more than just Graham (although they will probably end up with Graham in the end as well). Their recruiting has been exceptional, and they have quietly built a great class without Graham.

Iowa

Head Coach Fran McCaffery set out to get C Adam Woodbury, and he did so. Accomplishing his main goal, McCaffery landed a big, lefty center who can take up space in the post.

McCaffery also brings in Mike Gesell, who he recruited very heavily before he committed.

McCaffery brings in a total of five recruits in the 2012 class, and they will be the base on which he builds this program up.

A few more good classes like this will have Iowa on the national stage or in the Big Dance (something they have failed to do for five years).

Colorado

The Colorado Buffaloes haven't landed a Top 100 recruit in over a decade. They have have had very little success on the recruiting trail, and therefore little success on the court apart from Alec Burks.

However, the Buffaloes bring in two Top 100 recruits in C Josh Scott and SF Xavier Johnson. Ranked No. 46 and No. 86 respectively, these two will be the players on which this program is built.

If Colorado can string together a few more recruiting classes with Top 100 recruits they could become a contender in the Pac-12, or perhaps even make the Big Dance in a few years.

UCLA

September 19, 2011 was a good day for Ben Howland and the UCLA Bruins, as they landed SF Kyle Anderson, who ranks No. 5 in the country. He is the star of the class, and he helped the Bruins build one of the 10 best classes in the nation this year.

The Bruins had already had No. 50 Jordan Adams commit to them, who is a Top 10 small forward in the 2012 class.

While both Anderson and Adams are small forwards, Howland will find a way to utilize both of them on the floor at the same time.

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