College Basketball Recruiting: The Top 20 Recruiting Classes for 2012-13

This college hoops season is still in full swing, but it's never too early to start looking at the recruiting class for next season. With the recruiting game now being year around, this article will preview a current ranking of the classes as they stand at the moment.

Although there are still a few more recruits to be signed and sorted out, this is a general look at the top 20 classes for next season.

You might be surprised who you see and who you don't, but hopefully you enjoy this look at the future of college basketball. 

20. Florida

Players Committed: 

SG Michael Frazier 6'4" 180 4-star

PG Braxton Ogbueze 6'1" 185 4-star

SG Dillon Graham 6'4" 175 3-star

Billy Donovan may not have his best class ever this season, but it's going to be ultra productive. It is filling in the holes left by seniors of this team and should fit perfectly. 

With two 4-star recruits coming in including a point guard, this Florida team is building a foundation. After already proving that they are one of the best programs in the nation, and with recruiting classes as productive as this, they are proving they belong there.  

19. Wake Forest

Players Committed:

PG Codi Miller-McIntyre 6'1" 185 4-star

SF Arnaud Adala Moto 6'6" 205 3-star

PF Tyler Cavanaugh 6'8" 215 3-star

SF Aaron Rountree 6'7" 190 3-star

PF Devin Thomas 6'8" 225 3-star

C Andre Washington 6'10" 200 3-star

Wow, Wake Forest is going to be a young squad next season. With six freshmen coming in it's going to be a tough challenge for this squad to be led, but surely they will get it together.

After a few rough seasons, it seems like this program is finally getting it together, and this class will only help. Miller-McIntyre is definitely the gem in this class and will serve as a leader on the court. It is always important to have a great point guard to lead the squad, and it looks like the Demon Deacon are set for another few years on that front. 

18. Iowa

Players Committed:

PG Mike Gesell 6'2" 180 4-star

C Adam Woodbury 7'0" 230 4-star

PG Anthony Clemmons 6'1" 185 3-star

SG Patrick Ingram 6'3" 180 3-star

C Kyle Meyer 6'9" 220 3-star

It looks like Iowa might be able to compete in the Big Ten again and not just be a laughing stalk. With Nebraska joining the conference, they have already had their bottom-feeder status taken away, but it looks like they want to try to compete with the big boys.

Although this class isn't extremely talented, this team will do some great things for the Hawkeyes. At a school where wrestling matches are more important than basketball games right now, it looks like Fran and his bunch would like to change that by competing for an NCAA tournament berth and a chance at the conference title. 

17. Houston

Players Committed:

SF Danuel House 6'7" 195 5-star

Chicken Knowles 6'9" 190 4-star

Wait, what's his name? Who names there kid Chicken? Although he does look like he lives up to the name being 6'9" and only weighing 190. 

Either way, chicken or not, these two players are going to do well for Houston. What's up with Texas? I thought it was a football state. Not a state full of all this basketball talent, but it seems to be turning into a basketball state as well. 

Houston is the third recruiting class in the top 20 from Texas.  

Look for these two guys to lead Houston over the next few years and be a perennial tournament participant. 

16. Xavier

Player Committed:

PG Semaj Christon 6'3" 160 4-star

SG Myles Davis 6'1" 190 3-star

PF James Farr 6'8" 200 3-star

PF Jalen Reynolds 6'8" 220 3-star

Look for Xavier to do extremely well with this class. Although the power forwards need to beef up, they will be ready to go in a few years. Christon is going to be a great centerpiece to the Xavier squad over the next four years.

A true point guard, he is going to be able to make a difference by playing great defense and creating plays and opportunities for his teammates. 

Although this class only features one 4-star, this is an extremely solid class that will just further Xavier's prominence in college basketball. 

15. Syracuse

Players Committed:

C DaJuan Coleman 6'8" 280 4-star

PF Jerami Grant 6'8" 200 4-star

Although Cuse doesn't have a big class, they have a solid one that is going to do a good job filling gaps within the squad due to graduation and NBA. 

Coleman is a beast at 280 pounds. He is going to be a force you don't want to reckon with for Syracuse and be able to do a great job with other big men in the paint. 

Grant is a little small yet, but has all the skills to play the forward position in the NBA. 

14. Purdue Boilermakers

Players Committed:

PG Ronnie Johnson 5'10" 160 4-star

PF Jay Simpson 6'9" 250 4-star

C A.J. Hammons 7'0" 260 3-star

SG Rapheal Davis 6'5" 200 3-star

Matt Painter has a class that is very similar to his Big Three class that featured JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel.

This class exceeds that one.

Finally Purdue is going to have a couple big bodies to work with in the post that have some athletic ability, something that has been an issue under Painter.

Although this class will be overlooked in the state of Indiana due to the class Indiana has, this is a very solid class that will do great things at Purdue.  

13. UCLA

Players Committed:

PG Kyle Anderson 6'8" 215 5-star

SF Jordan Adams 6'5" 2015 4-star

Yeah you read that right, a 6'8" point guard. Although he is likely to move over to a shooting guard role, Anderson is huge and has ball-handling skills that are excellent. He is going to be a stud within the Pac-12 in the next few years.

With Adams complimenting him at the wing, these two could be two of the best scorers in the nation.

If Anderson is playing point, it is going to bring in a whole new dynamic to their offense. It's going to be hard to guard him and he will be a pro at dishing the ball to the post with that height.  

12. Pittsburgh

Players Committed:

PF Steven Adams 6'10" 210 5-star

PG James Robinson 6'3" 195 4-star

Although only two commits this season, Pittsburgh made those two count. Adams and Robinson are two of the finest players in the nation and have the potential to be one of the best high-low threats in college basketball in a few years.

With the ball-handling of Robinson who is a pretty good sized point guard, and the brawn of Adams, this tandem has the potential to do big things for Pitt. 

11. Kansas

Players Committed:

PF Perry Ellis 6'8" 220 5-star

SF Andrew White 6'6" 210 4-star

C Landen Lucas 6'8" 240 3-star

PF Zach Peters 6'9" 235 3-star

SG Anrio Adams 6'3" 183 3-star

Although this isn't Bill Self's best recruiting class, it's still a very solid one. With all of the speculation of conference realignment, Self should be happy he got who got this season.

Kansas is one of those teams that seems to reload every single season, and this season is no different. Although there is a lack of stars on this list compared to other schools, it's still a very solid class that has potential to do great things at Kansas.

Perry Ellis is the center piece of this one, but he is going to have to beef up to compete at the power forward position in the major conferences.  

10. Michigan

Players Committed:

PF Mitch McGary 6'10" 250 5-star

SF Glenn Robinson III 6'5" 192 4-star

SG Nick Stauskas 6'5" 185 4-star

Michigan did it again. They have competed with MSU and Purdue for recruits and won again. With one 5-star recruit and a 4-star the Wolverines are going to be a force to be reckoned with. 

With the current team on the verge of graduation, expect a rebuilding year until this team figures out how to play as a unit. When they do, though, it is going to be great for the Wolverines. 

Mitch McGary is a big man, and that is just what Michigan's great defense needs in the middle to compete with other B1G schools in what is a tough conference.  

9. Providence

Players Committed:

PG Kris Dunn 6'3" 180 5-star

SG Ricardo Ledo 6'5" 185 5-star

SG Joshua Fortune 6'5" 180 3-star

Two 5-star recruits and a 3-star recruit puts Providence in the top 10 in recruiting classes. They haven't been this good since the days of Pitino and it looks like they are going to have a strong foundation to build on in the future.

With this class as the building block, Providence should be able to get it turned around under what will be second-year coach Ed Cooley. Cooley has done a good job getting it done with less in the past, and with such a rich tradition and this class, it shouldn't be hard for him to get recruits in for this program.  

8. N.C. State

Players Committed:

PG Rodney Purvis 6'4" 195 5-star

SF T.J. Warren 6'8" 230 5-star

PG Tyler Lewis 5'11" 168 4-star

Although this is one of the smaller classes this season, it looks like N.C. State did pretty well for living in the recruiting shadow of both Duke and North Carolina. With two solid point guards and strong forward, it looks as though N.C. State might be able to go back to the glory days.

These three players are going to be a building block to a program that has struggled in recent years. It looks like N.C. State is going to be another atop the powerhouse of a conference that is the ACC. 

Although two 5-star recruits, the lack of position depth brings this class down the rankings a little bit. 

7. Indiana

Players Committed:

PG Kevin Ferrell 5'11" 165 5-star

PF Hanner Perea 6'8" 210 5-star

SF Jeremy Hollowell 6'8" 2010 4-star

C Peter Jurkin 6'11" 215 3-star

SG Ron Patterson 6'3" 195 3-star

If you haven't heard yet, Indiana very well could be making a come-back. After a strong year taking down No. 1 Kentucky and second-ranked Ohio State, the Hoosiers are riding Cody Zeller, but this class should help.

Zeller is finally going to have some help around him and it's going to be scary in Bloomington. 

They are going to have a very tough squad with this class coming in and building upon their other classes.

Yogi Ferrell is going to be a top-notch guard, even though he looks like he is 12. 

Everyone in the B1G has their eye on the Hoosiers already, but the national media will soon with this class coming into Bloomington. Along with their 5-stars, Indiana also brings in one of the most interesting names in all of basketball Peter Jurkin, his parents must have hated him.  

6. North Carolina

Players Committed: 

C Joel James 6'10" 260 4-star

PF Brice Johnson 6'9" 200 4-star

PG Marcus Paige 6'0" 155 4-star

SF J.P. Tokoto 6'6" 190 4-star

If you thought that North Carolina was going to really struggle without a big man like Tyler Zeller next season, think again. They are getting a man in at the center spot in Joel James. At 260 pounds as a high school senior, he is only going to get stronger and quicker.

Marcus Paige is also a guy to look out for. 

The Tar Heels like a true point guard and they will have one next year. Paige is a speedy guard with a crossover to kill and a great set of ball-handling skills. He is going to be a leader on this squad in two seasons or less.  

5. Michigan State

Players Committed:

SG Gary Harris 6'6" 208 5-star

PF Matt Costello 6'9" 225 4-star

PF Kenny Kaminski 6'7" 230 4-star

SG Denzel Valentine 6'5" 205 4-star

Michigan State had a good recruiting class, and then Gary Harris decided to be a Spartan and the class turned from good to top-notch. 

Tom Izzo did it again. With his ability to recruit great players and get the best out of them, Izzo is going to have one of his best classes. 

It is looking like the Spartans might be poised for another few runs at the national title. With this squad, it looks like this could be one of the best teams under Izzo, which is scary. 

4. Texas

Players Committed:

C Cameron Ridley 6'10" 245 5-star

PG Javan Felix 5'11" 180 4-star

C Prince Ibeh 6'10" 230 4-star

PF Connor Lammert 6'7" 215 3-star

SF Ioannis Papapetrou 6'7" 200 3-star

With Cameron Ridley as the building point of this recruiting class, this is going to really bring Texas back to where they were a few years ago. This class is going to be great.

With so much length coming in and true point guard in Felix, this team has all of the potential to win a championship eventually.

With Baylor having such a strong class as well, look for this rivalry to really pick up especially with A&M leaving for the SEC.

3. Baylor

Players Committed:

PF Isaiah Austin 7'0" 215 5-star

PG L.J. Rose 6'4" 185 4-star

PF Ricardo Gathers 6'6" 235 4-star

PF Chad Rykhoek 6'11" 220 3-star

With the recent commitment of Gathers, Baylor moved up the list and just inched out Texas for the best class in the state. There is a lot of talent that is going to be going through the Bears program in the next few years and this class is just going to add to it. 

With two 4-star recruits, a 5-star and a 3-star. 

Look for big things out of this squad in the coming years. 

2. Arizona

Players Committed:

PF Brandon Ashley 6'8" 225 5-star

C Caleb Tarczewski 7'0" 220 5-star

PF Grant Jerrett 6'9" 210 4-star

SG Gabe York 6'2"170 4-star

Arizona and the Pac-12 have been down the past few seasons, but it looks like the Wildcats are on their way back. 

With this great recruiting class on the way they are going to establish a program once again and be a consistent contender within the NCAA. 

Not sure who is going to be happier, Arizona fans or the Pac-12 executives that just started their own network. With Arizona being a good squad, they are going to be able to sell cable spots. 

With this recruiting class, if all goes as planned, they are going to have one of the most dangerous frontcourts in the country. 

1. Kentucky

Players Committed:

SG Archie Goodwin 6'4" 181 5-star

PF Alex Poythress 6'8" 215 5-star 

C Willie Cauley 7'0 225 4-star

This is just Calipari's haul so far. Surely he is going to add a few that haven't committed yet for next season including a few who are on top of rankings. 

With the two top prospects on ESPN's top 100 still uncommitted, it would be fair to assume that the odds are pretty decent that one of these two guys is going to end up at UK. With his ability to coach one-and-done talent and make them into successful NBA superstars, Coach Cal has to be on the list of these two top prospects. 

With only three recruits thus far including the 15th- and 16th-ranked players in the nation, it looks like Kentucky is going to be sitting pretty at the top of the college recruiting board again this season.

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