Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad Would Form Unfair Combo at Kentucky

If you haven't heard, five-star recruit Nerlens Noel has narrowed his list of potential schools down to Kentucky, Georgetown and Syracuse.

And it just so happens that another five-star recruit, Shabazz Muhammad, has received an offer from Kentucky.

Go figure.

The Wildcats, of course, are coming off a dominant season in which they went 38-2 en route to the title.

They sported four players in Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb who seem destined for the first round of the 2012 NBA draft, and a point guard in freshman Marquis Teague who would have a shot at the first round if he declared this year.

Davis is the inevitable No. 1 overall selection, while Kidd-Gilchrist will likely go in the top three and Jones could be a lottery pick.

But let's say Teague returns. Given his improvement this past season, he figures to soar in his sophomore year with Kentucky. You pair him with the top two recruits in the 2012 class (according to ESPNU) and you could have yet another dominant team loaded with young talent.

The argument that you must need experience to win the national championship went out the window this year when John Calipari's squad blasted through the NCAA tournament. All five of the Wildcats' starters were underclassmen and their two best players, Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist, were freshmen.

In that regard, you can't say Kentucky would be too inexperienced to win the title again next year with Noel and Muhammad.

Noel has been called a "one-man zone" with his ability to protect the paint. Beyond that, he's an explosive finisher at the rim and even has a nice jump hook. His passing ability is the icing on the cake.

Muhammad, a small forward, has been virtually unstoppable at the high school level 15 feet and in. He has a nice mid-range jumper and will jump over you if you get in his way in the paint. He also has the ability to be a lockdown defender in college.

Noel wrote about Davis and Kentucky in his new blog on Wednesday, via ESPN:

"

I talked to him a lot while I was down there and he told me all about how much better he’d gotten since he got there. He told me that I’d have to be ready when I got there because it was going to be a lot of hard work.

I’d definitely say it makes me think about Kentucky more, and with them winning with all of those freshmen was very attractive. Just seeing that it doesn’t matter how young you are, you can win a national title.

"

Noel has not hinted where he will ultimately sign, but he said he will be announcing his decision next Thursday on ESPN. It just so happens that Muhammad will be announcing his decision at the same time.

However, Noel has made it clear that it's just a coincidence.

The rest of college basketball better hope it is, because a combo of Noel and Muhammad—combined with a nice recruiting class and possibly Teague—would once again point Kentucky to a title in 2013.

Follow me on Twitter. We can talk about the 2012 recruiting class together.