Nerlens Noel: Hype for Recruit's Decision Magnifies College Basketball's Problem

Where is Nerlens Noel going to play his college basketball?

Will it be Syracuse, Georgetown or Kentucky?

Why should you care?

These days, a school's incoming freshmen class can be the difference between cutting down the nets at the Final Four and cutting down similar fabric at the NIT.

The No. 1 ranked player from the 2012 class according in ESPNU, Noel has a bevy of talents that are bound to help whatever team he chooses Wednesday night. He can score in a variety of ways, rebounds exceptionally well and can handle the ball comfortably. Noel will instantly make his team a contender to win the NCAA tournament next season.

Something is wrong with that. Players who have yet to register a single collegiate minute are being counted on to strap a team on their backs.

Look at what Anthony Davis just completed, or Jeremy Lamb the year before him. Gone are the days where freshmen rarely played and seniors were the difference makers. Now you have nothing but underclassmen running the show. Senior studs such as Draymond Green and Jordan Taylor are nothing more than an afterthought in the eyes of NBA teams with a first-round pick.

If they were really good, they’d already have two years of NBA experience under their belt. This is the mentality of scouts in today’s NBA.

In today’s game, Kentucky is the perfect example.

A week removed from a title, the Wildcats' hopes of a repeat hinge on what happens Wednesday night. In all likelihood, the Wildcats will be losing six potential first-round picks to the NBA draft. This sensational six-pack essentially represented the entire production of the best team in the country.

Instead of enduring a rebuilding process to replenish the talent, coach John Calipari is in the running for not only Noel, but Shabazz Muhammad as well. He’s regarded as the No. 1 recruit according to Rivals.com.

If Big Blue nails both players? Let the repeat talk begin.

Where’s the buzz surrounding the return of Mason Plumlee to Duke? Or Isaiah Canaan’s return to Murray State?

While both players will be important to their respective schools, they will have a fraction of the impact of Noel and Muhammad.

Until the NBA and college basketball can come together and agree to either let players declare for the draft after high school or raise the amount of years a player has to stay in college, college basketball will continue to be watered down, and the interest in the product keeps slowly diminishing.

Face it, Kentucky fans, who would you rather root for next year: Noel or another season of Davis?

It’s an easy choice.

So root hard for Noel and Muhammad to pick your team. That’s the way you win a championship in college basketball in 2012.

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