Nerlens Noel to Kentucky: Why It's the Wrong Move for Nation's Top Recruit

In front of a national audience Wednesday, prized college basketball recruit Nerlens Noel announced that he'll be playing for the Kentucky Wildcats next year.

This might be exciting news for the Big Blue Nation, but is it the best move for Noel?

He's diving headfirst into a program with high expectations and his own expectation that he'll be a prime NBA prospect in an instant. 

On the surface, it seems logical. John Calipari is looking for someone to replace All-American Anthony Davis, whose shot-blocking prowess and intangibles led the Wildcats to the NCAA title.

Calipari will just plug Noel in with the rest of the top-tier talent and Kentucky will make another championship run, right?

It's not that easy.

Big Blue's fantastic 2011-12 season was a product of hard work, excellent coaching and an unselfish group that complemented each other extremely well.

It's highly unlikely that they'll be able to put together that kind of run after potentially losing six key pieces. A big part of Kentucky's 2012 title was the stability provided by returning stars Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones. The Wildcats probably won't have that element next year.

Noel will struggle to make the kind of impact that Anthony Davis had, and it's partially because he's a different player. Davis is noticeably more skilled offensively.

Instead of choosing Kentucky along with its unfair pressures and inevitable one-and-done result, Noel would have been better suited to go to Syracuse or Georgetown.

There are several advantages to attending either school.

Playing for the Orange would have afforded him the opportunity to dominate defensively in Jim Boeheim's 2-3 zone. He also would have been surrounded by a more mature, cohesive group with some veteran leadership.

It would also be a place where he could be his own star, without comparisons to a recent national champion and No. 1 draft pick. Lastly, as Bleacher Report's Jimmy Kelley noted, Noel would see greater competition every week in the Big East as opposed to the top-heavy SEC.

Georgetown would have been a great choice for many of the same reasons as Syracuse, and also because of its proven track record of developing post players.

At either of these schools, Noel would end up being much more inclined to possibly stay more than one year, which would allow him to develop his offensive game. This would turn him into the ultimate draft prospect and prepare him to make a more substantial impact in the NBA.

Noel will probably have a solid year with Kentucky, win an SEC title and even get picked first in the draft. But it will be tough for him to meet expectations, and he won't be as successful or prepared as he would be if he played up north.