College Basketball Recruiting: Do Ever-Changing Conference Moves Play a Role?

College basketball is in an era of change.

Due to the Bowl Championship Series in football, teams are moving here, there and everywhere in an effort to find greener pastures. And when I say greener pastures, there's more emphasis on the green.

First, you had Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and others looking at moving to the Pac-10. Then, came Nebraska (Big 12) moving to the Big Ten. Next, you had Colorado (Big 12) and Utah (Mountain West) actually moving to the Pac-10 (now Pac-12). Then, you had Texas A&M (Big 12) and Missouri (Big 12) moving to the SEC.

Syracuse and Pittsburgh both moved from the Big East to the ACC, while West Virginia moved from the Big East to the Big 12.

In response, the Big East added a bunch of new members, as did Conference USA.

With all of that said, how has the ever-changing conferences affected recruiting in college basketball?

My answer: not that much.

Sure, it does have a little affect, but not as much as one would think.

When it comes to the cream of the crop in each class, many want to attend a tradition-laden school like Duke, UNC, UCLA, Kansas or Kentucky.

Others will choose to stay closer to home. Even though he was the No. 12 recruit in the 2011 recruiting class, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope elected to stay closer to home with Georgia than go somewhere else.

The conference a team plays in may have a little to do with where a recruit wants to go.

Those reasons could include more national TV games or the chance to play in a great rivalry. That alone could better a player's chances at making it to the NBA.

But whether Kansas decides to move to the Pac-12, or the fact that Pittsburgh and Syracuse are moving to the ACC makes no difference to these recruits.

They're going to school because of its prestige or because it's where they're the most comfortable.

Because, unlike college football, there's a 68-team tournament at the end of the year in which the winner of that tournament wins the national title. I know, novel concept.

Anthony Davis didn't go to Kentucky because they were in the SEC, nor did Nerlens Noel decide to go to Lexington because Missouri and Texas A&M were joining the conference.

They went because of the tradition at Kentucky, and the fact that they wanted a chance to win a national title.

Davis got his, now Noel will go after his own next season.

College basketball is different than college football.

While many football players want to play in the SEC because that's where the highest quality of competition is, basketball players will have the chance to play quality competition in non-conference games.

Regardless of the conference, and regardless of what new conference a school may be in or possibly going to, college basketball recruits are going to go to a place that suits them best.