Nation's top 10 basketball recruiting classes

Updated: March 23, 2011 12:28PM

1. Kentucky: The loaded four-man class includes the trio of point guard Marquis Teague of Indianapolis, 6-6 wing Michael Gilchrest of New Jersey and 6-10 Anthony Davis of Chicago Perspectives. All three are all top 10 national talents and arguably the top player at their positions.

2. Duke: Austin Rivers, a 6-3 scorer and the son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, is considered by some to be the nation's top player. Rivers and Quinn Cook, one of the top point guards in the nation who committed last week, are two of five top 100 players in the class.

3. Arkansas: A much-needed recruiting class for coach John Pelphrey, whose impressive five-man class includes top-25 talent B.J. Young out of St. Louis and a pair of Arkansas prep stars who chose to stay home - 6-4 point guard Ky Madden and 6-10 Hunter Mickelson.

4. North Carolina: James McAdoo, a 6-8 power forward and top five player nationally, and top-20 talent P.J. Hairston, a strong 6-4 scoring wing, vaults this class way up.

5. St. John's: Coach Steve Lavin is back with a bang, pumping talent into the program by landing four prep stars and a juco standout. The headliner is Jakarr Sampson, a long, athletic 6-7 wing.

6. Louisville: Rick Pitino loads up with two difference-makers- Morgan Park's Wayne Blackshear and 6-6, 250-pound Chane Behanan, a pair of top-25 national players. The five-man class also includes 6-11 Zach Price.

7. Syracuse: A second straight top-10 recruiting class features Rakeem Christmas, a 6-10 shot blocker who may be the best center in the country, and a pair of highly-ranked guards- Michael Carter-Williams and Trevor Cooney.

8. Illinois: The top recruiting class in the Big Ten for coach Bruce Weber. The Illini tap into Chicago with the top-100 foursome of Mount Carmel's Tracy Abrams, Orr's Mychael Henry, St. Ignatius' Nnanna Egwu and De La Salle's Mike Shaw.

9. Arizona: The best recruiting class on the West Coast reinvigorates Sean Miller's program. A trio of top-100 players is highlighted by the backcourt of point guard Josiah Turner and 6-3 scorer Nick Johnson.

10. Texas: Dynamic point guard Myck Kabongo and athletic 6-5 wing Sheldon McClellan, two of the four top-100 players in the class, augment an already talented young roster.

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