Updated Top 25 college basketball recruiting classes

During the 23 seasons between 1985-86 and 2007-08, Arizona and UCLA combined to win 19 Pacific-10 Conference regular-season titles and seven of the 11 Pac-10 tournament titles contested during that span.

After a two-year lull in 2009 and 2010, the West Coast heavyweights are showing signs of conference domination and national prominence once again. Arizona captured the 2011 Pac-10 regular season title and both have pieced together star-studded recruiting classes.

Five-star prospects Brandon Ashley (Arizona commitment) and Kyle Anderson (UCLA) headline what could signal a hoops revival in the new-look Pac-12. The Wildcats and Bruins have locked down a combined six Class of 2012 Top 100 recruits and some big names remain in play for both schools.

"The Pac-12 has been down for a couple of years, but the classes that UCLA and Arizona are bringing in provide an immediate talent boost to the conference," CBSSports.com college basketball writer and recruiting analyst Jeff Borzello said. "There was a lack of bonafide five-star prospects within the league, but Arizona is bringing in at least two, with Kaleb Tarczewski still considering the Wildcats. (No. 1 overall prospect) Shabazz Muhammad is still in play for the Bruins.



"The talent influx in Westwood and Tucson mean those two could fight for Final Four berths again within two years."

New hires are another theme prominent in our look at the nation's top recruiting classes for 2012. Ed Cooley at Providence, Mark Turgeon at Maryland, Billy Kennedy at Texas A&M and UNLV's Dave Rice have all made a splash.

"When Cooley and Turgeon arrived at their new schools, the constant talk was recruiting: could both do what their predecessors couldn't do – attract top-notch talent to the school?" Borzello said. "Neither Keno Davis or Gary Williams were getting top-50 players on a consistent basis. Cooley and Turgeon have already set the bar high."

With under two months to go before the early signing period, heavyweights like Connecticut, Duke and Kentucky aren't in their customary positions among the elite when it comes to talent acquisition. According to Borzello, that's unlikely to continue.

"There are still plenty of big names left on the board for these programs," Borzello said. "All three have top-30 shooting guards in the fold, and they are in the mix for several more.

"Connecticut is playing with house money after landing former 2012 prospect Andre Drummond, but they're still on the hunt. When the dust settles, we know that John Calipari is going to have a top-three recruiting class, and Duke will land one of their remaining five-star targets. It's just the way things work in college basketball – we don't have to worry about certain programs getting their fair share of stars."



2012 Top 25 recruiting classes
Rankings compiled by Jeff Borzello and Jason Hickman. Borzello is a college basketball and recruiting writer for CBSSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffborzello. Hickman covers high school basketball and college recruiting for MaxPreps.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Hickman.

1. Arizona
Verbal commitments: No. 6 Brandon Ashley (6-8, 225, PF), No. 23 Gabe York (6-2, 175, PG/SG), No. 29 Grant Jerrett (6-9, 220, PF)
Program impact: With this trio on board, Sean Miller has snared six Top 40 recruits the past two years. Things could get even better with the addition of 7-footer Tarczewski, ranked No. 7 in the MaxPreps Class of 2012 Top 100 and expected to choose between Arizona and Kansas.

2. Indiana
Verbal commitments: No. 27 Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell (5-11, 165, PG), No. 34 Hanner Perea (6-8, 220, PF), No. 51 Jeremy Hollowell (6-7, 195, SF), Peter Jurkin (7-0, 205, C), Ron Patterson (6-3, 190, SG)
Program impact: Indiana fans are likely to exercise a bit more patience with Tom Crean's rebuilding job knowing this type of talent is headed to Bloomington.

3. Providence
Verbal commitments: No. 10 Ricardo Ledo (6-6, 190, SG/SF), No. 25 Kris Dunn (6-2, 170, PG), Joshua Fortune (6-5, 180, SF)
Program impact: Some red flags exist with Ledo, but Dunn will be a huge addition on and off the court. Cooley has won over a lot of Friar fans before coaching a single game at Providence.

4. UCLA
Verbal commitments: No. 3 Kyle Anderson (6-7, 215, PG/SF), No. 55 Jordan Adams (6-5, 215, SF), No. 83 Dominic Artis (6-0, 165, PG)
Program impact: Ben Howland badly needed a star and got it in Anderson. Now the Bruins will look to get greedy by landing No. 1 overall prospect Muhammad.

5. Pittsburgh
Verbal commitments: No. 66 James Robinson (6-2, 200, PG), Steven Adams (6-11, 230, C)
Program impact: Adams, a native of New Zealand, will likely land in the Top 10 when the Class of 2012 Top 100 is updated in January. He's been impressive during short stints in the United States the past two summers and will play at Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, Mass.) this season. Robinson is a fierce competitor and heady point guard that fits the mold of Panther players under Jamie Dixon.
{PAGEBREAK}6. Virginia
Verbal commitments: No. 43 Justin Anderson (6-6, 225, SF), No. 62 Evan Nolte (6-7, 200, SF), No. 77 Mike Tobey (6-11, 225, C)
Program impact: An ACC program listed ahead of Duke and North Carolina? Tony Bennett is about to lock in his third-straight quality recruiting class, perhaps elevating UVA to a position where it can give the Blue Devils and Tar Heels some consistent resistance within the conference.



7. Baylor
Verbal commitments: No. 4 Isaiah Austin (7-0, 210, C/PF), No. 63 L.J. Rose (6-3, 180, PG), Chad Rykhoek (6-9, 215, C)
Program impact: Bucking tradition and the program's dark recent past, Scott Drew continues to usher in one big-time recruit after another in Waco. Austin possesses tantalizing perimeter skills for a 7-footer.

8. North Carolina
Verbal commitments: No. 31 Marcus Paige (6-1, 160, PG), No. 65 Jean-Pierre Tokoto (6-6, 190, SF)
Program impact: The Tar Heels are loaded and remaining targets may wait until the spring to see how early departures re-shape the roster.

9. Maryland
Verbal commitments: No. 24 Shaquille Cleare (6-9, 280, C), No. 56 Jake Layman (6-8, 190, SF/PF), Seth Allen (6-2, 185, SG)
Program impact: Mark Turgeon enters his first season at Maryland with a thin squad, so recruits know there is playing time to be had in College Park. Terp fans would love to see five-star prospects Mitch McGary or Amile Jefferson added to the list.

10. Villanova
Verbal commitments: No. 42 Daniel Ochefu (6-9, 225, C), No. 50 Ryan Arcidiacono (6-3, 185, PG)
Program impact: Ochefu, a native of Nigeria, is one of Jay Wright's most promising post recruits during his run at Villanova and extends a recent connection to West Africa that includes 6-10 junior center Mouphtaou Yarou, originally from Benin.
{PAGEBREAK}11. Texas A&M
Verbal commitments: No. 52 J-Mychal Reese (6-1, 170, PG), No. 54 Alex Caruso (6-4, 180, SG)
Program impact: Reese and Caruso both attend schools within 10 miles of Texas A&M's campus. Reese put up big numbers at Bryan as a junior (28.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game), where he was coached by his father and new Aggie assistant John Reese.

12. Texas
Verbal commitments: No. 8 Cameron Ridley (6-10, 250, C), No. 96 Javan Felix (5-11, 190, PG)
Program impact: Rick Barnes is off to another very good start in 2012 – and he doesn't even have a pledge from a Canadian yet. The Longhorns have signed four players from Canada over the past two years but that run may end this year. Texas fans would probably like to see Barnes tap into the deep pool of Lone Star State talent a bit more as just five players on the 2011-12 roster are homegrown. MaxPreps.com's Class of 2012 Top 100 features 13 players from Texas.

13. Michigan State
Verbal commitments: No. 61 Matt Costello (6-9, 225, PF), No. 74 Kenny Kaminski (6-7, 230, PF), Denzel Valentine (6-5, 205, SG)
Program impact: This is a solid group, but there will be some level of disappointment if the Spartans can't land five-star guard Gary Harris.



14. Oklahoma State
Verbal commitments: No. 11 Marcus Smart (6-3, 205, PG/SG), Phil Forte (5-11, 180, PG/SG), Kamari Murphy (6-8, 200, PF), Adam Wing (6-4, 195, SG)
Program impact: Travis Ford has won 20 or more games in each of his three seasons at Oklahoma State, but slid to the NIT last year after NCAA appearances in 2009 and 2010. Smart could be a program-changing recruit for the Cowboys and should help OSU return to the Big Dance in a hurry.

15. Florida
Verbal commitments: No. 41 Braxton Ogbueze (6-1, 185, PG), No. 84 Michael Frazier (6-4, 185, SG), Dillon Graham (6-3, 175, SG)
Program impact: Frazier passed on the opportunity to make a run at several career scoring records to try and win a national title with former St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle at Montverde Academy.
{PAGEBREAK}16. Houston
Verbal commitments: No. 36 Danuel House (6-6, 190, SF), No. 78 Danrad Knowles (6-10, 190, PF)
Program impact: Houston is one the country's premier talent hotbeds and keeping some of those local stars at home is crucial for James Dickey. House and Knowles staying close to home is a positive sign.

17. Iowa
Verbal commitments: No. 39 Adam Woodbury (7-0, 230, C), Anthony Clemmons (6-1, 175, PG/SG), Mike Gesell (6-1, 175, PG), Patrick Ingram (6-3, 175, SG), Kyle Meyer (6-9, 215, PF)
Program impact: The Hawkeyes beat out North Carolina for Woodbury. In terms of high school basketball production and success, Gesell is one the most accomplished seniors in the country. Iowa's five pledges come from five different states.

18. Mississippi State
Verbal commitments: No. 72 Gavin Ware (6-8, 245, C), No. 99 Fred Thomas (6-4, 175, SG/SF), Josh Gray (6-1, 175, PG), Craig Sword (6-2, 175, PG)
Program impact: Rick Stansbury and the Bulldogs have been featured regularly in lists like these over the past few years. Now it's time to deliver on the court.

19. Xavier
Verbal commitments: No. 80 Semaj Christon (6-2, 180, PG), Myles Davis (6-1, 195, SG), James Farr (6-8, 200, PF), Jalen Reynolds (6-9, 220, PF)
Program impact: All four Musketeer pledges will spend the year at prep schools in the Northeast.

20. Michigan
Verbal commitments: No. 77 Nik Stauskas (6-6, 200, SF), No. 93 Glenn Robinson III (6-6, 190, SF)
Program impact: The Wolverines might be the favorite in the race for McGary, a 6-10 center ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2012 Top 100. Stauskas and Robinson are big wings with stock on the rise.
{PAGEBREAK}21. Notre Dame
Verbal commitments: No. 45 Cameron Biedscheid (6-6, 180, SF), Zach Auguste (6-9, 205, PF), Austin Burgett (6-8, 210, PF)
Program impact: Biedscheid was named to MaxPreps.com's Junior All-American Team after pouring in over 29.7 points per game last year at Cardinal Ritter (St. Louis, Mo.).



22. Nevada-Las Vegas
Verbal commitments: No. 35 Katin Reinhardt (6-4, 200, SG), DaQuan Cook (6-1, 165, PG), Demetris Morant (6-8, 210, PF/C)
Program impact: Reinhardt has an eventful senior campaign at Mater Dei ahead of him. The Monarchs are a lock for a Top 10 preseason national ranking and have the talent to challenge for a mythical national title. The Runnin' Rebels are in the thick of things with Muhammad.

23. Kansas
Verbal commitments: No. 26 Perry Ellis (6-8, 225, PF), Zach Peters (6-9, 235, PF/C)
Program impact: Ellis will attempt to lead Wichita Heights – winners of 44-straight games – to its fourth-consecutive state title this winter. He's been a high-profile Jayhawk prospect since his freshman season.

24. Wake Forest
Verbal commitments: No. 100 Codi Miller-McIntyre (6-2, 170, PG), Tyler Cavanaugh (6-7, 200, PF/SF), Aaron Rountree (6-8, 190, PF/SF), Devin Thomas (6-8, 225, PF), Andre Washington (6-11, 200, C)
Program impact: Sneaky-good class for the Demon Deacons. Thomas, an All-State pick in Pennsylvania as a junior after posting 21.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, could be a super-sleeper

25. Purdue
Verbal commitments: No. 92 Ronnie Johnson (5-10, 160, PG), Raphael Davis (6-5, 190, SG/SF), Jay Simpson (6-8, 230, PF)
Program impact: Davis and Simpson will be teammates at upstart national prep program La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) this season, also home to Indiana commitment Perea.