IU has early lead in 2012 team rankings
On Monday it was all about the individual players that landed in the newly updated Rivals150 for the class of 2012. Now, it's time to take a look at which programs have done the best job of landing those star players at this early stage.
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Of those players, only eight five-stars, and 42 of the overall Rivals150 for 2012 have offered up early commitments. So, that means that a lot will change over the next year and that any program with three, or even two ranked prospects in their group of committed players is doing well.
So far, nobody has done better than Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers. Five-star Hanner Perea and jitterbug point guard Kevin Ferrell lead a group that includes lots of homegrown talent. Despite some lean years, Indiana basketball is growing again and groups like this are a big reason for renewed energy around Bloomington.
The No. 2 and No. 3 classes are also buoying their future by cleaning up on local talent. All three of Jay Wright's early commitments at Villanova -- including five-star Daniel Ochefu -- hail from the Philadelphia area. Over in East Lansing, Michigan State fans are extremely excited about homegrown products like big man Matt Costello and versatile wing Denzel Valentine.
Baylor only has one recruit at this point, but in landing Isaiah Austin, they have landed the best prospect in the country. His presence alone at this early juncture gives Baylor the fourth best class in the land. N.C. State picked up five-star shooting guard Torian Graham just a few days ago. His upside and the improved stock of point guard Tyler Lewis gives them the No. 5 spot for now.
North Carolina checks in at No. 6 while the top 10 is rounded out by Florida, Michigan, Purdue and Texas.
Not only does Indiana land at No. 1, the Big Ten overall is having a big year and place the most teams in the top 10 with four. The Big 12 lands two teams within the top 10 and interestingly enough they are the only two teams that make the list with just one recruit. The ACC has two more teams in the top 10 while the Big East and SEC each place one squad each in the early rankings.
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