The Deep Three: Bobby Hurley, UCLA, Georgia cruisin'

Did anyone have a better month of December than Bobby Hurley? It sure doesn’t seem like it, but then again let’s ask Steve Alford he is feeling now that the Ball snafu is behind him. In this month’s circulation of The Deep Three, we recap the month that was in the college basketball world.

MORE: Last month's Deep Three | 2018 Rivals150 | 2018 Team Rankings

1. BOBBY HURLEY

The way things have been going lately Bobby Hurley could have asked for a white Christmas in Tempe and it would have been a state of emergency on the Arizona State campus. The Sun Devils are the talk of the college basketball universe, even though they ended the month with their first loss of the season. They boast two of the top wins of the year after beating Kansas and Xavier away from their home floor, and have made major strides in the futures classes on the recruiting trail. They locked up the commitment of 2021 forward Michael Foster, arguably a Top 10 prospect in the freshman class, and then secured the verbal commitment of Jaelen House, a Rivals150 junior and son of former ASU great Eddie House. Hurley and his crew at ASU enjoyed a spectacular month.

2. UCLA

Not many times, if ever, can a coach be excited for losing the commitment of a five-star guard. But the situation at UCLA is a bit different, which may be an understatement. The mighty Lavar Ball, pulled his middle son, LiAngelo Ball, a freshman on the UCLA team, off of its roster, and had his youngest son and Top 25 junior, LaMelo Ball , sign an overseas contract with Prienu Vytautas of the Lithuanian Basketball League, thus denying his future college eligibility. Could LiAngelo Ball have been a tremendous asset for the Bruins? Yes, as his talents have never been in question, but the headache surrounding the entire situation outweighs what Ball could have brought to the floor. Steve Alford’s bunch is also beginning to hit its stride, too, thanks to a season-changing win over Kentucky last week. It was a refreshing and much needed few weeks for the Bruins in Westwood.

3. GEORGIA

Not many have been able to go head-to-toe with Nick Saban on the recruiting front. But Kirby Smart is not like many others, and after the first-ever Early Signing Period two weeks ago the Bulldogs sit with the best 2018 recruiting class in America, one that was aided by a few five-stars flipping their commitments from the Tide to the Bulldogs. The optimism isn’t just reverberating on the football side, as Mark Fox has his team playing his best basketball yet, thanks to a tremendous three-headed frontcourt monster, led by all-league member Yante Maten. Best of all, the Bulldogs celebrated the month of December with their first Top 10 recruit since Lou Williams in 2005 when they landed the commitment of five-star junior guard Ashton Hagans (arguably the top defender in high school basketball). The Bulldogs then nabbed another Top 50 pledge in Elias King, giving the Bulldogs the best recruiting class in 2019.

1. LSU

Will Wade has quickly turned the LSU basketball program around, and while the prior regimes did not struggle to produce NBA prospects they didn’t always translate to wins. While there may be a few rough spots ahead, as the SEC is looking like a gargantuan trek of tournament team after tournament team, the Tigers’ future remains bright. The Tigers are leaning on Top 10 freshman guard Tremont Waters this winter, and more help is on the way, as Top 60 prospects Nazreon Reid, Javonte Smart and Darius Days will be Day One producers. Each bring tremendous value, but they could welcome another upper echelon 2018 prospect because the Tigers are the heavy favorite in the recruitment of five-star senior Emmitt Williams. There was a criminal investigation that came to light last month but with no charges pressed against him, Williams is now in the clear, and the ferocious finisher could be a part of one of the most daunting frontlines in America next season.

2. 2019 POINT GUARD MARKET

Much has been said about the 2018 class lacking elite talent, but what hasn’t been discussed is just how poor the point guard market is shaping up to be in 2019. Kudos to Georgia for securing five-star guard Ashton Hagans last week. UCLA, UNC, Utah, Texas A&M and Kansas have also already nabbed a point guard from the junior ranks. For those that are in need of a point guard in two years, the competition will be feisty. Cole Anthony could become the most coveted prospect in America, but others, including Jalen Lecque, Tre Mann and DJ Carton, could see their stock soar even further because of the dearth of star power at the point guard position. We could even see Josh Green, Josiah James and Zach Harvey be recruited for their evolving point guard skills due to the presumptive need for guards by some of the top programs nationally.

3. JOE CASTIGLIONE

Give it to the Oklahoma athletic director: Upon the sudden departure of all-time OU football coaching great Bob Stoops in June, Joe Castiglione could have put forth a national coaching search to appease the boosters and fan base of the program. Instead, Castiglione stuck to his guns and rewarded the then-33-year old Lincoln Riley with a national-contending team, one that will play in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Monday. Not only is the Sooners’ football program beaming with optimism, but Lon Kruger’s bunch might be the most watchable basketball team in America this winter. Due to the enrollment of freshman sensation Trae Young, the Sooners are one of the feel-good stories of the early college basketball season. It has been a good few months in Norman, and January might be even better with a potential football national championship and TV ratings soaring, as all eyes are on Young and his crew on the hardwood.

1. USC

In early September, USC was perceived as a heavy Final Four dark horse pick and arguably the deepest team in America. Since then, the FBI investigation into the program saw lead assistant Tony Bland arrested, which coincided with USC's top defensive weapon, DeAnthony Melton, placed on indefinite suspension until all of the facts of what took place come to light. The Trojans could easily turn the corner during the Pac-12 portion of their schedule, but Andy Enfield’s bunch has also suffered recruiting hits recently. In November, J’Raan Brooks backed off his four-month pledge before committing to St. John’s last week. Just two days later, the Trojans lost another high-end four-star prospect in Taeshon Cherry, and in-state prospect. The Trojans still boast two top-50 guard commitments in Kevin Porter and Elijah Weaver, but if there is one program that needs a quality month of January it is USC.

2. MARYLAND

It seems as if something could have gone wrong for the Terps in December, it did. Maryland was thought to be among the leaders of the second pack of Big 10 contenders heading into the season, and the Terps could always regroup and make a jump during league play. But when we're saying Maryland is hurtin', we literally mean they are hurting. Justin Jackson, arguably the Terps' top NBA Draft prospect, is out for the season and so is Ivan Bender, an integral piece along their frontline. While Jackson took a step back from his impressive freshman campaign this season, his versatility enabled head coach Mark Turgeon to throw a variety of lineups onto the floor at any given time. Fortunately, Maryland's 2018 class is nationally ranked and currently boasts an impressive cupboard of underclassmen talent. The Terps remain involved with Rivals150 seniors Tyger Campbell and Jairus Hamilton this winter, but the most pressing concern for Turgeon and his staff is keeping the team healthy and positioning for an NCAA Tournament bid in March.

3. LOUISVILLE

Hard times have come to Louisville where, just five months ago, it would not have been a surprise to see the Cards sitting in the Top 5 of the national polls and the 2018 recruiting rankings. Instead, David Padgett is now leading the program for the next few months after the ouster of Rick Pitino, and the Cardinals are reeling after a 29-point loss to archrival Kentucky. Louisville cannot be found anywhere in the major polls, and does not hold one commitment from a high school prospect after boasting three in early September. While USC has underachieved thus far and been hit some on the decommitment front, it pales in comparison to the goings on at Louisville. The immediate future of Cardinals' program remains unsettled, but if Padgett and his strongly united - but new - staff can turn the tide during their ACC portion of the schedule they have the talent to make a bit of noise before January turns into February.