LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Looking for one final reason to scream about the college basketball seasons that Kenny Payne, John Calipari and Mike Woodson delivered at Louisville, Kentucky and Indiana this season?
I can help.
Simply join me in looking at the 247Sports composite recruiting rankings over the last four seasons.
According to 247, the average ranking of Calipari’s last four classes was second in the nation. For Louisville, with two classes signed by Payne and two by Chris Mack, the average ranking is 19. For IU, with the work done by Woodson and Archie Miller, it is 21.
Half of the Final Four field — UConn and Alabama — signed better classes. The other half did not.
I hate to be the one to inform you, but the other part Final Four field — Purdue and North Carolina State, the team the Boilermakers are favored to defeat in suburban Phoenix Saturday night — did not recruit as well as the Cards, Wildcats or Hoosiers.
The average ranking of Matt Painter’s last four classes at Purdue is No. 45. According to the recruiting gurus, Painter did not out-recruit UK, U of L or IU a single time.
Keatts and Painter must shop in similar aisles. The average ranking of his last four classes is No. 44. None of NC State’s classes ranked ahead of any UK class. Just once did Keatts sign higher ranked prospects than U of L or IU.
On to a different snapshot of all four teams.
PURDUE (33-4)
Recruiting Class Rankings
- 2020 Class: No. 37
- 2021 Class: No. 41
- 2022 Class: No. 30
- 2023 Class: No. 73
- Average: No. 45
Highest ranked recruit: Forward Trey Kaufman-Renn of Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, Indiana, who was ranked No. 45 in the Class of 2021.
Biggest transfer portal hit: Guard Lance Jones, whose 76 three-point field goals has created more space for Zach Edey to operate. Jones played four seasons at Southern Illinois.
Computer Rankings:
- Ken Pomeroy: No. 3
- Bart Torvik: No. 3
- NCAA Net: No. 3
Conference finish: First in the Big Ten regular season, semifinalist in Big Ten Tournament.
Best win: Take your pick. The Boilermakers beat Alabama, Arizona, Tennessee, Marquette, Gonzaga and Illinois.
Worst loss: Likely Ohio State 73, Purdue 69, because the Buckeyes are the only team to beat Purdue that did not make the NCAA Tournament.
Calling card: Purdue ranks second in offensive efficiency, trailing only UConn.
Fatal flaw: Purdue makes 71.7% of its free throws which ranked No. 199 nationally.
Head coach NCAA Tournament Record before this season: Matt Painter was 17-15 in 15 trips, topped by an overtime loss to eventual national champion Virginia in the 2018 Elite Eight.
What’s at stake: The Boilermakers are making their first Final Four trip since 1980. They’ve never won the men’s NCAA title. The Big Ten has not won the title since 2000. After losing to a 16-seed last season, Edey needs two wins to finish his redemption tour.
NORTH CAROLINA STATE (26-14)
Recruiting Class Rankings:
- 2020 Class: No. 26
- 2021 Class: No. 26
- 2022 Class: No. 48
- 2023 Class: No. 75
- Average: No. 44
Highest ranked recruit: Freshman Dennis Parker Jr., a reserve forward who ranked No. 123 last season.
Biggest Transfer Portal Hit: Center D.J. Burns has averaged 16.6 points during the Wolfpack’s 9-game post-season winning streak. He played three seasons at Winthrop before joining N. C. State prior to last season.
Computer Rankings:
- Ken Pomeroy: No. 43
- Bart Torvik: No. 48
- NCAA Net: No. 63
Conference finish: The Wolfpack finished 10th in the Atlantic Coast Conference during the regular season before beginning their 5-game romp to an ACC Tournament title by defeating Louisville.
Best win: The Wolfpack won a regular season game against Clemson and have beaten Duke twice in the post season.
Worst loss: N.C. State lost by 20 at Ole Miss on Nov. 28.
Calling card: The Wolfpack rank seventh in turnover percentage, kicking the ball away on only 13.7% of their possessions.
Fatal flaw: N.C. is a below average offensive rebounding team, ranking 191st in that category, grabbing only 28.4% of their misses.
Head coach NCAA Tournament Record before this season: Kevin Keatts, the former U of L assistant, was 0-4 in four trips, including a first-round loss to Creighton last season.
What’s at stake: State is chasing its third national title, first since 1983. Considering Keatts was considered a hot seat candidate if the Wolfpack flamed out in the ACC Tournament and started the tournament as an 11-seed, this has been the ultimate Cinderella ride.
CONNECTICUT (35-3)
Recruiting Class Rankings
- 2020 Class: No. 24
- 2021 Class: No. 7
- 2022 Class: No. 29
- 2023 Class: No. 4
- Average: 16
Highest ranked recruit: Freshman guard Stephon Castle, a starter, the No. 9 player last spring.
Biggest Transfer Portal Hits: Senior guard Tristen Newton has blossomed into an All-American after playing three seasons at East Carolina. At Ken Pomeroy’s analytics website, Newtown ranks second to Edey among the most efficient players in the nation.
Computer rankings
Ken Pomeroy: No. 1
Bart Torvik: No. 1
NCAA Net: No. 2
Conference finish: First in the Big East regular season and winner of the Big East Tournament.
Best wins: The Huskies handled North Carolina and Gonzaga in the regular season and rang up three victories over Marquette.
Worst loss: Looks like a 15-point road loss to Seton Hall, which just won the NIT.
Calling card: Everything. The Huskies rank first in offensive efficiency and fourth on defense.
Fatal flaw: This is a stretch but the Huskies rank No. 100 in blocking shots.
Head coach NCAA Tournament Record before this season: Danny Hurley went 8-4 in five trips, topped by 2023 title.
What’s at stake: The Huskies can become the first program since Florida in 2006-07 to win back-to-back titles. It would also be UConn’s sixth overall title, leaving the Huskies behind Kentucky (8) and UCLA (11). All of the titles have been won since 1999.
ALABAMA (25-11)
Recruiting Class Rankings:
- 2020 Class: No. 12
- 2021 Class: No. 14
- 2022 Class: No. 3
- 2023 Class: No. 16
- Average: No. 11
Highest ranked recruit: Rylan Griffen, a sophomore forward who ranked No. 43 in the class of 2022.
Biggest Transfer Portal Hit: After playing two seasons at Ohio University, guard Mark Sears has blossomed into the 10th most efficient player in the country at KenPom.
Computer Rankings:
- Ken Pomeroy: No. 12
- Bart Torvik: No. 14
- NCAA Net: No. 9
Conference finish: At 13-5, Bama finished in a four-way tie for second place in the Southeastern Conference. The Crimson Tide lost their SEC Tournament opener to Florida by 14 points.
Best win: Outside of the SEC, it was likely Bama’s 22-point win over NIT runner-up Indiana State.
Worst loss: Has to be an 11-point loss to Ohio State.
Calling card: Bama should be able to score with UConn, ranking third in offensive efficiency.
Fatal flaw: Bama is the ultimate KenPom outlier, ranking well outside the Top 20 in defensive efficiency at No. 105.
Head coach NCAA Tournament Record before this season: Nate Oats was 6-6 in six trips, including a Sweet Sixteen loss to San Diego State last season as the overall top seed in the field.
What’s at stake: Bama was the overall No. 1 seed last season with NBA Draft pick Brandon Miller — and the Tide stumbled against San Diego State in the Sweet Sixteen. Nobody outside of Tuscaloosa expected greatness this season but here they are.
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