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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Biggest winners and losers from 2019 classes

By Tristan Freeman

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 25: Penny Hardaway, head coach of the Memphis Tigers, watches the action during the game against the Charleston Cougars at HP Field House on November 25, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – MARCH 21: A detailed view of a basketball ahead of the game between the UCLA Bruins and UAB Blazers during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 21, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – MARCH 21: A detailed view of a basketball ahead of the game between the UCLA Bruins and UAB Blazers during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center on March 21, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

With the NCAA Basketball recruiting classes up but filled for the upcoming season, which programs made out best – and who didn’t?

Taking a look back at the class of 2018 NCAA Basketball recruiting, there were some mixed results when it came to the teams ranked in the top 10 overall. The Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats were as advertised all the way to the Elite Eight, while LSU used their top-tier group of incomers to get back to the NCAA Tournament. Kansas and Maryland, who also has top-10 classes, managed to make the Sweet 16 as well.

But the other half of the top-10 had less than satisfying results. Villanova’s freshmen weren’t as good as hoped, while Oregon needed a late push to make the Big Dance. Texas and Indiana had more downs than ups and fell to the NIT, while the UCLA Bruins fell flat from day one to finish under .500 for the season.

Fast forward to the 2019 recruiting class, where both Kentucky and Duke are once again right near the very top. The SEC got two more teams in the top-10 in Georgia and Florida, while the Pac-12 had a nice collective haul with three schools ranked that high. But it was Penny Hardaway and Memphis who ended up with the No. 1 overall spot.

There are plenty of winners from this NCAA Basketball recruiting class but some did stand out for how meaningful their incoming players are to the program. But there were also some teams who came up short, which could cause future problems when it comes to the roster.

Here’s a list of the five biggest winners and losers from this class, using 247sportsComposite as the official guide. Which programs should be the happiest; while others quietly look forward towards the upcoming 2020 class?

*This article will focus on high school players but will acknowledge transfers who committed this offseason.

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