NCAA Basketball: 10 programs poised to land elite 2020 recruiting classes

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 23: A detailed view as the West Virginia Mountaineers make a basket during the first half against the Villanova Wildcats in the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at TD Garden on March 23, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 06: Coach Pearl of the Tigers reacts. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Auburn Tigers

Auburn reached the Final Four during this past season and the future just continues to look bright under head coach Bruce Pearl. In addition to the program’s success on the court, their recruiting efforts have been superb in the early going for the 2020 class. In addition to already boasting a top-150 recruit in the form of sharpshooting Justin Powell, they are also in great shape with a number of highly-rated players. The Tigers seem to ready to take the next step as a program and emerge as a consistent top team in the country.

In order for that to happen, they will need to “hit” on this recruiting class. These next few months are going to be absolutely critical as the coaching staff attempts to secure commitments from some top-100 players. Perhaps most notably, Sharife Cooper (No. 19) should be near the top of their list. One of the top point guards in the entire class, Cooper is an outstanding facilitator with the ability to score at all three levels. Auburn currently holds all 12 crystal ball predictions for his commitment.

Additionally, there have been some discussions in the past about the potential of Cooper playing alongside BJ Boston (No. 10) at the college level. The two guards competed together for AOT on the EYBL circuit this summer and that could be something to monitor. Furthermore, Auburn was included in the final list for big man Walker Kessler (No. 16) and seems to be a solid position for players such as Greg Brown (No. 8) and Jayden Stone (No. 61).

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