1) 2011 Kentucky Wildcats
It is impossible to do more than what this Kentucky recruiting class accomplished. John Calipari landed three of the nation’s top five recruits in Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague, adding another five-star guy in Kyle Wiltjer, just for good measure.
We all know the story by now – this is the first team in the one-and-done era to win a national championship while relying mostly on freshmen. This is the most notable team in the sport’s history to win the way they did with such youth.
Teague, Kidd-Gilchrist and Davis were all immediately inserted into the starting lineup and all were superb, though none more spectacular than Davis.
More from Busting Brackets
- Oregon Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24
- Big East Basketball: Ranking all head coaches going into 2023-24 season
- Florida State Basketball: Is Seminoles roster good enough to win in 2023-24?
- SEC Basketball: 10 potential additions for the league if they ever expanded
- NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 5 teams for 4-star PG Jeremiah Johnson
The big man became the second true freshman ever to win National Player of the Year (Kevin Durant) and was also named Defensive Player of the Year after averaging a jaw-dropping 4.7 blocks per game. Kidd-Gilchrist was also an All-SEC and All-American selection.
They went 38-2, setting the NCAA record for most wins in a single season, and didn’t lose an SEC game in the regular season thanks to their truly elite defense and well-balanced offensive attack.
They did lose to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament, but they used that loss as motivation for their dominant NCAA Tournament run.
Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist and Teague all left after one season with Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist becoming the first pair of teammates to be selected No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the same NBA Draft.
Teague was also selected in the first round. Wiltjer returned to Kentucky and started 10 games as a sophomore before transferring and spending his final two seasons at Gonzaga.
While all of these recruiting classes have secured their places in college basketball history, no group accomplished as much as quickly as the 2011 Kentucky class. Given their mix of top-end talent and on-court achievements, they are the best recruiting class since 2000.