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NCAA Basketball: 15 most-feared programs on the recruiting trail

By Lukas Harkins

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: A view of the official game ball in the basket prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: A view of the official game ball in the basket prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Coach Mack of the Cardinals looks on. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
DES MOINES, IOWA – MARCH 21: Coach Mack of the Cardinals looks on. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

12. Louisville Cardinals

Louisville is widely considered to be one of the top programs in the nation. Under former leader Rick Pitino, the Cardinals were a consistent national title threat and they were very successful in both the Big East and the ACC. Their recruiting was also spectacular and that has carried into the new regime. Even though Louisville’s transitional class (between coaches) in 2017 ranked at just No. 94 in the country, head coach Chris Mack has quickly turned that around with back-to-back top-15 groups since taking over.

Coach Mack is quietly one of the most dangerous recruiters in the country. He was incredibly successful on the trail while building Xavier into a consistent force and now he has even more resources at his disposal at Lousiville. With regards to their success on the court, many have already pegged the Cardinals to be a top-10 team in the 2019-20 season as Coach Mack has quickly turned the program back into a title contender. In addition to just the high hopes for this coming season, his recruiting successes poise the team for enduring success over the next several years.

Louisville boasts a strong basketball history and now another elite head coach. The expectation should be that the Cardinals steadily climb this list of most-feared programs in the coming years. Coach Mack might only be getting started and there are high hopes that the 2020 class might be his best yet. That is setting the bar high but he could easily reach that next tier of dangerous recruiters very soon.

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