The end of the first signing period is now upon us and wow, what a busy few days it was. Guys like De’Aaron Fox, TJ Leaf, and Seventh Woods all came off the board, which was expected. However, Bruce Brown, Bam Adebayo, and Malik Monk all made surprise announcements that brought some notable pub to what is usually, a cut and dry week. While there still are a few top prospects not committed just yet along the lines of Josh Jackson, Thon Maker, and Jarrett Allen, it still doesn’t take away from the past week that was and the programs that won the early period.

KENTUCKY ROLLS IN THE BEST

To no one’s surprise, John Calipari’s group sits atop of the class rankings. After entering the week with two frontcourt pieces ranked within our top-30, the Wildcats struck two more times with the best lead guard in America in De’Aaron Fox. The Texas native is an elite option in the backcourt that our Justin Young has repeatedly compared to John Wall, a comparison that seems quite accurate for the 6-foot-3 southpaw.

However, a one-time heavy NC State lean, Bam Adebayo, decided enough was enough and put on the Kentucky Wildcat hat on a nationally televised commitment on ESPN’s Mike and Mike. The lethal center is an elite rebounder, energy giver, and producer within the paint and paired with fellow signees Sacha Killeya-Jones and Wenyen Gabriel, and it is easy to see why UK owned the week that was. The SEC blueblood wasn’t done yet as it was the surprise commitment of Malik Monk that pushed the Wildcats over Duke and Michigan State in the rankings, placing Kentucky atop of things, once again.

UCLA CONTROLS THE WEST COAST

The past five years, Arizona has sat atop of the Pac 12 class rankings. That changed this recruiting cycle as UCLA got ahead during the summer months in landing three highly potent seniors in Kobe Paras, Ike Anigbogu, and Lonzo Ball. All three play out their high school ball in California and seemingly cemented the class as the best group headed to the conference next fall. However, the cement dried even further as TJ Leaf, a 6-foot-9 mobile and skilled forward from the state, made it official by giving his word to Steve Alford and his crew in Westwood.

A one-time Arizona commit, Leaf is one of the top-20 seniors in America and brings immediate production to the frontcourt in Los Angeles due to his face-up capabilities, production in the open floor, and ball skills for a prospect at his size and length. The Wildcats have just one commitment in the hopper with Lauri Markkanen and it would seem that even if they were to land both Kobi Simmons and Josh Jackson, the chances of Sean Miller’s bunch catching UCLA during the late signing period is nearly impossible.

BEN HOWLAND KEEPS IT GOING

The work that Ben Howland had done at UCLA for a string of several years was quite impressive. He rolled in such NBA stars as Russell Westbrook, Jrue Holliday, and Kevin Love to campus but the lure and the sell of the UCLA brand has been and will always be there because of the market that they play in and the winning pedigree that John Wooden ingrained. However, no one, not even the faithful down in Starkville, could have imagined the staff at MSU bringing in a top-five class within their first full recruiting cycle this fall.

While keeping Malik Newman within the state this past spring was a major coup, what the Bulldogs have done since then is quite impressive. Locking down the best talent in Mississippi is definitely one of the key facets within the SEC bunch’s recruiting philosophy and this past week, Mario Kegler and Tyson Carter both decided to sign with the program. However, things didn’t stop there as they cleaned up the south in picking up the services of Schnider Herard and Abdul Ado within the interior, along with top-150 recruits Lamar Peters and Eli Wright on the perimeter. In all, championship dreams won’t just begin and end in Lexington, where there is now hope the same can be said for those in Starkville for the years ahead.

NORTH CAROLINA BATTLES THROUGH ALLEGATIONS

There is still some time before the final penalties become known in regards to the UNC basketball program and its issues with improper courses that were offered to some of its past basketball players. Due to the hazy cloud still hovering over the ACC blueblood, the 2015 recruiting class wasn’t as strong as past years in Chapel Hill. Sure, guys like Luke Maye and Kenny Williams are solid pieces, but there wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American, or a high-upside guy that could develop into a future pro. The 2016 class reverted back to the norm and while there are no top-25 recruits in the hopper for Roy Williams’ program, they were able to lock down three, top-50 guys.

Heading into the signing period, the Tar Heels already had two commitments from 6-foot-4 rangy guard Brandon Robinson, along with prolific rebounder and below the rim type at the center spot in Tony Bradley. Both are capable of developing further and should be able to produce in due time. However, North Carolina picked up the first top-50 commitment in the early signing period whenever Seventh Woods selected UNC over the hometown and favorite South Carolina squad. An elite athlete who can play on and off the basketball, while Woods isn’t a top-10 recruit, he should bring some entertainment value to the floor and with a solid three-man classed headed to Chapel Hill next winter, these past few days have been a giant victory for the ACC squad as they continue to sift through the NCAA penalties that are soon to be announced.

PAT CHAMBERS FEELS MUCH COOLER

There was whispers several months back about the job security, or lack thereof, for Pat Chambers and his staff at Penn State. However, the early signing period brought about much more optimism in Happy Valley that should enable for more successful times ahead for the Big 10 bunch. While there were no new commitments received these past seven days, all four of its prior commitments did sign and made it official for PSU.

The gem of the class is Tone Carr, a 6-foot-4 guard from Philadelphia. The slender but improving senior recruit has rapidly developed his perimeter jumper but is a guy that never plays outside of his element and should leave a giant fingerprint on the program whenever his eligibility is exhausted. With him, the Philly pipeline has remained strong as Nazeer Bostick and Lamar Stevens both signed this past week, giving the Nittany Lions a fierce defender and athlete in the former, and with Stevens, a hybrid, small-ball 4-man who rebounds the ball at a high rate. Throw in another physical and face-up power forward with Joe Hampton, and while continued progressions have been made by Chambers and his program over the past few years, this 2016 crop should allow for another jump with what should be a consistent NCAA Tournament competitor for the years ahead.

HURRICANE WATCH

Miami didn’t start out the 2016 recruiting cycle this past fall on a good note. At one time, they were the perceived leaders for DeJon Jarreau and Brison Gresham, two teammates that decided to both play college ball together not at the power conference level, but at UMass and within the A10. Then, the ACC bunch struck out on Tyson Carter, a 6-foot-3 guard who decided to stay home for his college days and play at Mississippi State. However, on the final day of the early period, the Hurricanes landed two top of the line senior recruits on the east coast.

Coming out of nowhere a few weeks ago, Jim Larranaga and his program was able to lock down an official visit with Bruce Brown and in defeating the likes of UMass, Indiana, Xavier, and Purdue, landing the 6-foot-3 guard was giant for the program. He is an elite competitor who makes others better and plays without an ego. However, the Hurricanes finished off the day on an even higher note with a commitment from Dewan Huell, a big man that plays with a chip on his shoulder as his best playing days ahead of him. It wasn’t looking pretty just a few days ago before the early period began as they boasted just a lone senior commit with Rodney Miller, but with two, top-50 guys headed to the U next fall, Miami went from a bottom of the conference class, to a top of the nation class within just a few hours on the last day of the signing period.

ATLANTIC COASTAL CONFERENCE

There is always much debate over who the best conference is in any given season. The Big 12 and Big 10 usually get a lot of the votes and pub, along with the ACC. In past years, the Big East was the omnipotent group of teams but after the exodus of some of the top programs that made their way into the ACC, the depth throughout the league is now staggering. With the 2016 recruiting class, the conference leads the way up top as it boasts six of the top 12 classes nationally.

Duke, Syracuse, and UNC will always land the top recruits in any given year. What stands out this time around is the talent that Tony Bennett secured at Virginia, Miami’s last minute gets in Huell and Brown, and Leonard Hamilton’s quality three-man classed headed by Jon Isaac and its continued tracking of uncommitted but top of the line center Udoka Azubuike. Throw in such others as Notre Dame, NC State, Louisville, and Wake Forest, along with some progressive developments being made at Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and Boston College, and the depth of talent, prolific coaching being done, and differing playing styles make the ACC the top dog when it comes to the best conference in the 2016 class and beyond.

THE FANS

Whenever the name brand programs are talented, the fans win. Sure, we all want the best recruits to attend our own respective favorite schools, but with the continued dominance that is college football, the fact that Duke, Michigan State, UCLA, Kentucky, and UNC sit atop of the top-10 of our class rankings means that there might be greater eyes placed on our sport.

Each year, the top talent comes to the college basketball realm, spends a few months in the spotlight, and then leaves for the NBA. Sure, this will be a revolving cycle until the NBA changes the rules and stipulations on the amount of time that is needed before a high school graduate can enter the league. Regardless, having such name brand programs atop of the class rankings, which should turn into high rankings during the college season, means more entertaining games between the best of programs, which means greater attention given to the sport of college basketball, which means everyone wins and the lure of the sport gains a greater reach even during the warmer months of the calendar year.