College basketball recruiting: The 10 teams that helped themselves the most with their 2020 class

It was not shocking that Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina topped the recruiting rankings for the 2020 cycle by signing a combined nine five-star prospects. But there are plenty of other programs that stand to reap big benefits from the work their staffs put in on the recruiting trail with their respective 2020 hauls.

With nearly all of the top prospects in the 2020 class off the board, some interesting storylines have emerged that could have major implications on the court next season and seasons beyond as some non-traditional powers also landed top talent from the class. Here are the 10 teams in position to benefit most from the influx of talent scheduled to arrive on campus this season.

1. Oklahoma State

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 9

Breakdown: There is no mystery here. Oklahoma State makes the list because it signed the No. 1 overall player in the class in Cade Cunningham, but the group also features enough depth to contribute to the program long after Cunningham’s likely one-and-done college career. Four-star guard Rondel Walker and a trio of other signees will replenish a roster that is losing four of its top six scorers to graduation as coach Mike Boynton seeks to gain traction in his fourth season.

2. USC

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 50

Breakdown: In yet another example of a non-traditional power signing a ballyhooed prospect, the Trojans landed the No. 2 overall player in the 2020 class in Evan Mobley. The 6-foot-11 center surpasses O.J. Mayo and DeMar DeRozan, becoming the highest-ranked prospect to ever sign with USC. It might be the jolt the Trojans need to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Andy Enfield’s tenure as he enters his eighth season.

3. Arkansas

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 6

Breakdown: Hello, Eric Musselman. Entering his second year in the SEC, the former coach of the Warriors and the Kings is proving to be a force in recruiting. Whether it’s his NBA experience or the success he had at Nevada, players appear to be buying what Musselman is selling. The Razorbacks signed four top-100 players in the 2020 cycle, giving them the No. 6-ranked class in the country, according to 247Sports. It’s Arkansas’ first top-20 class since Bobby Portis and Moses Kingsley signed in 2013. With the addition of a couple transfers as well, this class will make a 20-win team even better next season and for at least a few seasons to come.

4. Texas Tech

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 11

Breakdown: The Red Raiders have a signed a higher-ranked class each year under Chris Beard as he enters his fifth season with an Elite Eight and national title game appearance already under his belt. This year’s group is ranked No. 11 nationally by 247Sports and is highlighted by three four-star signees. It also includes junior college forward Esahia Nyiwe and big-time transfer Marcus Santos-Silva from VCU. Collectively, the class should more than cover the production of departing one-and-done player Jahmi’us Ramsey, who led Texas Tech in scoring as a freshman during an 18-13 campaign this season.

5. Marquette

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 15

Breakdown: A trio of four-star prospects and the addition of Ohio State transfer DJ Carton will help replenish a roster that is losing the Big East’s all-time leading scorer Markus Howard and second-leading scorer Sacar Anim to graduation. The headliner is 6-foot-11 forward Dawson Garcia, ranked No. 30 overall in the class. The Golden Eagles might not bounce back immediately as they replace Howard’s prolific contributions, but if this class sticks together, it has the potential to lead Marquette past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 at some point in the next four seasons.

6. Florida State

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 46

Breakdown: A program built by coach Leonard Hamilton on the development of role players into fierce, defensive-minded units is wading into historic territory. The Seminoles signed their highest-rated player in the 247Sports era with small forward Scottie Barnes, who is ranked No. 3 overall in the 2020 class. If all goes well, Barnes could lead the Seminoles to a successful defense of their ACC title.

7. Tennessee

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 4

Breakdown: Tennessee’s combined total of 57 wins in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons came courtesy of unheralded prospects that Rick Barnes developed. But as he enters his sixth season, Barnes’ program is adopting a new look, thanks to a 2020 recruiting class ranked No. 4 nationally and featuring a pair of five-star prospects in Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson. The class is ranked higher than any that Bruce Pearl ever assembled at Tennessee. The addition of five-star players didn’t necessarily breed NCAA Tournament success for Barnes at Texas, but he’s giving it another try at Tennessee.

8. Texas

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 89

Breakdown: With most of its contributors back from a fringe-NCAA Tournament team, Texas was already in position to have its best team under Shaka Smart next season. The addition of hometown prospect Greg Brown, ranked No. 9 overall in the 2020 class by 247Sports, provides even more momentum as Smart tries to get off the hot seat and win the first NCAA Tournament game of his tenure in Year Six. A good season from Brown, a 6-foot-9 power forward, could positively redirect Smart’s tenure in a way that might otherwise be impossible without him.

9. Harvard

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 58

Breakdown: Tommy Amaker continues to recruit well enough at Harvard to make many power conference coaches jealous. The former Michigan coach, entering his 14th season in the Ivy League, has assembled a class ranked 58th nationally that includes three three-star prospects. It’s only a matter of time before the continued influx of quality talent gets the Crimson back to the NCAA Tournament after a stretch of four straight appearances between 2012 and 2015.

10. Arizona State

247Sports recruiting class ranking: No. 34

Breakdown: If any combination of Remy Martin, Alonzo Verge Jr. and Romeo White withdraws from NBA Draft consideration to pair up with the Sun Devils’ incoming crop of talent, it will make Bobby Hurley’s sixth team at ASU a serious national force. Marcus Bagley and Joshua Christopher, both top-35 players in the 2020 class, signed with the Sun Devils, and both figure to be key players next season regardless of who returns. But if they are going to help Hurley get past the first round of the NCAA Tournament next season for the first time in his tenure, they’ll need some veteran production as well. That’s why the decisions of the trio of juniors looms large in determining the impact this class will have on the Pac-12 and national landscape next season. The addition of transfers Holland Woods and Luther Muhammad are also nice additions for ASU as well, even if they won’t be eligible immediately.