Recruiting rankings favor UK

UK’s brand new crop of freshmen haven’t even hit the Rupp Arena floor, but the hype surrounding the class of 2011 recruiting class is already beginning to build.

And with one-and-done players seemingly the norm in the Calipari Era, keeping up with potential Cats has become part of the fan experience.

The hype received an extra boost with the newly released recruiting rankings by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. UK commitments made up half of the top six players in both lists.

Anthony Davis, who committed over the summer, rose to No. 1 overall in the Scout.com rankings. The top ranking culminates his quick rise up the depth charts as he’s grown six inches to become a 6-foot-9 power forward with a guard’s skill set. In the span of about a year, Davis has gone from a relative unknown to one of the best prospects in the nation.

Michael Gilchrist, the top-ranked small forward in the class, was ranked No. 5 overall. He played for Team USA’s under-17 team that won the world championship over the summer. Gilchrist came off the bench but was the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds in 19.5 minutes.

Marquis Teague is the top point guard in the class and was rated No. 6 overall.

Rivals’ list was similar, although they flipped the order of UK’s commits.

Marquis Teague was ranked No. 2 overall, Michael Gilchrist No. 3, and Anthony Davis No. 6 in the updated Rivals rankings.

Either way, UK figures to have a third straight top-ranked recruiting class in 2011.