Alabama And Arkansas Continue to Close The Gap With College Basketball Bluebloods
Over the course of this college basketball offseason, we have highlighted the fact that the blue bloods have done their necessary work on the recruiting trail to return to form. In the Class of 2022, Duke, Kentucky, and UCLA have all secured top 10 recruits. But as of last week, both Alabama and Arkansas have joined the party as well. The following commitments were made at each of the schools, respectively:
Arkansas: Nick Smith, SG, 6-4, 170, 5-Stars
Alabama: Jaden Bradley, PG, 6-2, 190, 5-Stars
Of course, last season, both Alabama and Arkansas made the NCAA Tournament, while Duke and Kentucky were on the outside looking in. Will Coach K and Coach Calipari both miss The Big Dance once again? Probably not. But the fact that the Crimson Tide and Razorbacks are securing 5-star recruits alongside the powerhouse teams says a lot.
There's also this aspect of it: Who wouldn't want to play for Eric Musselman or Nate Oats? Look at the Arkansas staff's reaction when Nick Smith committed to the Razorbacks:
Advertisement
As for Nate Oats' celebration when Alabama locked in Jaden Bradley? We'll have to pitch that one off to our friend Rico "Relationships" Bosco, who said on today's podcast that he texted Coach Oats with a "big get" message.
Take us to Saturday, February 12th already! That's the lone date that Alabama and Arkansas will face off in the college basketball regular season. Regardless, it is clear that both of these schools can hang with Kentucky, Duke, and all of the other blue bloods. That's just another great storyline I am excited about heading into this college basketball season, which is 33 days away.
On today's episode of the Barstool Bench Mob, we dove into the aforementioned commitments, the movement of the Maui Invitational to Las Vegas, a potential combined men's and women's Final Four, some coaching news, and more. Five. More. Weeks.
With Arkansas and Alabama being today's blog topic, it's a good time to plug our summer trips to both schools. Check out our behind the scenes vlogs in both Tuscaloosa and Fayetteville, and remember to please like and subscribe to our channel ahead of the season.