Men's College Basketball

Class of 2023 5-star point guard Isaiah Collier committed to USC on Wednesday via Instagram Live.

Collier chose the Trojans over Cincinnati, UCLA and Michigan, which were also considered finalists to land him.

A 6'3", 190-pound point guard from Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, Collier is ranked as the No. 1 player at his position and No. 4 overall, according to the 247Sports' composite rankings.

Collier is a solid two-way talent who enjoys playing at a high pace.

247Sports recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins describes him as "an athletic throwback-style point guard who has made strong impressions with his toughness and exceptional vision as a passer. A playmaker with a wealth of tools to work with, Collier is one of the best in his class in his ability to make the assist."

While he is an impressive prospect, he's not yet a polished player. He still needs to develop consistency as a shooter and work on the mechanics of his jump shot. However, his playmaking and defensive effort set him apart from the rest of the point guard prospects.

Collier is USC's first 5-star recruit in the 2023 class but joins 4-stars Arrinten Page and Silas Demary Jr. to form an exciting group under head coach Andy Enfield. He will likely have a spot in the starting lineup waiting for him as soon as he steps on campus next year.

Top 2023 prospect Baye Fall announced Tuesday that he will play for Arkansas next season.

"I chose Arkansas because me and my family feel it's the best place for me to accomplish what I want to accomplish," Fall told On3's Joe Tipton. "It's the best place that can get me to the next level in the best way possible. Going on the two visits to Arkansas opened our eyes. Their play style fits me well. There are great coaches out there. I think I go there and get better and win at the highest level."

Ball committed to Arkansas over Auburn, Seton Hall and Rutgers.

The 5-star player is considered the third-best center in his class and No. 14 overall in the country, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

"He's 6-11, but he jumps like he's 6-2 and moves like he's 6-6," former high school coach Bill Brandsma said in 2020, per Kendra Andrews of The Athletic.

Fall moved from Senegal to Lutheran High School in Parker, Colorado, before eventually transferring to Denver Prep Academy. At every stop, the big man showcased impressive athleticism and natural ability for his size that allowed him to be successful on both ends of the court.

The center already has excellent instincts on the defensive end to be an elite shot-blocker, while his ability to run the floor will allow him to be productive offensively. If he can further develop his offensive game, Fall will be nearly unstoppable.

Arkansas will give him the chance to do that as he tries to reach his potential before making the leap to the NBA.

Fall should still be an impact player while in college, likely starring defensively while helping everyone around him on that end of the court. He should play significant minutes from the start while challenging to be an all-conference player even as a freshman.

Juju Watkins, the top-ranked women's high school player in the class of 2023, announced her intention to play at USC on Tuesday.

The Sierra Canyon guard is California's Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year and the top player in her class, per ESPN. She chose the Trojans over fellow finalists Stanford and South Carolina.

"I didn't want to rush this process," Watkins said, per Charlotte Gibson of ESPN. "A lot of people in my class had already committed before me, and I definitely was taking my time. But I want to make sure it was 1,000 percent where I wanted to go."

Watkins grew up just 10 minutes from the USC campus, so familiarity likely played a role in the Los Angeles native's decision to play for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Landing the top player in the 2023 class is a boon for Gottlieb, whose Trojans finished 12-16 in her first year with the program.

Watkins is just the third top-10 player in ESPN's rankings to sign with USC since 2007, as the program has largely taken a back seat on campus behind football and men's basketball. The arrival of the most dominant prep player in the nation should change the narrative, as Watkins has all the tools to make USC a Final Four team.

USC's women's basketball program was among the nation's best during the 1980s before struggling over the last three-plus decades. The Trojans have made the NCAA tournament just once in the last 15 years and have not reached the second week of the tournament since 1993-94.

Watkins' arrival might spark a much-desired turnaround. She will be joined in the 2023 class by promising point guard Malia Samuels, giving Gottlieb the building blocks of a stellar backcourt for years to come.

Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe will reportedly make his season debut for Kentucky against Michigan State on Tuesday.

Per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, it has not been determined whether Tshiebwe will start or come off the bench as he continues to recover from a procedure on his right knee.

Wildcats coach John Calipari told reporters Monday that Tshiebwe would play if he made it through practice without swelling:

"He's supposed to practice today so we'll have a better idea. He's been doing the conditioning stuff, he just hasn't been on that court and that's totally different. My guess will be he plays three or four minutes at a stretch if he plays.

"He's going to have to get through [practice] and make sure there's no swelling. From what I'm hearing he doesn't have the lift yet but knowing him, he wants to play but I can't tell you right now."

It would seem Tshiebwe made it through Monday's session well enough to get some playing time, though it's unlikely he's on the floor for 30-plus minutes. No. 4 Kentucky has gotten off to a 2-0 start to the 2022-23 campaign with wins over Howard and Duquesne by a combined 57 points.

Kentucky plays Michigan State on Tuesday as part of the State Farm Champions Classic in Indianapolis. The unranked Spartans are 1-1 to start the season and lost by one point to second-ranked Gonzaga.

Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds last season on his way to sweeping National Player of the Year awards and becoming a consensus first-team All-America selection. His presence will help fortify the middle of Kentucky's defense, which has been anchored by senior Jacob Toppin.

An absolutely loaded Kentucky men's basketball class of 2023 got even better Monday when DJ Wagner, a 5-star guard who plays for Camden (New Jersey) High School, chose to play for John Calipari's Wildcats.

Wagner—rated as the top prospect in the Class of 2023 in the 247Sports' composite rankings—announced his commitment to ESPN's Paul Biancardi.

The outlet of the choice appeared to be a formality after Travis Branham of 247Sports revealed news of Wagner's impending announcement.

Wagner joins a class of 2023 that includes fellow 5-star prospects in center Aaron Bradshaw, small forward Justin Edwards and point guard Robert Dillingham, all of whom are ranked in the top nine of 247Sports' prospect rankings. Bradshaw is notably Wagner's teammate at Camden.

The class also includes 4-star guard Reed Sheppard, ranked 29th overall.

Adam Finklestein, 247Sports' director of scouting, provided a report for the 6'3" combo guard in July that read in part:

"Wagner is a proven and versatile scorer, with numerous weapons at his disposal. He’s also an elite competitor who plays hard, has a way of raising the level of those around him, and doesn’t get enough credit for bringing a similar mindset to the defensive end of the floor. He plays in constant attack mode, accelerates right at his defender while mixing in some shake and shiftiness, scores around the rim with both hands, and is a legitimate threat to create his own shot at all three-levels."

Wagner is the son of former NBA guard Dajuan Wagner, who the Cleveland Cavaliers selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft out of Memphis. Wagner averaged 9.4 points over four NBA seasons for the Cavs and Los Angeles Clippers.

He is also the grandson of Milt Wagner, who played college ball at Louisville before going pro.

In the end, Wagner's choice to go to Kentucky adds to the school's legacy of stockpiling elite high school talents on a yearly basis. Ultimately, the addition of Wagner gives the 2023-24 Kentucky team a chance to be up there with some of the greatest squads in school history.

The rankings got shaken up in the first regular-season Associated Press poll for men's college basketball released Monday.

North Carolina remained No. 1 after a 2-0 start, while Gonzaga and Houston also proved themselves with impressive wins. Tennessee fell 11 spots while Villanova and Oregon dropped out entirely after they all suffered upsets in the first week.

Here is the latest Top 25 after the first set of games.

AP Poll

1. North Carolina

2. Gonzaga

3. Houston

4. Kentucky

5. Baylor

6. Kansas

7. Duke

8. UCLA

9. Arkansas

10. Creighton

11. Texas

12. Indiana

13. Auburn

14. Arizona

15. TCU

16. Virginia

17. San Diego State

18. Alabama

19. Illinois

20. Michigan

21. Dayton

22. Tennessee

23. Texas Tech

24. Texas A&M

25. UConn

The most memorable game of the season's first week was a narrow win by Gonzaga over Michigan State on the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Drew Timme showed why he is a National Player of the Year candidate with 22 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks in the unique outdoor game:

That helped Gonzaga overcome a seven-point deficit at halftime to escape with a 64-63 win.

North Carolina had less trouble with double-digit wins over UNC Wilmington and Charleston, although it had rocky starts in both games. Houston did a better job of proving itself as an elite team with two wins by a combined 73 points.

With Marcus Sasser back to full strength after missing much of last season with a toe injury, the Cougars have a strong claim as the top team in college basketball.

On the other end of the spectrum, Tennessee suffered a disappointing 78-66 loss to Colorado on Sunday. KJ Simpson was on fire with 23 points off the bench, hitting clutch shots throughout the game.

Since Colorado has also lost to Grambling, this game might have been more of an indictment of Tennessee, which fell from No. 11 to No. 22.

Villanova dropped out of the Top 25 after ranking 16th last week following a 68-64 loss to Temple.

It puts pressure on new head coach Kyle Neptune to turn things around in a hurry after replacing Jay Wright on the sidelines.

Oregon suffered a home loss to UC Irvine, part of a disappointing start for the Pac-12. Seven of the league's teams lost at least one game last week.

More teams will be tested next week, starting with Tuesday's Champions Classic matchup between Duke and Kansas. Gonzaga will also face both Texas and Kentucky, while UCLA will take on Illinois.

It could lead to a lot more movement in the Top 25 heading into Week 3.

Kiyan Anthony, the son of 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, announced he has received a scholarship offer from the Syracuse Orange.

His father spent one year at Syracuse and played a starring role as the Orange won their first national title during the 2002-03 season.

Anthony is the No. 62 overall player and No. 14 shooting guard in 247Sports' ranking of the 2025 recruiting class.

Per 247Sports, he has scholarship offers from Bryant, George Mason, Manhattan and Memphis as well.

The offer comes the same weekend the Anthony family visited the campus to watch the Syracuse football team's 38-3 loss to Florida State.

Anthony obviously has a lot of time before he needs to make a commitment, and more schools are bound to signal their interest in the months ahead. But Syracuse is the early favorite now and might be tough to beat.

"Syracuse is a big one for me because of my dad," Anthony said to 247Sports' Dushawn London. "He set the foundation over there so I won't go wrong if I went there. My options are really open, though, since I'm only a sophomore."

The future of legendary head coach Jim Boeheim could be a wild card, though. The 77-year-old hasn't set a date for his retirement but has worked with the school to lay out a succession plan.

If Boeheim steps down before 2025, it could impact Anthony's recruitment.