We weren't lying about further revisions. With Darryl Watkins committing to Syracuse and Linus Klieza committing to Missouri, both programs moved into our Top Ten. And it also forced us to take another look at the teams we had ranked and we made some revisions.

Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, Miami-Florida, Iowa State, Marquette, Arizona State, Temple, Wisconsin, Villanova, Ohio State also received consideration.

1. Arizona
Ndudi Ebi | 6-7 | F | Westbury Christian H.S. (Houston, Texas)
Mustafa Shakur| 6-3 | PG | Friends Central H.S. (Wynnewood, Pa.)
Kirk Walters| 6-10 | F | South Christian H.S. (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
The Skinny: Don't know if these 'Cats could land on their feet from the fall if Ebi, who has put his name in the draft, actually does come out early. But until we know, two anchor recruits who will impact early continue to make this the class to beat. The Ebi to the NBA signals are getting stronger.

2. LSU
Brandon Bass | 6-7 | PF | Capital H.S. (Baton Rouge, La.)
Regis Koundjia | 6-7 | SF | Laurinburg Institute (Laurinburg, N.C.)
Darnell Lazare | 6-6 | SF | Woodlawn H.S. (Baton Rouge, La.)
Taurean Minor 5-10 | PG | Booker T. Washington H.S. (Houston, Texas)
Ross Nelter 6-8 | F | Highlands H.S. (Fort Thomas, Ky.)
The Skinny: LSU had been Bass fishing for quite a while, hoping to land the big one -- and they did. This class (Bass, Koundjia, Minor in particular) will remind many of the glory days at LSU when they often had the best athletes in the SEC.

3. Mississippi State
Jackie Butler | 6-10 | C | McComb H.S. (McComb, Miss.)
Gary Ervin | 5-11 | PG | Notre Dame H.S. (Fitchburg, Mass.)
Travis Outlaw | 6-9 | F | Starkville H.S. (Starkville, Miss.)
Dietric Slater | 6-3 | G | Wayne County H.S. (Waynesboro, Miss.)
The Skinny: Even without Outlaw, life will go on in Starkville! Butler remains a capable big man, even if he can be an enigma at times. Ervin is an outstanding point guard-and those are always worth a few wins. Slater may be the best incoming athlete in the SEC and just needs more skill development. Still a good class even if the NBA posse catches up with Outlaw.

4. Florida State
Antonio Griffin | 6-6 | F | Scottsdale C.C. (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Alexander Johnson | 6-9 | PF/C | Bridgton Academy (Bridgton, Maine)
Diego Romero | 6-10 | C | Lon Morris C.C. (Jacksonville, Texas)
Vakeaton Wafer | 6-5 | SW | Heritage Christian H.S. (Cleveland, Tex.)
The Skinny: It never takes long to raise the talent level when Leonard Hamilton takes over a program. The recent commitment by Johnson is huge and really boosts this class. Wafer has a chance to be something very special. Johnson and Romero should be able to score a little.

5. Arkansas
Ronnie Brewer | 6-5 | SW | Fayetteville H.S. (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Preston Crawford | 6-6 | SF | Hebron Springs H.S. (Hebron Springs, Ark.)
Olumuyiwa Famutimi | 6-5 | SW| Northwestern H.S. (Flint, Mich.)
Vincent Hunter | 6-9 | PF | Fair H.S. (Little Rock, Ark.)
Julius Lamptey | 6-11 | C | New Hampton School (New Hampton, N.H.)
The Skinny: Famutimi is recovering from some surgery that may slow him down but he and Brewer are being ranked on their talent and not their current physical condition which made us realize that this class was rated too low before. Guards are still everything and Stan Heath came through with a couple of winners. Brewer and Famutimi. Famutimi and Brewer. Any way you say it, it's still butter.

6. Syracuse
Louie McCroskey | 6-3 | SG | St. Raymond's H.S. (Bronx, N.Y.)
Demetris Nichols | 6-6 | SF | St. Andrew's H.S. (Barrington, R.I.)
Terrence Roberts | 6-8 | F | St. Anthony's H.S. (Jersey City, N.J.)
Darryl Watkins | 6-11 | C | Paterson Catholic H.S. (Paterson, N.J.)
The Skinny: Carmelo's gone, but a lot remains and they will be joined by three good freshmen. Roberts has been underrated. McCroskey knows how to play and is steady. Nichols can run and shoot. The 'Cuse gets a load of upside in Watkins. This type of commitment jump starts the post-Carmelo era.

7. Missouri
Thomas Gardner | 6-4 | OG | Jefferson H.S.(Portland Ore.)
Linus Kleiza | 6-8| PF | Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)
Spencer Laurie | 6-1| PG | Springfield H.S. (Kickapoo, Mo.)
Randy Pulley | 6-3 | PG | Barton County C.C. (Great Bend, Kan.)
The Skinny: This class makes Missouri a contender for the national championship. Pulley provides instant maturity, experience and talent at the point. He should stabilize the team. Kleiza is a very mature young man who will really add some intangibles to the team as well as his talent. Gardner is a big guard with range.

8. Memphis
Sean Banks | 6-7 | SF | Bergen Catholic H.S. (Oradell, N.J.)
Ivan Lopez | 6-8 | PF | Ryan Academy (Norfolk, Virg.)
Kendrick Perkins | 6-10 | F | Ozen H.S. (Beaumont, Texas)
Keena Young | 6-7 | SG | Ozen H.S. (Beaumont, Texas)

The Skinny: We haven't a clue as to whether or not Kendrick Perkins, who did put his name in the draft, will be at Memphis or not. It doesn't hurt Memphis however, that this year's draft is seeing a European invasion that is going to push a lot of American kids down and out of the first round.

9. Kansas
Jeremy Case | 5-11 | PG | McAlester H.S. (McAlester, Okla.)
J.R. Giddens | 6-5 | SF | John Marshall H.S. (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
David Padgett | 7-0 | C | Reno H.S. (Reno, Nev.)
Omar Wilkes | 6-3 | SG | Loyola H.S. (Los Angeles, Calif.)
The Skinny: So Roy's gone, but we still like this class -- and obviously new Head Coach Bill Self does also. And yes, it appears that they are all sticking with their choice of Kansas as their new fall residence. Giddens and Padgett are standouts, while Wilkes could fit in anywhere.

10. California
Ayinde Ubaka | 6-1 | PG | Oakland Senior H.S. (Oakland, Calif.)
Marquise Kately | 6-6 | SF | Maine Central Institute (Pittsfield, Maine)
Dominic McGuire | 6-5 | F/G | Lincoln Prep H.S. (San Diego, Calif.)
Leon Powe | 6-6 | PF | Oakland Tech H.S. (Oakland, Calif.)
The Skinny: Saw Leon recently and he sounds really good and ready to play although he is still taking it easy. With MCI doing everything they can to get Kately ready that put Cal's ranking back on our radar. Ubaka has qualified and this is a great class.

11. Louisville
Nate Daniels | 6-8 | G/F | Broward C.C. (Broward, Fla.)
Nouha Diakite | 6-10 | PF | Barton County C.C. (Great Bend, Kan.)
Brandon Jenkins | 6-3 | CG |Southeastern H.S. (Detroit, Mich.)
The Skinny: Daniels can score. Diakite is athletic. Jenkins can combo and score. James Lang's departure puts less stress on the nutritional aspects of the trainer's job.

12. Maryland
Will Bowers | 6-11 | C | Archbishop Spaulding H.S. (Severn, Md.)
Hassan Fofana | 6-10 | C | Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)
Ekene Ibekwe | 6-9 | F | Carson H.S. (Carson, Calif.)
Mike Jones | 6-4 | SG | Thayer Academy (Braintree, Mass.)
D.J. Strawberry | 6-3 | G/F | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
The Skinny: Sneaky Maryland is getting more athletic. Ibekwe and Jones really jump up the team's athletic meter and their early junior commits do more of the same.

13. Michigan State
Shannon Brown | 6-1 | SG | Proviso East H.S. (Maywood, Ill.)
Brandon Cotton | 5-11 | PG | DePorres H.S. (Detroit, Mich.)
Drew Naymick | 6-10 | C | North Muskegon H.S. (North Muskegon, Mich.)
The Skinny: Just because they are now No. 13 doesn't mean we don't think as highly of their class as we did before. Brown should be one of the few freshmen who can come in and score. No polyester in Cotton either. Naymick is tough, of course. Were you expecting chopped chicken liver to get a frontline position scholarship?

14. Cincinnati
Mike Pilgrim | 6-7 | F | Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.)
Asrangue Souleymane | 6-10 | C/PF | Laurinburg Institute (Laurinburg, N.C.)
Robert Whaley | 6-10 | PF | Barton County C.C. (Barton, Kan.)
James White | 6-6 | F/G | Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)
Nick Williams | 6-5 | G | Chipola C.C. (Marianna, Fla.)
The Skinny: Had to drop 'em a little. Mixed reviews on Pilgram. Whaley's status up in the air. Souleymane a work in progress. Williams is the one sure thing.

15. Duke
Luol Deng | 6-8 | F | Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.)
The Skinny: Deng is so ready that even just his name alone puts Duke here in our opinion. Deng has the work ethic, attitude and ego to be immediately successful.

16. DePaul
Wesley Green | 6-10 | C | Eustis H.S. (Eustis, Fla.)
Marcus Heard | 6-6 | F | Southeast H.S. (Springfield, Ill.)
Sammy Mejia | 6-5 | CG | Storm King H.S. (Cornwall on the Hudson, N.Y.)
Tyler Smith | 6-2 | CG |Laurinburg Institute (, Penn.)
Lorenzo Thompson | 6-6 | F | Crane Tech H.S. (Chicago, Ill.)
The Skinny: If you're a DePaul fan, get excited. From what Dave Leitao did during his first year to the fact that Mejia is just starting to find out how good he can be. Smith is a player. Heard is a grinder. If Thompson will buy in and play hard, the Blue Demons could make the NCAA a year ahead of schedule.

17. Wake Forest
Todd Hendley | 6-9 | PF | Lee County H.S. (Sanford, N.C.)
Jeremy Ingram | 6-3 | SG | Kinston H.S. (Kinston, N.C.)
Chris Paul | 5-11 | PG | West Forsyth H.S. (Clemmons, N.C.)
Kyle Visser | 6-10 | C | Forest Hills Central H.S. (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
The Skinny: And as long as Skip can get the Carolina kids whom North Carolina doesn't want, he will have Wake in the upper division no matter how large the ACC might become.

18. Illinois
Warren Carter | 6-8 | PF | Lake Highlands H.S. (Dallas, Texas)
Richard McBride | 6-3 | SG | Lanphier H.S. (Springfield, Ill.)
Brian Randle | 6-7 | F | Notre Dame H.S. (Peoria, Ill.)
The Skinny: We feel your pain with Charlie looking at not only the NBA, but Kansas and Connecticut after Head Coach Bill Self left. However, while he's not a recruit, you did get Bruce Weber as your next head coach and that's a big plus.

19. Rutgers
Antwi Atuahene| 6-2 | G | Henry Carr H.S. (Toronto, Canada)
Quincy Douby | 6-3 | G | St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.)
Byron Joynes| 6-9 | PF/C | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
Marquis Webb| 6-4 | SG | Paterson Catholic H.S. (Paterson, N.J.)
The Skinny: Watkins to Syracuse. Joynes is big but not much else at this point. Why no quality big wants to go to this sleeping giant of a program is a mystery, but losing local talent Watkins really hurts. Quality perimeter players still make this a good class.

20. Providence
Dwight Brewington | 6-4 | CG | Worcester Academy (Worcester, Mass.)
Gerald Brown | 6-3 | SG | Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)
Jeff Parmer | 6-7 | F | Niagara Falls H.S. (Niagara Falls, NY.)
The Skinny: Providence will have Brewington and Brown for awhile. Both are big, underrated and can score. Brewington will get a look at point, and if he can get it done, the Friars will have the tallest backcourt in the Big East, and a very athletic one. Parmer is a solid player who will continue to get better and better.

Also deserving mention

Michigan
Dion Harris | 6-4 | SW | Redford H.S. (Detroit, Mich.)
Brent Petway | 6-7 | PF | Griffin H.S. (Griffin, Ga.)
Courtney Sims | 6-10 | C | Noble & Greenough H.S. (Dedham, Mass.)
The Skinny: To survive in the Big Ten conference, you must be tough. Michigan is and their talent is going up. The Wolverines, under Amaker, will survive and thrive.

Oregon
Aaron Brooks | 5-10 | PG | Franklin H.S. (Seattle, Wash.)
Mitch Platt | 6-9 | PF/C | Green Valley H.S. (Henderson, Nev.)
Ray Schafer| 6-10 | C | Wasilla H.S. (Wasilla, Alaska)
The Skinny: Plugging holes is very important in keeping continuity in a winning program. Brooks for Ridnour. Platt & Schafer for … not that much of anything. The Ducks will need to give Brooks time, but it's a bump up for the inside game.

David Benezra and Mark Mayemura cover the national college basketball recruiting scene. E-mail at: hoopsusa@mindspring.com or call (818) 783-2244 or (818) 783-2212 for subscription information.