Shabazz Muhammad (Getty Images)

Moments after choosing UCLA over Kentucky and Duke on ESPNU Wednesday evening, highly touted recruit Shabazz Muhammad delivered a message to Bruins fans watching at home on TV.

"Everyone in Westwood, LA, California, get ready for a great season next year," Muhammad said. "Hopefully we can sell out Pauley."

If anyone can restore the energy that has been missing in Westwood the past few years, it's Muhammad, a 6-foot-6 wing from Las Vegas generally regarded as the premier scorer in the class of 2012. Muhammad was the MVP of last month's McDonald's All-American game and has been UCLA's top recruiting target for the past two or three years now.

The combination of Muhammad and fellow McDonald's All-American Kyle Anderson gives UCLA a pair of talented perimeter recruits whose games complement one-another extremely well. Muhammad is an elite wing scorer and Anderson is a true point forward and a gifted facilitator. Add in fellow signee Jordan Adams and the potential of still getting elite power forward prospect Tony Parker, and that's a talented freshman class to go with some strong frontcourt pieces expected to return next season.

[Related: Nerlens Noel makes Kentucky's 2012 recruiting class flat-out scary]

It's hard to overstate the importance of landing this class for UCLA because of the intense pressure on coach Ben Howland to turn the program around next season after a series of disappointing years.

Fan support has dwindled because UCLA has missed the NCAA tournament two of the past three years and hasn't made it past the round of 32 since its run of three straight Final Fours from 2006 to 08. Worse yet, the program received a spate of negative publicity this February when Sports Illustrated published a story detailing how Howland lost control of forward Reeves Nelson and other players within the program.

Josiah Turner (US Presswire)If Arizona is going to return to the NCAA tournament next season, the Wildcats will have to do it without a true point guard on the roster.

Josiah Turner, the troubled but talented crown jewel of last year's decorated recruiting class, announced Wednesday that he will transfer to another school. It's unclear whether the decision was even Turner's to make considering Arizona coach Sean Miller suspended the freshman point guard indefinitely on the eve of the Pac-12 tournament after his second violation of team rules of the season.

"I learned a lot in my year at Arizona and would like to thank my coaches, teammates and the fans for all of their support," Turner said in a statement.

Hailed as Arizona's next great point guard after he chose the Wildcats over Kansas, UCLA and Louisville among others, Turner struggled on the court and off during a disappointing freshman season. The Sacramento native lost his starting job early in the season and later sat out a game on Dec. 6 for disciplinary reasons, averaging 6.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 29 games.

What was especially disheartening about Turner's March suspension was the freshman appeared to be making some progress during Pac-12 play. He became a regular starter again and showed flashes of the talent that made him such a coveted recruit, posting a career highs of 15 points against USC on Feb. 23 and seven assists against Utah on Feb. 11.

"Josiah is really starting to come on right now," Miller said in January. "No question, he's practicing better. His mind's in the right place. His heart's in the right place. He's trying to win, trying to do the best he can both on and off the court. He deserves a lot of credit for that. He's a really good kid and to me he's learned some good lessons, some valuable lessons. Hopefully the best is yet to come for him."

That it didn't work out the way Miller envisioned leaves Arizona thin at point guard next season despite the highly touted recruiting class set to arrive. Duquesne transfer T.J. McConnell is the heir apparent at the position, but others will have to handle the position next year because he will not be eligible to play until the 2013-14 season.

More NCAA basketball coverage from Yahoo! Sports:

NEW ORLEANS – One month into his tenure as University of New Orleans basketball coach, Mark Slessinger decided he couldn't tolerate seeing only bare white walls at work every day.

Slessinger rifled through dozens of FEMA boxes in a storage shed at Lakefront Arena last summer in search of any water-damaged treasures packed away and forgotten after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 rendered the building unusable for three years.

He found trophies with their statues or faceplates broken off. He found faded posters and newspaper clippings covered in layers of dust. The only items Slessinger is buying anew are replicas of UNO's league championship and NCAA tournament banners, which were so moldy and damaged after the storm that someone long ago threw them in a dumpster.

"One of the biggest issues I've faced so far is just retelling the story of the history of the program," Slessinger says. "Guys don't know the history of how great UNO basketball was at one time. When I get the trophies

Larry Eustachy and Ernie Kent (AP)

Instead of handing the reins to its program to former Oregon coach Ernie Kent as seemed imminent as recently as Tuesday evening, Colorado State has apparently experienced a sudden change of heart.

CBSSports.com reported Wednesday that a Colorado State administrator stepped in and blocked the hiring of Kent for reasons that remain unclear. As a result, Colorado State opted to instead offer the job to one of its other finalists, Southern Mississippi coach Larry Eustachy, who reportedly has accepted it.

Eustachy will step into an improving program capable of winning immediately even in what promises to be a formidable Mountain West next season. The four best players from a Colorado State team that reached the NCAA tournament under Tim Miles last season are all juniors including starting guards Dorian Green and Wes Eikmeier.

The debate over which candidate was a better fit for the Rams will likely endure for days if not longer, but there are plenty of signs Eustachy may have been a wiser choice than Kent all along.

Whereas Eustachy built Southern Mississippi into an NCAA tournament team last season despite aging facilities and limited administrative support, he'll find Colorado State to be an upgrade in both areas. The drinking problem that got him fired at Iowa State nine years ago should no longer be an issue either considering he says he hasn't had a sip of alcohol since entering AA in June 2003.

Kent has a successful history too with a pair of Elite Eights and five NCAA tournament berths in 13 years at Oregon, but the latter part of his tenure with the Ducks largely did not meet expectations.

More NCAA basketball coverage from Yahoo! Sports:

Larry Krystkowiak (AP)At a time when most college programs are tirelessly searching for prospects to add to their recruiting classes, Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak is apparently looking to trim his by one.

Josh Hearlihy, a senior at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, Calif., told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that Krystkowiak has asked him not to come to Utah despite signing with the Utes in November. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 rebounds as a senior but sat out half the season as a result of a non-surgical treatment for a condition related to growing too quickly.

"I was very excited about going to Utah when I signed my Letter of Intent in November," Hearlihy said in a statement released to the Times. "However, the coaching staff has reconsidered their commitment to me and has asked to be released from their obligation. I turned down scholarship offers and stopped exploring other options when I signed.

"Given the situation at Utah, I'm concerned about putting myself in an environment where I'm not wanted. It is still my dream to play college basketball and I will continue to work hard every day to make that dream a reality."

Harvard-Westlake coach Greg Hilliard did not return a phone message left for him on Tuesday, so it's unclear why Utah soured on Hearlihy or when Krystkowiak made this request. Regardless, the Utes are putting Hearlihy in a difficult spot because he stopped looking into interest from other schools and now it's awfully late for him to find another option with the Spring Signing Period beginning today.

Although prospects back out of verbal commitments all the time in recruiting when a more attractive offer comes along, it's far more unusual for a school renege on an ironclad letter of intent months after it was signed. Technically Hearlihy could still attend Utah and the school would have no choice but to honor his scholarship offer, however, Krystkowiak has made it clear that would be an uncomfortable situation.

Utah clearly decided that the PR damage of dumping Hearlihy was worth it if it freed up a scholarship for a player the staff believes is more capable of helping rebuild the program.

More NCAA basketball coverage from Yahoo! Sports:

Trey Zeigler (AP)Pittsburgh's chances of quickly rebounding from a rare down season may hinge on whether or not the NCAA grants coveted Central Michigan transfer Trey Zeigler the right to play immediately.

Zeigler, a former elite recruit who averaged 15.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore, will apply for a waiver that would allow him to avoid sitting out a full year at Pittsburgh as is customary for transfers. The grounds for the waiver is that Zeigler only left Central Michigan because his father, Chippewas coach Ernie Zeigler, was fired in March after a disappointing 11-21 season.

The hardship waiver traditionally has benefited athletes who transfer because of financial hardship, injury or illness to themselves or a member of their family, but historical precedent suggests Zeigler has a better chance than some may think.

Infielder Cade Kreuter transferred from USC to Miami after the Trojans fired his father Chad following the 2010 baseball season. A Miami spokesman confirmed the school applied for a waiver for Cade on those grounds and it was granted, enabling him to contribute right away in 2011 rather than sitting out a full year.

[ Huguenin: Incoming freshmen who will play a big role next season ]

The only similar scenario in men's college basketball in recent years was guard C.J. Reed's transfer to Central Florida last year following the dismissal of his dad at Bethune-Cookman. A UCF spokesman said the school did not apply for a waiver for Reed, so the reigning MEAC player of the year sat out all last season.

If the NCAA does grant Zeigler a waiver, it would give Pittsburgh a replacement for senior shooting guard Ashton Gibbs capable of complementing starting point guard Tray Woodall. Throw in sophomores-to-be John Johnson and Cameron Wright, both of whom started a few games this past season while Woodall was injured, and the Panthers suddenly have one of the Big East's premier backcourts.

Nerlens Noel (US Presswire)It took a single four-word tweet from the Class of 2012's top big man to spark an uproar among three fan bases on the eve of the spring signing period.

Tilton Prep center Nerlens Noel, who will choose between Kentucky, Georgetown and Syracuse on Wednesday afternoon, tweeted Monday night that he's "Gon shock the world !!" The 6-foot-11 senior could have been talking about what grade he hoped to get on an algebra exam or what shirt he planned to wear to school the next day, but thousands of amateur recruiting experts, of course, interpreted it as a clue regarding his college choice.

Since the favorite in Noel's recruitment has been Kentucky since he reclassified from the Class of 2013 to 2012 this past winter, the obvious (yet baseless) assumption would be that Noel might be leaning more toward long shots Georgetown or Syracuse. Of course, that would also imply that Noel wasn't just having fun at the expense of his fans, no guarantee when you have a high school senior with thousands of people hanging on his every word.

[ Related: No. 1 prospect Shabazz Muhammad ready to make his choice ]

A shot-blocking presence whose offensive game is also rapidly blossoming, Noel would be a program-changing addition for any of the three schools still recruiting him.

At Kentucky, he'd be a ready-made replacement for Anthony Davis who could help the Wildcats remain in the title chase next season. At Georgetown, he'd continue the school's lineage of dominant shot-blocking big men and serve as the perfect complement to promising forward Otto Porter. And at Syracuse, he'd be the shot-blocking presence in the middle of Jim Boeheim's two-three zone with Fab Melo turning pro.

In addition to Noel's announcement, the other top recruit in the Class of 2012, Bishop Gorman wing Shabazz Muhammad, will also make his decision Wednesday. On Monday night, Muhammad tweeted a photo of a blank letter of intent and three written scholarship offers from his top choices: Kentucky, Duke and UCLA.

[ Huguenin: Incoming freshmen who will play a big role next season ]

That's not as cryptic as Noel, but it maintains the suspense entering a day that will go a long way toward shaping the 2012-13 title picture.

Here's a pretty good reason to root against a Kentucky repeat next season: Fear of a sequel to the song below.

Reserves Kyle Wiltjer and Jarrod Polson celebrated the Wildcats' victory over Kansas in the national championship game last Monday night by returning to Lexington and making a rap video celebrating the team's accomplishment. The duo, which calls itself the "White Boy Academy," named the song "Final Four Winners."

The sight of Wiltjer and Polson jersey popping while decked out in national championship caps and Final Four beads is pretty hilarious, but the Auto-Tune-heavy lyrics often aren't exactly a masterpiece.

The highlight is the first verse of the chorus:  "If you looking for us, we'll be back in Lex. Chilling with the fellas, getting 'gratulation texts." The lowlight, however, comes soon after: "Everybody knows we on top. Yeah, we grindin' nonstop, Big Blue Nation don't stop."

Come on, fellas. You're better than rhyming "nonstop" and "stop."

[ Huguenin: Incoming freshmen who will play a big role next season ]

All in all, "Final Four Winners" fits squarely in the middle of the college basketball rap anthem trend that has emerged the past year or two. It's not as good as the endlessly entertaining "This is Indiana," but it's also not as painful as "We Are Mizzou."