Rivals.com expanded the Class of 2017 basketball rankings from the

top 75

prospects in the country out to the top 100 prospects in the nation on Tuesday

afternoon, and the updated rankings feature several players on Mark Fox's radar.

Once again, one of the top overall players in the country resides in the Peach

State. Wendell Carter, the 6-foot-10 post player, has been a well-known name in

basketball circles since entering high school, but has taken his game to another

level this spring while playing with the Georgia Stars. He now comes in as No. 3 prospect in the

nation. Georgia extended an offer early to the five-star

prospect and they continue to make him a priority, but it will be nearly

impossible to fend off schools such as Duke and Kentucky who have already

offered scholarships as well.

Moving down the list in order, the next two prospects come from Alabama, a state

that Mark Fox's staff has recruited hard with little luck since arriving in

Athens. Austin Wiley, the No. 15 overall prospect, is the son of two former Auburn

basketball players and the Tigers will obviously be tough to beat in his

recruitment. John Petty, a 6-foot-5 wing, comes in at No.17 overall and recently

told Jacey Zenbal of TheWolfPacker.com that Alabama, Auburn and Georgia are his

top three schools.

Next on the list are two more talented post players. Brandon McCoy, the

No. 20

overall prospect, resides in California, but has family in Georgia not too far

from Athens. The Bulldogs recently pulled the trigger on an offer, but will face

an uphill battle trying to beat out some of the top programs around the country

for his services. On the other hand, the No. 24 ranked prospect Ikey Obiagu

attends school right down the road from Athens at Greenforest Christian and

visited Georgia along with some Georgia Stars teammates in May. The Bulldogs

will be serious players in his recruitment.

M.J. Walker, a two-sport athlete from Jonesboro, Georgia, comes in at No.

25

overall. His recruitment will largely depend on whether he decides to stick with

just basketball, just football, or if he attempts to play both at the next

level. He's collected offers from top programs in both sports.

Two more Alabama natives come in next on the list with Alex Reese at

No. 49

overall and Jamal Johnson at No. 52 overall. Reese has blown up this spring and

received offers from many of the top programs around the southeast. Word going

around on him is that Alabama, Auburn and UAB will be tough to beat along with

Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs will also have a hard time trying to pluck Johnson, the

son of former Alabama star Buck Johnson, out of the Capstone state.

Jatrious Smith, a 6-foot-4 wing out of North Carolina, (No. 63) just received an

offer from Georgia on June 15, the first day college basketball coaches could

begin calling prospects in the Class of 2017.

Rayshaun Hammonds (No. 70) made the trip to Athens recently with several

teammates from Norcross. The Bulldogs put a scholarship offer on the table for

him during the April recruiting periods.

DeAundre Ballard (No. 74) is another Georgia native that the Bulldogs continue

to keep tabs on as a potential member of the 2017 class. His teammate with the

Georgia Stars, Chuma Okeke (No. 82), received an offer from the Bulldogs in

April and returned the favor by visiting in May.

Elias Harden (No. 85), Michael Durr (No. 94), and Davion Mitchell (No. 98) are

all Georgia natives as well, but none have received Georgia offers yet to our

knowledge. When the recruiting periods start next Wednesday, expect the Bulldogs

coaching staff to monitor their progress.

Lastly, Garrison Brooks (No. 99) is an intriguing post player out of Alabama

that picked up a Georgia offer after a strong start to the April recruiting

periods, but with him living just minutes away from Auburn's campus and having a

father that coaches at Mississippi State, this isn't one many expect to go

Georgia's way.