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Alabamas Avery Johnson and Auburns Bruce Pearl have taken their basketball programs into recruiting territory more commonly occupied by the schools football teams: The top 10.Both their latest classes include five-star prospects and are currently ranked among the nations best collections of incoming talent, even if the teams remain a long way from that kind of high ranking. The Crimson Tide beat out more tradition-rich programs like Kansas to pull point guard Collin Sexton out of Mableton, Georgia, and got Huntsville, Alabamas John Petty over Kentucky.The Tigers landed five-star center Austin Wiley, a longtime commitment whose parents both played basketball for Auburn. Its perhaps another indication of a culture change within the programs that both coaches think got started with their respective hirings and renewed efforts to lure fans back to the arenas and drum up excitement.The best way to sustain that is beefing up the talent, which both have done.We think maybe some of the kids that didnt take our (Alabamas) phone calls years ago, at least they are taking our calls now, Johnson said. If theyre taking our calls, and we can eventually get them on campus, we think weve got a great shot.Alabamas five-player class was ranked No. 3 nationally by Scout and Rival on Wednesday, the final day of the early signing period. Auburns three-player group was ranked fourth by Scout and sixth by Rivals.Its a change from previous years when many top recruits left the state, including DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, who had stopovers at Kentucky on their way to the NBA.Johnson and Pearl have brought the players in but are still seeking the wins.Entering Johnsons second year and Pearls third, the next couple of seasons will tell how much recruiting successes the past two years will translate into success on the court. Pearl thinks there could be a reprisal of the days when Alabamas Wimp Sanderson and Auburns Sonny Smith regularly had their teams in the NCAA Tournament.I hope we can see a time (like) when Wimp Sanderson and Sonny Smith were at Alabama and Auburn, Pearl said. Avery and I are at Alabama and Auburn; and hes coached well and theyve recruited really well. Yeah, I can see that being a factor. I can see that contest that we play, the Iron Bowl in basketball, being on ESPN or maybe being on CBS. Wouldnt that be a culture change?Auburn has sold out season tickets in each of his first three seasons, a first for the program. An injury-plagued 11-20 second season didnt derail the momentum on the recruiting trail, where freshman Mustapha Heron became Auburns first five-star signee.Wiley is the second. The 6-foot-11, 255-pounder was ranked among the top 17 recruits nationally by several recruiting services. His mother, Vickie Orr, was an Auburn All-American, and father Aubrey Wiley led the SEC in rebounding in 1993-94.Redshirt freshman Danjel Purifoy, another highly rated recruit last year, said the allure is simple.Its just BP, man, said Purifoy, who wasnt cleared academically by the NCAA to play last season. BP is a good coach. He did some good things at Tennessee. When he came here, everybody wanted to be here. When I signed here, Mustapha came here, Horace (Spencer) came here and now we have one of the best recruiting classes in basketball right now.Evan Daniels, Scouts national director of recruiting, said both coaches have brought in strong staffs with good recruiting connections. That group includes former Alabama point guard Antoine Pettway and ex-Auburn All-American and NBA player and coach Chuck Person.The head coaches also carried bigger names than most of their predecessors. Johnson is a former NBA point guard and head coach, while Pearl has led 17 teams to NCAA Tournaments, mostly at Tennessee.They both appear to be recruiting at unprecedented levels at this point, Daniels said.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.orgBrandon Nimmo Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Jeurys Familia Jersey . 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Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen.SEATTLE -- After weeks of mostly poor performances, Marco Estrada once again flirted with a no-hitter for Toronto.And just when the Blue Jays needed that quality of a performance.Estrada took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Edwin Encarnacion hit his 41st home run and the Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Monday night in the opener of a critical three-game series.Estrada (9-9) had allowed only two walks before Robinson Cano led off the seventh with a line drive up the middle on a 2-1 pitch. Cano and Nelson Cruz walked in the fourth -- an inning that ended on Kevin Pillars sliding catch to save a run -- but Estrada otherwise kept the Mariners off the bases before Canos single.Estradas outing was exactly what the slumping Blue Jays needed. They arrived in Seattle having dropped two straight and four of six, and their wild-card lead dwindled in the process. Estrada was partly to blame for the September swoon. In his previous six starts, he was 1-4 with a 7.53 ERA. In September alone, Estrada had allowed 12 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings.But he was brilliant against the Mariners, keeping the thousands of Blue Jays fans that made the trip south from British Columbia cheering all night as Toronto pulled even with Baltimore for the first wild-card spot. Both teams are 2 1/2 games clear of Detroit and three ahead of Seattle and Houston.Im not really sure whats been going on, as the game gets going I start to struggle a little bit, Estrada said. We looked at video and there have been little things here and there that we caught. We changed it up and felt pretty good today.Estrada was pulled after walking Leonys Martin leading off the eighth inning, leaving to a standing ovation from the huge Blue Jays contingent. He struck out eight and walked three before being replaced by Jason Grilli.The final six outs were trying for the Blue Jays. Pinch-hitter Ben Gamel walked to put two runners on with no outs in the eighth, and Seth Smith walked on a nine-piitch at-bat with two outs to load the bases for Cano.dddddddddddd.Closer Roberto Osuna entered and got Cano to line out to the warning track in right field where Ezequiel Carrera was playing. Martin hit a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth off Osuna, but Gamel struck out looking to cap Osunas 34th save.We know whats ahead of us, and we arent going to back away from it, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. I thought our guys gave a really good effort tonight, just wasnt enough.Encarnacions two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker (6-11) came with two outs in the third on a 0-1 pitch that was left up in the strike zone. Pillar added a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning after Troy Tulowitzki led off with a double.NEAR MISSESEstrada has never completed a no-hitter, but hes been close. He lost a no-hit bid in the eighth inning against Boston on June 5, and also pitched hitless ball into the eighth inning in consecutive starts in June 2015.Its not something that I was focused on. Obviously if it would have happened it would have been incredible but it didnt. Cano hit a pretty good pitch, Estrada said.DONALDSON TOSSEDTorontos Josh Donaldson was ejected in the seventh inning arguing with plate umpire Chris Conroy after being called out on strikes. Donaldson was already upset about a check-swing Conroy called a strike earlier in the at-bat and flipped at being called out on a fastball on the outside corner. Donaldson immediately got in Conroys face and was quickly tossed.UP NEXTBlue Jays: LHP J.A. Happ (19-4) goes for his 20th win. Happ would join Bostons Rick Porcello as the only two pitchers in baseball with 20 wins this season. Happ has won 13 of his last 14 decisions.Mariners: RHP Hisashi Iwakuma (16-11) looks for his third straight victory. Iwakuma allowed just one run in 6 1/3 innings in his last start against the Angels. ' ' '