Tipoff: Top-10 in-conference 2019 recruits

Illinois is still waiting on its first commitment in the 2019 class. The rest of the Big Ten? Well, they have a head start. Our beat writer breaks down the top-10 recruits in the conference — so far:

1. DJ Carton | Bettendorf, Iowa

(Ohio State)Few 2019 prospects rose in the recruiting rankings as quickly — or as high — as the Quad Cities point guard. The 6-foot-1 lefty jumped from low- to mid-major prospect more than a year ago to five-star, top-25 status.

2. Rocket Watts | Detroit (Michigan State)

Cassius Winston will likely still be running the point for the Spartans in the 2019-20 season. But Tom Izzo will easily be able to play Watts — a dynamic scorer at 24.7 ppg on the Nike EYBL circuit —…