Nerlens Noel has dropped Florida and Providence from his list of schools.

Noel, a 6-foot-11 center, will choose between Kentucky, Georgetown, Syracuse, Connecticut and North Carolina.

He plans to make his decision in April.

Jim Calhoun underwent a two hour surgical procedure to remove a large extruded disk fragment that was pressing on the spinal nerve and decompressed the area around the nerve.

"Everything looks encouraging," said George Blaney, who has been filling in for Calhoun since Feb. 3. "Pat [Calhoun, Jim's wife] called and said the doctors were really pleased with what went on in the procedure."

Calhoun had been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine, normally associated with aging and sometimes with arthritis.

There is no timetable for Calhoun’s return.

At least one NBA general manager has not been overly impressed so far by the potential 2012 draft class.

"Everyone talks about how great this draft is," one NBA GM said. "On paper in July, it really looked that way. On the ground in February, I'm not that impressed. Anthony Davis is great. But after that, there are a lot of question marks and a surprising lack of depth. I'm not sure that the 2012 draft will be better than the 2011 one."

North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, Baylor’s Perry Jones, Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, and Kentucky’s Terrence Jones have failed to show significant improvement from one season to the next while UConn's Andre Drummond and Duke’s Austin Rivers have failed to live up to the hype that surrounded them.

Only two freshmen, Kentucky’s Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Indiana's Cody Zeller, have exceeded expectations.

Jim Calhoun will miss at least two more games while he undergo a surgical procedure on his ailing back.

"I'm glad we have finally determined the best course of treatment to deal with the problem," Calhoun said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to having the procedure done, hopefully recovering as quickly as possible, and putting it all in the past."

Calhoun's coaching status 'will then be evaluated on a day-to-day basis,' Connecticut school officials said.

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun will have to take an indefinite medical leave of absence to address spinal stenosis, a lower back condition that causes him severe pain and hampers his mobility.

“Last summer, Jim had some significant back pain and has seen two excellent back specialists,” said Dr. Peter Schulman, Calhoun’s primary care doctor. “The initial approach recommended to him was stretching, physical therapy and exercise, and that was successful for several months. It turns out that there is some degenerative problem in the lumbar vertebrae and it’s impinging on the nerves.”

The Huskies have struggled lately, dropping four consecutive games and falling out of the Top 25 after a 12-1 start to the season.