The Blue Devils and Wildcats are in a dead heat for the top spot in this year’s recruiting class rankings, with Duke holding a slight advantage. Here are six more questions to consider as we head into the final weeks of college basketball recruiting.
The uk basketball 2021-22 roster is a list of the players currently on the rosters for Duke and Kentucky. These two schools are expected to finish with the No. 1 class in men’s college basketball recruiting this year, but it remains to be seen who will end up with six more commitments than the other school.
In the 2022 class, it’s becoming late. We’re still a few weeks away from mid-November and the early signing period, but top-100 talents continue to slip off the board on a weekly basis. In fact, it’s only September, and just 33 players from the ESPN 100 are still available, including only eight five-star prospects.
There are just two teams left in the battle for first place in the No. 1 class. Every player in the top five has already committed. At this stage in the cycle, that’s very uncommon.
It doesn’t necessarily mean teams are rushing to fill scholarship vacancies (particularly with 1,500 or so transfers expected to enter the portal in the next few months), but some of the larger schools pursuing top-50 prospects are running out of contingency alternatives and Plan Bs.
So, what’s the latest on the senior class’s best remaining prospects, possible marquee classes, and other trends to watch?
Here are the most pressing unresolved issues for 2022, which may be addressed a little sooner than normal this autumn.
1. Who will finish first, Duke or Kentucky?
Following the commitment of No. 2 overall prospect Dereck Lively, who picked the Blue Devils over the Wildcats earlier this month, Duke has moved ahead of Kentucky for the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022. In the 2022 recruiting class, Lively was a crucial battleground between the two recruiting titans, and Duke’s victory over Kentucky for his pledge gives the Blue Devils the edge in the rankings. Jon Scheyer, the team’s new assistant coach, now boasts three top-10 prospects in Lively, Dariq Whitehead, and Kyle Filipowski, as well as exceptional shooter Jaden Schutt. Kentucky is ranked No. 2, but the Wildcats boast five-star prospects Chris Livingston and Skyy Clark, as well as overall No. 1 prospect Shaedon Sharpe.
In 2022, both programs have two priority objectives remaining. J.J. Starling and Mark Mitchell, both top-30 prospects, are being pursued by Duke, while Cason Wallace and Adem Bona are being pursued by Kentucky.
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The case of Zion Cruz (No. 56) is intriguing. He had a decision date scheduled for early September, but he changed his mind at the last minute and reopened his application. Since the decision was postponed, Memphis has made a strong surge, while Auburn, the prior favorite, no longer seems to be engaged.
It’s also worth mentioning that if both J.J. Starling (No. 27) and Mark Mitchell (No. 30) sign to Duke, the No. 1 class may be decided. Starling is still considering Notre Dame, Northwestern, Syracuse, and Stanford, while Mitchell is planning official trips to UCLA, Kansas, and Missouri this fall.
The sea of blue is a phrase that has been used to describe Duke’s recruiting class. It also refers to the fact that Kentucky has signed six more men’s college basketball recruits than Duke this year.
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