Top Kentucky basketball recruiting links: Duke’s shot at No. 1 class takes a big hit

Duke’s grip on the No. 1 ranking in the 2022 basketball recruiting cycle might be slipping.

The Blue Devils lost out Tuesday on four-star guard JJ Starling, who announced his commitment to Notre Dame instead of picking the Blue Devils. Duke also has a battle on its hands for five-star forward Mark Mitchell, with a 247Sports analyst logging a prediction over the weekend in favor of UCLA in that recruitment.

When Duke passed Kentucky in the 2022 rankings earlier this fall, the Blue Devils looked to be in good shape with both Starling and Mitchell, a commitment combo that would have basically clinched the No. 1 ranking.

UK is still in the mix for both five-star center Adem Bona and five-star combo guard Cason Wallace, but landing both of those players wouldn’t have snagged the top ranking for Duke, if it had landed Starling and Mitchell. Now, the scenarios for the No. 1 ranking are getting more clear.

The Cats remain favorites for Wallace, and if they land him, Duke would have to sign Mitchell to beat out Kentucky for the top ranking. If Duke does get Mitchell, then Kentucky would need to land both Wallace and Bona to secure the No. 1 ranking for 2022.

We’ll see what happens.

Top Kentucky basketball and recruiting links:

Bona slipping away? National analyst picking UCLA for 5-star center

NBA Draft rankings: Lots of freshmen, few Wildcats on preseason list

Video: Five-star point guard Kylan Boswell talks UK, Gonzaga and more

Could John Calipari be a trendsetter with use of veteran transfers?

Coach K addresses early injury to five-star Duke freshman AJ Griffin

Open practice notes: Sahvir Wheeler’s injury put damper on UK’s day

Kentucky Kernel notes from the Wildcats’ open practice on Monday

Top Duke target Mark Mitchell might not make decision until December

NCAA infractions cases for Kansas, Louisville and others are updated

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