UNC Basketball: Crystal Ball starting to trend Duke’s way for 2019 target?

The UNC Basketball program still holds the lead in the Crystal Ball prediction for a 2019 recruiting target but Duke might be picking up some steam.

It’s no secret that class of 2019 forward Armando Bacot has emerged as one of the top targets for Roy Williams and his staff. Once considered a heavy Duke lean, things appeared to take a turn for the better for the University of North Carolina’s chances back in February.

Bacot took an unofficial visit to Chapel Hill to watch UNC battle Duke and after that the Crystal Ball predictions on 247 Sports started trending the Tar Heels way.

Williams then watched Bacot on numerous occasions during the Spring evaluation period and again during the July period. Bacot was named the MVP of the Nike Peach Jam and showed just how good of a player he could be for whatever college he picks.

At the end of July, Bacot trimmed his list down to five with both UNC and Duke included as expected. Joining the Tobacco Road Blue Bloods were Oklahoma State, Georgia, and VCU.

Still, UNC was considered the favorites to land the five-star Virginia product.  But something interesting has happened this week in terms of Bacot’s Crystal Ball.

The last three predictions for Bacot on the 247 Sports Crystal Ball have been to Duke including two of them from Duke Insiders. Both John Watson and Adam Rowe of the Devil’s Den made their prediction for Duke on Wednesday. The third prediction was from Chris Arvin of VTScoop.

Crystal Ball predictions aren’t everything but with two people pretty connected with the program making those picks, it’s a little worrisome. Both Rowe and Watson are pretty plugged in with the program, so their predictions certainly are interesting.

Bacot’s recruitment has been pretty quiet for the most part outside of him naming his Top 5 and hoping to take visits this Fall. He could make a decision during the early signing period after making those visits.

It’s also important to note that the Tar Heels still do lead the Crystal Ball for Bacot at 77 percent compared to 23 percent for Duke. They may still be the favorites but the two Duke predictions do raise some questions.

We will continue to monitor Bacot’s recruitment and how involved the Tar Heels are as he could make his decision in the coming months.

For more on the Tar Heels and their future recruiting classes, please check back with Keeping It Heel.