UNC Basketball: Will Patrick Baldwin turn down Duke, UNC?

The UNC Basketball program currently has three big offers out to prospects in the 2021 recruiting class as the cycle begins to slow down. While UNC does have two commitments in the class, they have yet to land a five-star in 2021.

All three remaining offers are to five-star recruits and the recruitments all could be coming to an end soon as Hunter Sallis is set to announce in March and rumors are swirling that Chet Holmgren is getting close as well. But what about Patrick Baldwin Jr.?

One of the top players in this class, Baldwin Jr. was earning serious interest from some Blue Blood programs including UNC and Duke. The Blue Devils were reportedly the favorites for months as they hoped to add him to their impressive class. The Tar Heels were always thought of as the third option or an outside shot with Duke and UW-Milwaukee being the top two teams.

But over the past few weeks, there’s been a significant development and it appears more and more likely Baldwin will end up playing for his father in Milwaukee.

Rob Cassidy of Rivals.com re-ranked the contenders for Baldwin Jr. as a decision looms and he’s on board with the recruit going to Milwaukee as well. The Panthers were listed No. 1 on the list following by Duke and North Carolina. Here is what Cassidy said about UNC’s chances:

"The Tar Heels are a long shot to say the least, but they probably still warrant mentioning. Roy Williams and company were involved with Baldwin to a more serious extent in the fall of last year but the chances of them actually landing him have faded as time progressed.The five-star choosing North Carolina would be a serious shock to anyone who has followed this story, but recruiting has a way of providing a couple head-turning moments each cycle."

Good news, bad news for UNC Basketball

The bad news is that UNC likely won’t be receiving a commitment from Baldwin Jr. but the good news is that he likely isn’t going down the road to Duke, either. So there’s that.

With the chances of UNC landing a five-star recruit getting slimmer and slimmer by the days, the focus should shift to 2022 where there is a lot of potential for a big class.

For more on the UNC Basketball program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.