Adam Finkelstein 3y

2022 men's college basketball recruiting class rankings: Duke, Kansas lead way early

Men's College Basketball, Men Basketball Recruiting, Duke Blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks, Ohio State Buckeyes, North Carolina Tar Heels, Virginia Cavaliers, Baylor Bears, UCLA Bruins, Oregon Ducks, Indiana Hoosiers, Michigan Wolverines

For as much as men's college basketball recruiting changes, it appears to still stay the same.

With the impact of the transfer portal, the emergence of various professional options and now name, image and likeness, recruiting in 2021 is vastly different than it was even a few years ago.

Nevertheless, perennial national powerhouses continue to set the pace when it comes to the recruiting trail. Duke, North Carolina and Indiana all have new head coaches (or head coaches in-waiting in Duke's case) and yet they remain among the best of the best. The rest of the top 10 is made up of equally familiar names like Kansas, Baylor, Ohio State, Michigan and UCLA, among others.

The only prominent name missing thus far is Kentucky, but with John Calipari and his staff in strong position with a number of prominent five-star prospects, even that should only be a matter of time until the norm is restored.

1. Duke Blue Devils

It was imperative the Blue Devils started strong on the recruiting trail after they announced Jon Scheyer would succeed Mike Krzyzewski in the top seat for the 2022-23 season. With Coack K not out this summer, Scheyer and his staff have solidified the Duke brand by landing a pair of five-star talents in Dariq Whitehead and Kyle Filipowski. Whitehead is an elite defender and competitor with natural leadership skills and tons of intangibles. He has been a high-profile prospect since he was younger, but has maintained his humility and continued to improve with each passing year. Filipowski, on the other hand, has come on strong in the last two years. A playmaking big man who stands just under 7-feet but can still attack off the dribble and facilitate for others, Filipowski's game has exploded alongside a new commitment to conditioning and consequent gains in mobility and quickness off his feet around the rim.

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