Momentum favors Duke basketball in Patrick Baldwin Jr. race

Christmas Day could arrive early this year for the Duke basketball program.

Up until February, the 247Sports Crystal Ball pegged the Duke basketball recruiting team as the consensus frontrunner in its quest to reel in Hamilton (Wis.) small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., a 6-foot-10, 205-pound five-star who now ranks No. 4 overall on the 247Sports 2021 Composite.

But that perceived Blue Devil advantage evaporated quickly at the time due to growing chatter of Baldwin’s father, Milwaukee head coach Pat Baldwin, picking up steam. Of course, this speculation made some sense in light of the fact that the sharpshooting phenom’s other suitors have been unable to visit with him in person given the closed recruiting trail.

Now, though, Mike Krzyzewski and his gang appear to be on their way to regaining the lead.

ALSO READ: 3 signs Patrick Baldwin Jr. might choose Blue Devils

On Tuesday, the top Duke basketball recruiting insider at 247Sports, John Watson, switched his prediction back to the Blue Devils. Although only a 50 percent confidence level accompanies his forecast, it sure seems significant considering the timing…

When will the longtime Duke basketball target announce his decision?

Granted, 75 percent of the Crystal Ball still projects Milwaukee to win out over Patrick Baldwin Jr.’s other nine finalists: Duke, Georgetown, Kentucky, Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, UNC, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

That said, as the 18-year-old nears the finish line of his recruitment, John Watson’s changed pick is the most recent one, marking the first for the Blue Devils this calendar year.

On the other hand, Baldwin has yet to set a decision date, and Tipton Edits recently tweeted that the day will likely come without advance warning. Therefore, at this point, there’s really no telling when the news will break or what all may change between now and then.

Nevertheless, with O’Dea (Wash.) five-star power forward Paolo Banchero ambitiously working to convince Baldwin to join him in Durham next season, optimism abounds. After all, the 6-foot-11, 250-pound bruiser, who ranks No. 3 in the class, already played a key role in the Blue Devils snagging a pledge from Paul VI (Va.) five-star shooting guard Trevor Keels a few weeks ago.

Now, one would think Baldwin must feel the strong allure of being a part of what undoubtedly would be an epic recruiting class. Plus, seeing that he attended a Duke home game in February 2020 and has held an offer from Coach K & Co. since July 2018, he should be familiar with the program despite the lack of face-to-face visits across these past 14 months.

In addition to Banchero and Keels (ranks No. 20), the Blue Devils boast signed national letters of intent from both Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) five-star small forward AJ Griffin (No. 12) and Blair Academy (N.J.) four-star point guard Jaylen Blakes (No. 107).

With Patrick Baldwin Jr. on board, the five-deep Duke basketball recruiting crop would indeed leapfrog both Gonzaga and Michigan for the top spot on the 247Sports 2021 Class Rankings, thereby giving the Blue Devils their fifth No. 1 haul since 2014.