Duke basketball: UConn has ‘closed the gap’ in race for Cooper Flagg

There is a major two horse race on for Duke basketball recruiting target Cooper Flagg. 

The biggest recruiting news of the week came when Duke basketball target Cooper Flagg decided to cancel his upcoming official visit to Kansas and trim his finalists down to the Blue Devils and UConn Huskies.

Duke has been long considered the favorite to land Flagg since his early days of high school but the defending National Champions have turned up the pressure recently after hosting the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024 on an official visit two weeks ago.

College basketball insiders Seth Davis and Jeff Goodman published a new piece on Flagg via The Messenger and his recruitment timeline after he completes his official visit to Duke, which begins on October 20.

The insiders said that UConn head coach Dan Hurley and his staff have “done well to close the gap” between the two schools but still all eight Crystal Ball predictions on 247Sports have Flagg landing at Duke and On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Blue Devils a 95-percent chance at landing a commitment.

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Duke basketball getting final opportunity to impress Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg’s visit to Durham will be his second trip to Duke after taking an unofficial visit in early  August, shortly before he announced his reclassification as a 2024 prospect, but he will be in attendance for the Blue Devils’ Countdown to Craziness.

However, there is an expectation that he will announce his commitment shortly after he returns to Montverde Academy (Fla.) following his final official visit and sign during the early signing period, which runs between November 8 and 15.

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Duke currently has the No. 3 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, in the country comprised of 5-star recruits Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel as well as 4-star guard Darren Harris.

Connecticut has the No. 15 class in 2024 with 4-stars Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham.