5-star PG recruit made the Duke win at Madison Square Garden even better

When the Duke Blue Devils defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, it wasn't the only thing of not at Madison Square Garden that night.

As they secured the double-digit win, the Blue Devils had five-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. watching from the stands. Rippey isn't just a blue-chip prospect, but he's also one of the biggest targets for Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.

Rippey is the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2026, the No. 1 prospect out of New Jersey, and the No. 11 overall prospect in the recruiting cycle. Simply put, everyone wants him, but right now, the Blue Devils might be edging out everyone else.

Deron Rippey Jr. eying the Blue Devils

Just a few weeks ago, Rippey narrowed his list of potential programs to Duke, the Tennessee Volunteers, the NC State Wolfpack, the Texas Longhorns, and the Miami Hurricanes.

According to 247Sports, Rippey is leaning toward the Blue Devils, the Vols, and the Wolfpack, while still being interested in the Horns and the Canes.

With the young point guard in attendance for the Blue Devils' win over the Jayhawks, how could he resist the allure of playing for such a dominant blue-blood program, especially as more and more top-tier prospects commit to Duke over other programs?

So far, Scheyer and the Blue Devils have landed just three recruits in the class of 2026, following two nationally ranked No. 1 recruiting classes. Five-star power forward Cameron Williams, five-star small forward Bryson Howard, and four-star center Maxime Meyer.

The class ranks sixth in the nation, a step back from Scheyer's more recent recruiting dominance, but there are still months remaining until those rankings are final.

If players like Rippey continue to lean in Duke's direction, the Blue Devils will continue to see themselves climb up the recruiting rankings and are likely heading in the direction of landing yet another top-ranked class.