Duke, Rutgers have two recruits in top five, but that doesn’t guarantee instant success in NCAA Tournament

The final 247Sports recruiting rankings revealed Wednesday featured Rutgers signee Dylan Harper leaping one spot to No. 3 and Duke signee Khaman Maluach dropping a spot to No. 4. Harper and Bailey, the No. 2 recruit in 2024, headline a historic recruiting class at Rutgers that turned the primary faculty that is just not a conventional blue-blood program to signal two top-five gamers from the identical class. 

But subsequent historic success for groups with two gamers in the top 5 is way from a guarantee. Consider that Rutgers has reached the NCAA Tournament simply twice this century. The Scarlet Knights misplaced their finest participant (Clifford Omoruyi) to Alabama by way of the switch portal earlier this month, and so they’re coming off a season in which they went 15-17 total and 7-13 in Big Ten play — ok for thirteenth. While Bailey and Harper mission as influence gamers from Day 1, surrounding them with veterans might be essential towards future success.

Duke and Rutgers joined eight completely different recruiting courses that featured two top-five signees. Of these eight, 5 failed to succeed in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky‘s historic 2011 recruiting class, which featured Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, was the one one to win a nationwide championship.

While the historic information doesn’t favor Rutgers or Duke successful a nationwide championship come March, the latter could also be higher geared up to make a deep run. The Blue Devils’ incoming recruiting class rivals their 2018 recruiting class that featured RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Zion Williamson for one of the best highschool recruiting class in the 247Sports period. The newest class is headlined by Cooper Flagg — the No. 1 total prospect and probably the most hyped-up incoming school basketball gamers in latest reminiscence. 

Duke completed with the No. 1 total class forward of Alabama, Arizona, and Rutgers and signed two top-five prospects for the fourth time since 2016. 

Here is how different groups that signed two top-five gamers in the identical class fared the next season:

Kentucky (2023)

Who: Justin Edwards (No. 3) and Aaron Bradshaw (No. 5)

Season end result: Lost in the primary spherical of the NCAA Tournament 

John Calipari’s closing recruiting class at Kentucky ranked because the No. 1 class in the 2023 cycle. The highest-ranked prospect of the group, Edwards, was touted as a participant who may turn out to be the No. 1 choose in the 2024 NBA Draft, but some early season struggles prompted him to discover a diminished position. As for Bradshaw, he missed the primary month of the season due to an damage and transferred to Ohio State after an up-and-down freshman marketing campaign. Kentucky misplaced to Oakland in the primary spherical of the NCAA Tournament with this group in the ultimate recreation of Calipari’s tenure on the faculty.

Who: Dereck Lively lll (No. 2), Dariq Whitehead (No. 3) and Kyle Filipowski (No. 4)

Season end result: Lost in the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament 

In the primary season with out legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke introduced in three five-star recruits to jump-start a brand new period. Lively and Whitehead each declared for the 2023 NBA Draft (the place they turned first-round picks), and Filipowski elected to return to highschool for his sophomore season. After dropping to 8-6 in ACC play following a loss to Virginia, Duke went on a sizzling streak, which included successful 10 consecutive video games earlier than falling to Tennessee in the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament.

Who: RJ Barrett (No. 1) and Cam Reddish (No. 3)

Season end result: Lost in the Elite Eight

Perhaps one of the best recruiting class in the fashionable period, Duke was in a position to signal the top-ranked participant (Barrett), the No. 3 participant (Reddish), and the No. 7 participant (Zion Williamson) from the 2018 recruiting cycle. The Blue Devils had an exhilarating NCAA Tournament run that included shut wins over UCF and Virginia Tech earlier than dropping to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Williamson is certainly one of three freshmen (Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant being the others) to win the Naismith Award.

Who: Harry Giles (No. 3) and Frank Jackson (No. 5)

Season end result: Lost in the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament 

Duke managed to signal two of the top gamers in the 2016 recruiting cycle, but one of the best signee from the category was outdoors the top-five. Future NBA star Jayson Tatum was the No. 8 participant in his class and helped the Blue Devils safe the top-ranked recruiting class throughout the 2016 cycle. Duke misplaced in the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament to South Carolina as a No. 2 seed.

Who: Cliff Alexander (No. 4) and Kelly Oubre (No. 5)

Season end result: Lost in the second spherical of the NCAA Tournament 

The 2014-15 Kansas roster featured seven gamers who would play on the subsequent stage. Alexander and Oubre have been two of them. The Jayhawks entered the 2015 NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed and fell to No. 7 seed Wichita State in the second spherical. Oubre was chosen No. 15 in the 2015 NBA Draft, whereas Alexander went undrafted.

Kentucky (2013)

Who: Julius Randle (No. 2) Andrew Harrison (No. 3) and Aaron Harrison (No. 5)

Season end result: Lost in nationwide title recreation

Kentucky’s 2013 recruiting class (on the time) turned the primary group in the 247Sports period to signal three top-five gamers from the identical class. The Wildcats entered the 2014 NCAA Tournament with a 24-10 file and received 5 consecutive video games over Kansas State, Wichita State, Louisville, Michigan, and Wisconsin to succeed in the nationwide title recreation. Aaron Harrison hit a handful of clutch buckets all through the match that helped Kentucky attain the title recreation.

Who: Shabazz Muhammad (No. 2) and Kyle Anderson (No. 3)

Season end result: Lost in the primary spherical of the NCAA Tournament 

After signing two top gamers from the 2012 recruiting cycle, UCLA coach Ben Howland was fired after a first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament. Muhammad was drafted No. 14 in the 2013 NBA Draft after a standout freshman marketing campaign but by no means lived as much as the hype on the subsequent stage. Anderson elected to return again to highschool for his sophomore yr and later turned a late first-round choose the next summer time.

Kentucky (2011)

Who: Anthony Davis (No. 1) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (No. 2)

Season end result: Won nationwide title 

It’s uncommon to get a participant of Davis’ caliber on the school stage. The former Kentucky star is taken into account the most effective one-and-done prospects in school basketball historical past, and he helped lead the Wildcats to their final nationwide title in 2012. Kidd-Gilchrist additionally was the most effective freshmen in school basketball throughout his lone season at UK. Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist would ultimately go Nos. 1-2 in the 2012 NBA Draft — identical to they have been slotted in the ultimate 247Sports rankings.