The closing 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 grew to become the primary college that isn’t a conventional blue-blood program to signal two top-five gamers from the identical class.
However subsequent historic success for groups with two gamers within the high 5 is way from a assure. Think about that Rutgers has reached the NCAA Event simply twice this century. The Scarlet Knights misplaced their finest participant (Clifford Omoruyi) to Alabama through the switch portal earlier this month, and so they’re coming off a season wherein they went 15-17 total and 7-13 in Massive Ten play — ok for thirteenth. Whereas Bailey and Harper undertaking as influence gamers from Day 1, surrounding them with veterans will likely be vital towards future success.
Duke and Rutgers joined eight totally different recruiting courses that featured two top-five signees. Of these eight, 5 failed to succeed in the second weekend of the NCAA Event. Kentucky‘s historic 2011 recruiting class, which featured Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, was the one one to win a nationwide championship.
Whereas the historic knowledge does not favor Rutgers or Duke profitable 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 within the 247Sports period. The newest class is headlined by Cooper Flagg — the No. 1 total prospect and one of the vital hyped-up incoming school basketball gamers in current 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.
Right 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 outcome: Misplaced within the first spherical of the NCAA Event
John Calipari’s closing recruiting class at Kentucky ranked because the No. 1 class within the 2023 cycle. The very best-ranked prospect of the group, Edwards, was touted as a participant who may turn out to be the No. 1 decide within the 2024 NBA Draft, however some early season struggles prompted him to discover a diminished function. As for Bradshaw, he missed the primary month of the season due to an harm and transferred to Ohio State after an up-and-down freshman marketing campaign. Kentucky misplaced to Oakland within the first spherical of the NCAA Event with this group within the closing recreation of Calipari’s tenure on the college.
Who: Dereck Vigorous lll (No. 2), Dariq Whitehead (No. 3) and Kyle Filipowski (No. 4)
Season outcome: Misplaced within the second spherical of the NCAA Event
Within the first season with out legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, Duke introduced in three five-star recruits to jump-start a brand new period. Vigorous and Whitehead each declared for the 2023 NBA Draft (the place they grew to become 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 scorching streak, which included profitable 10 consecutive video games earlier than falling to Tennessee within the second spherical of the NCAA Event.
Who: RJ Barrett (No. 1) and Cam Reddish (No. 3)
Season outcome: Misplaced within the Elite Eight
Maybe one of the best recruiting class within the fashionable period, Duke was capable of 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 Event run that included shut wins over UCF and Virginia Tech earlier than shedding to Michigan State within the Elite Eight. Williamson is one among 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 outcome: Misplaced within the second spherical of the NCAA Event
Duke managed to signal two of the highest gamers within the 2016 recruiting cycle, however 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 through the 2016 cycle. Duke misplaced within the second spherical of the NCAA Event to South Carolina as a No. 2 seed.
Who: Cliff Alexander (No. 4) and Kelly Oubre (No. 5)
Season outcome: Misplaced within the second spherical of the NCAA Event
The 2014-15 Kansas roster featured seven gamers who would play on the subsequent degree. Alexander and Oubre had been two of them. The Jayhawks entered the 2015 NCAA Event as a No. 2 seed and fell to No. 7 seed Wichita State within the second spherical. Oubre was chosen No. 15 within 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 outcome: Misplaced in nationwide title recreation
Kentucky’s 2013 recruiting class (on the time) grew to become the primary crew within the 247Sports period to signal three top-five gamers from the identical class. The Wildcats entered the 2014 NCAA Event with a 24-10 document and gained 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 event that helped Kentucky attain the title recreation.
Who: Shabazz Muhammad (No. 2) and Kyle Anderson (No. 3)
Season outcome: Misplaced within the first spherical of the NCAA Event
After signing two high gamers from the 2012 recruiting cycle, UCLA coach Ben Howland was fired after a first-round exit within the NCAA Event. Muhammad was drafted No. 14 within the 2013 NBA Draft after a standout freshman marketing campaign however by no means lived as much as the hype on the subsequent degree. Anderson elected to return again to highschool for his sophomore yr and later grew to become a late first-round decide the next summer season.
Kentucky (2011)
Who: Anthony Davis (No. 1) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (No. 2)
Season outcome: Gained nationwide title
It is uncommon to get a participant of Davis’ caliber on the school degree. The previous Kentucky star is taken into account probably the greatest 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 probably the greatest freshmen in school basketball throughout his lone season at UK. Davis and Kidd-Gilchrist would ultimately go Nos. 1-2 within the 2012 NBA Draft — similar to they had been slotted within the closing 247Sports rankings.