NCAA Basketball: Impact of Kansas landing 5-star center Flory Bidunga

Kokomo Wildkats center Flory Bidunga (40) rushes up the court on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Ben Davis Giants lead at the half against the Kokomo Wildkats, 28-17, during the IHSAA Class 4A state finals championship.High School Basketball Ini Hs Basketball Class 3a State Final Northwood Panthers At Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles /

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Head coach Jon Scheyer talks with Kyle Filipowski #30 of the Duke Blue Devils. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Where Duke goes after missing out on Flory Bidunga

It’s very rare to see the Blue Devils miss out on a recruit, especially one they were viewed as favorites for a while. What makes this even more of a legit surprise is that center is a position of need for the Blue Devils roster after next season. Ryan Young will be moving on, while Kyle Filipowski is very likely to be going pro.

When Duke missed out on targets such as Kansas transfer Ernest Udeh Jr. this offseason, it felt like only a matter of time before they land one of the top available class of 2024 centers. But now that Bidunga is off the board, look for them to focus fully on Patrick Ngongba, a top-40 prospect that’s been rising fast up the rankings in his own right.

Duke is among the options available for Ngongba, along with Kansas State, UConn, Kansas, and Indiana. He’s a 6’10 big man that has similar traits as Bidunga but doesn’t have the same kind of natural explosiveness. However, the new target likely would be around for 2+ years, allowing the Blue Devils to not instantly have to find his replacement in the 2025 class.

But first, look for Duke to spend the next couple of months landing Cooper Flagg, the superstar five-star prospect that just reclassified to the 2024 class. The blue blood program is viewed as the favorite to land his services but got a couple of other teams involved. As long as they land Flagg, Duke fans will move on from the Bidunga miss.

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