Mackenzie Mgbako picks Duke. Duke has now beaten us for 17/20 top 10 guys since 2015.

[megablue]

Duke has now beaten us for 17 out of the last 20 head-to-heads for top 10 RSCI guys. That's an 85% success rate on their end, and a 15% success rate on our end.

In 2017, Calipari started taking open shots at Duke's recruiting pitch. By the spring of 2018, he was openly mocking them and ended up calling them out three or four times publicly in a three year period.

Despite all of Calipari's deflection and excuse making, it's more than "Nike helps them", although that's part of it (and a huge part). Duke is outselling their program against Kentucky.

This stuff started way back in 2009 when we were going after Kyrie. Calipari was at his absolute zenith, and he had Rod Strickland on the staff, who is Kyrie's freaking literal godfather. He also had Wall coming in, and had just sent Evans and Rose to the NBA as #4 and #1 picks, respectively (both won rookie of the year in their NBA debut seasons).

So here was Cal, recruiting Kyrie, and offering Nike support, the keys to the Kentucky point guard kingdom, and a chance to play on the largest stage in the country (the Kentucky brand was better than the Duke brand at that moment, particularly when Kyrie committed to Duke while Wall and Cousins were bringing waves of newfound hype to Lexington and Duke was the under-the-radar, eventual national champion that season).

So why did Kyrie wade through all the fully galvanized Calipari pitch, only to pick Duke at the end? Nike was supporting both programs. Cal's point guard record was the hottest discussion in college hoops. He also had Strickland to dangle in front of Kyrie's family.

So what was it? It ended up being that Duke had a better pitch for players who saw themselves (or wanted to see themselves) as more than the next kid on the NBA fast track. They sold Kyrie on Duke being everything Kentucky was - fast track to the NBA, brightest spotlight, etc. - only doing it on a more superior, elite way. Duke even went so far as to begin poaching everything we did well - "brotherhood" instead of "la familia"; pro day; fully embracing OAD, etc. All we were left with when the smoke cleared was a lesser version of Duke's pitch. They offered academics, future connections provided by university affiliation, and a connection to a real legacy centered around a head coach. Kentucky, under Cal, was only offering the quick ticket to the NBA, and the best possible training for the NBA. When recruits began to question if UK was really the best possible place for player development when compared to Duke, suddenly all of Calipari's best pitches had been thrown, while K was still fine-tuning new ones.

By the time we get to Jabari Parker's recruitment in 2012ish, Coach K's pitch was expanding. Jabari even said he didn't like the way UK was portraying the OAD setting, and came across as if it was all about the NBA with Calipari. Parker, and clearly other kids like Kyrie, wanted more, and their parents wanted more. They wanted the OAD elitism, without the OAD stigma. They wanted the reality of NBA fast-track, but wanted to do it from an elite college academic environment where their parents could pretend their son was bettering himself academically, professionally, and in terms of having future connection through the Duke "set for life" approach.

It worked. By November of 2013, Tyus Jones and Okafor both chose Duke over Kentucky. Winslow followed suit just a few months later.

Since then, Duke has beaten Kentucky for 17 out of 20 top ten guys. While we've been mocking their players and their pitch on the "set for life" angle, few of us have really heard what the players are actually saying. They've literally been telling us the same thing over and over again: they prefer what Duke is pitching to them more than what Kentucky is pitching to them.

Instead of mocking them, maybe Calipari should start listening to them and start selling recruits on everything our state and program can offer besides and beyond the NBA.

How far back does your recruiting data go ?? It seems to me that we've had the same issue with Duke for as long as I can remember and I am 70 years old. I believe we've always fared poorly in head-to-head with them.

 

[ace on the river]

These kids don’t care about college basketball. It’s apparent. Cal has put a shit ton of players in the pros. More than any other program so that dog don’t hunt.

Not true at all. You think Karl Towns, Andrew Harrison, Brandon Knight, Josh Harrelson didn't want to win while they were here? Those guys played their asses off

 

[TopCatCal]

Duke has now beaten us for 17 out of the last 20 head-to-heads for top 10 RSCI guys. That's an 85% success rate on their end, and a 15% success rate on our end.

In 2017, Calipari started taking open shots at Duke's recruiting pitch. By the spring of 2018, he was openly mocking them and ended up calling them out three or four times publicly in a three year period.

Despite all of Calipari's deflection and excuse making, it's more than "Nike helps them", although that's part of it (and a huge part). Duke is outselling their program against Kentucky.

This stuff started way back in 2009 when we were going after Kyrie. Calipari was at his absolute zenith, and he had Rod Strickland on the staff, who is Kyrie's freaking literal godfather. He also had Wall coming in, and had just sent Evans and Rose to the NBA as #4 and #1 picks, respectively (both won rookie of the year in their NBA debut seasons).

So here was Cal, recruiting Kyrie, and offering Nike support, the keys to the Kentucky point guard kingdom, and a chance to play on the largest stage in the country (the Kentucky brand was better than the Duke brand at that moment, particularly when Kyrie committed to Duke while Wall and Cousins were bringing waves of newfound hype to Lexington and Duke was the under-the-radar, eventual national champion that season).

So why did Kyrie wade through all the fully galvanized Calipari pitch, only to pick Duke at the end? Nike was supporting both programs. Cal's point guard record was the hottest discussion in college hoops. He also had Strickland to dangle in front of Kyrie's family.

So what was it? It ended up being that Duke had a better pitch for players who saw themselves (or wanted to see themselves) as more than the next kid on the NBA fast track. They sold Kyrie on Duke being everything Kentucky was - fast track to the NBA, brightest spotlight, etc. - only doing it on a more superior, elite way. Duke even went so far as to begin poaching everything we did well - "brotherhood" instead of "la familia"; pro day; fully embracing OAD, etc. All we were left with when the smoke cleared was a lesser version of Duke's pitch. They offered academics, future connections provided by university affiliation, and a connection to a real legacy centered around a head coach. Kentucky, under Cal, was only offering the quick ticket to the NBA, and the best possible training for the NBA. When recruits began to question if UK was really the best possible place for player development when compared to Duke, suddenly all of Calipari's best pitches had been thrown, while K was still fine-tuning new ones.

By the time we get to Jabari Parker's recruitment in 2012ish, Coach K's pitch was expanding. Jabari even said he didn't like the way UK was portraying the OAD setting, and came across as if it was all about the NBA with Calipari. Parker, and clearly other kids like Kyrie, wanted more, and their parents wanted more. They wanted the OAD elitism, without the OAD stigma. They wanted the reality of NBA fast-track, but wanted to do it from an elite college academic environment where their parents could pretend their son was bettering himself academically, professionally, and in terms of having future connection through the Duke "set for life" approach.

It worked. By November of 2013, Tyus Jones and Okafor both chose Duke over Kentucky. Winslow followed suit just a few months later.

Since then, Duke has beaten Kentucky for 17 out of 20 top ten guys. While we've been mocking their players and their pitch on the "set for life" angle, few of us have really heard what the players are actually saying. They've literally been telling us the same thing over and over again: they prefer what Duke is pitching to them more than what Kentucky is pitching to them.

Instead of mocking them, maybe Calipari should start listening to them and start selling recruits on everything our state and program can offer besides and beyond the NBA.

On here last year people were posting that if we could get Orlando Antigua back that our recruiting problems would be solved. Well, how's that working out. It's got to the point now that high school recruits would rather play for some little fella named Jon Scheyer that's never coached a game in his life than to play for John Calipari. Jon Scheyer is such a nobody that I would be willing to bet that 99% of Americans couldn't identify the guy if they saw him on TV. Yet he's beating Calipari for recruit after recruit.

 

[TOMCATS1990]

On here last year people were posting that if we could get Orlando Antigua back that our recruiting problems would be solved. Well, how's that working out. It's got to the point now that high school recruits would rather play for some little fella named Jon Scheyer that's never coached a game in his life than to play for John Calipari.

Yep even with what I think is an excellent staff the elephant in the room continues to be CAL and all the bridges he has burned.. I’d love to have our staff with Oates Mussleman Pearl Vogel Holtmann etc.

 

[SosaUK87]

Not true at all. You think Karl Towns, Andrew Harrison, Brandon Knight, Josh Harrelson didn't want to win while they were here? Those guys played their asses off

And how long ago was that? Also really random to throw Harrelson in that group. Also, I’ve hung out a ton with Tubby/BCG/Cal players. Believe what ya want.

 

[SosaUK87]

Not true at all. You think Karl Towns, Andrew Harrison, Brandon Knight, Josh Harrelson didn't want to win while they were here? Those guys played their asses off

Also, Sharpe is on line 3.

 

[chevyman 50]

Ky is getting beat in recruiting, all times wins, knock out in the first round. There is not much to look forward to for Ky BB anymore

 

[Sawnee Cat]

How far back does your recruiting data go ?? It seems to me that we've had the same issue with Duke for as long as I can remember and I am 70 years old. I believe we've always fared poorly in head-to-head with them.

Remember the time Duke took Jeff Mullins right out of Lexington LaFayette High School. He didn't give UK a second thought.

Now his situation was a little different because he was a New Yorker whose daddy had been transferred down to Lexington with IBM. Still he snubbed. He became an All American at Duke

 

[21Goose]

The bottom line is who the hell has an ego so big that you literally tell Nike you won't play in their own tournament? We are basically the only top Nike affiliated school that doesn't play in it.
Another thing that gets me on a smaller level is Cal refusing to go to Maui. Every recruit in America is watching those games thinking man id love to go out to Hawaii.
Cal's ego is killing our program.

 

[Fox2monk]

All that is probably true, but the bottom line is, these kids parents started seeing the same used car salesman we all see. The way he choked away the 2015 game that EVERYONE was watching, hurt the recruiting immensely

It’s amazing how that one game changed the course of our team. It’s nuts. We were chasing history and it was right there. Destroyed everything. We’ll never have another game be like that again. No way.

 

[qwesley]

F Duke man, God bless everybody but them. I still don’t understand how urban black kids think Duke is “cool”. Like for real?

Gots to be $$.

They have always done a good job of selling parents on the prestige of attending Duke. Even before OAD they were selling their 3 year joke Sociology degree.

 

[SosaUK87]

They have always done a good job of selling parents on the prestige of attending Duke. Even before OAD they were selling their 3 year joke Sociology degree.

Yup, yet they somehow admit players that can’t spell their own name. Prestige my ass.

Hell, one of their former players thinks the damn earth is flat.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Yet 8>5.
In NCAAT Title games:
UK 8-4
Duke 5-6

Since 1978 UK has 4 titles and Duke has 5.
At that rate it would take Duke 132 yrs. just to tie UK in championships.

😴 😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Yup, yet they somehow admit players that can’t spell their own name. Prestige my ass.

Hell, one of their former players thinks the damn earth is flat.

Sosa Im embarrassed to say my 27 yr old son does too. Kids today!

 

[SosaUK87]

Sosa Im embarrassed to say my 27 yr old son does too. Kids today!

Oh Lordy. Lol

 

[BlueArrow87]

Well see what their new coach does with great recruits. The ncaa tournament is a crap shot 2015 we had an awful game. 2017 we got jobbed. 2020 if the tournament were played tba.

 

[kybassfan]

Duke has now beaten us for 17 out of the last 20 head-to-heads for top 10 RSCI guys. That's an 85% success rate on their end, and a 15% success rate on our end.

In 2017, Calipari started taking open shots at Duke's recruiting pitch. By the spring of 2018, he was openly mocking them and ended up calling them out three or four times publicly in a three year period.

Despite all of Calipari's deflection and excuse making, it's more than "Nike helps them", although that's part of it (and a huge part). Duke is outselling their program against Kentucky.

This stuff started way back in 2009 when we were going after Kyrie. Calipari was at his absolute zenith, and he had Rod Strickland on the staff, who is Kyrie's freaking literal godfather. He also had Wall coming in, and had just sent Evans and Rose to the NBA as #4 and #1 picks, respectively (both won rookie of the year in their NBA debut seasons).

So here was Cal, recruiting Kyrie, and offering Nike support, the keys to the Kentucky point guard kingdom, and a chance to play on the largest stage in the country (the Kentucky brand was better than the Duke brand at that moment, particularly when Kyrie committed to Duke while Wall and Cousins were bringing waves of newfound hype to Lexington and Duke was the under-the-radar, eventual national champion that season).

So why did Kyrie wade through all the fully galvanized Calipari pitch, only to pick Duke at the end? Nike was supporting both programs. Cal's point guard record was the hottest discussion in college hoops. He also had Strickland to dangle in front of Kyrie's family.

So what was it? It ended up being that Duke had a better pitch for players who saw themselves (or wanted to see themselves) as more than the next kid on the NBA fast track. They sold Kyrie on Duke being everything Kentucky was - fast track to the NBA, brightest spotlight, etc. - only doing it on a more superior, elite way. Duke even went so far as to begin poaching everything we did well - "brotherhood" instead of "la familia"; pro day; fully embracing OAD, etc. All we were left with when the smoke cleared was a lesser version of Duke's pitch. They offered academics, future connections provided by university affiliation, and a connection to a real legacy centered around a head coach. Kentucky, under Cal, was only offering the quick ticket to the NBA, and the best possible training for the NBA. When recruits began to question if UK was really the best possible place for player development when compared to Duke, suddenly all of Calipari's best pitches had been thrown, while K was still fine-tuning new ones.

By the time we get to Jabari Parker's recruitment in 2012ish, Coach K's pitch was expanding. Jabari even said he didn't like the way UK was portraying the OAD setting, and came across as if it was all about the NBA with Calipari. Parker, and clearly other kids like Kyrie, wanted more, and their parents wanted more. They wanted the OAD elitism, without the OAD stigma. They wanted the reality of NBA fast-track, but wanted to do it from an elite college academic environment where their parents could pretend their son was bettering himself academically, professionally, and in terms of having future connection through the Duke "set for life" approach.

It worked. By November of 2013, Tyus Jones and Okafor both chose Duke over Kentucky. Winslow followed suit just a few months later.

Since then, Duke has beaten Kentucky for 17 out of 20 top ten guys. While we've been mocking their players and their pitch on the "set for life" angle, few of us have really heard what the players are actually saying. They've literally been telling us the same thing over and over again: they prefer what Duke is pitching to them more than what Kentucky is pitching to them.

Instead of mocking them, maybe Calipari should start listening to them and start selling recruits on everything our state and program can offer besides and beyond the NBA.

If you ignore facts, you are free to make up any bullshit you like.

 

[Wonky]

Goodness, Scheyer is a goofy looking MF’er. Him and Jeff Goodman could be brothers.

 

[ManitouDan]

Duke has now beaten us for 17 out of the last 20 head-to-heads for top 10 RSCI guys. That's an 85% success rate on their end, and a 15% success rate on our end.

In 2017, Calipari started taking open shots at Duke's recruiting pitch. By the spring of 2018, he was openly mocking them and ended up calling them out three or four times publicly in a three year period.

Despite all of Calipari's deflection and excuse making, it's more than "Nike helps them", although that's part of it (and a huge part). Duke is outselling their program against Kentucky.

This stuff started way back in 2009 when we were going after Kyrie. Calipari was at his absolute zenith, and he had Rod Strickland on the staff, who is Kyrie's freaking literal godfather. He also had Wall coming in, and had just sent Evans and Rose to the NBA as #4 and #1 picks, respectively (both won rookie of the year in their NBA debut seasons).

So here was Cal, recruiting Kyrie, and offering Nike support, the keys to the Kentucky point guard kingdom, and a chance to play on the largest stage in the country (the Kentucky brand was better than the Duke brand at that moment, particularly when Kyrie committed to Duke while Wall and Cousins were bringing waves of newfound hype to Lexington and Duke was the under-the-radar, eventual national champion that season).

So why did Kyrie wade through all the fully galvanized Calipari pitch, only to pick Duke at the end? Nike was supporting both programs. Cal's point guard record was the hottest discussion in college hoops. He also had Strickland to dangle in front of Kyrie's family.

So what was it? It ended up being that Duke had a better pitch for players who saw themselves (or wanted to see themselves) as more than the next kid on the NBA fast track. They sold Kyrie on Duke being everything Kentucky was - fast track to the NBA, brightest spotlight, etc. - only doing it on a more superior, elite way. Duke even went so far as to begin poaching everything we did well - "brotherhood" instead of "la familia"; pro day; fully embracing OAD, etc. All we were left with when the smoke cleared was a lesser version of Duke's pitch. They offered academics, future connections provided by university affiliation, and a connection to a real legacy centered around a head coach. Kentucky, under Cal, was only offering the quick ticket to the NBA, and the best possible training for the NBA. When recruits began to question if UK was really the best possible place for player development when compared to Duke, suddenly all of Calipari's best pitches had been thrown, while K was still fine-tuning new ones.

By the time we get to Jabari Parker's recruitment in 2012ish, Coach K's pitch was expanding. Jabari even said he didn't like the way UK was portraying the OAD setting, and came across as if it was all about the NBA with Calipari. Parker, and clearly other kids like Kyrie, wanted more, and their parents wanted more. They wanted the OAD elitism, without the OAD stigma. They wanted the reality of NBA fast-track, but wanted to do it from an elite college academic environment where their parents could pretend their son was bettering himself academically, professionally, and in terms of having future connection through the Duke "set for life" approach.

It worked. By November of 2013, Tyus Jones and Okafor both chose Duke over Kentucky. Winslow followed suit just a few months later.

Since then, Duke has beaten Kentucky for 17 out of 20 top ten guys. While we've been mocking their players and their pitch on the "set for life" angle, few of us have really heard what the players are actually saying. They've literally been telling us the same thing over and over again: they prefer what Duke is pitching to them more than what Kentucky is pitching to them.

Instead of mocking them, maybe Calipari should start listening to them and start selling recruits on everything our state and program can offer besides and beyond the NBA.

This is a more informed , intelligent , in depth review of anything that the talking heads at KSR , Ky-SI edition , SEC this or that , have ever written . Matt Jones my ass . Drew someone , none of them produce a bare bones honest Assessment of the truth like this . Good work SOS

 

[ManitouDan]

It doesnt matter who Duke gets as long as you can counter.
Im fine with Knight, Randle,Towns ,Booker, and Ulis instead of Irving,Parker, Okafor, Winslow, and Jones.
The OP thinks we should never miss on a player, which is unrealistic.
Throw rankings out the door and UK's signees still out perform Duke's.
UK alums dominate Duke's on the next level so talented players are still coming to Lexington.

That last sentence is so cringe worthy its like something a mind numb robot would say after being taught by John Calapari for a decade . Its earth shaking really . In an argument against recruits and who gets the best players a fan , I assume an honest to goodness member of BBN says" well our guys are kicking ass in the league " If that doesnt represent where we are then I've never seen it .

 

[SparksCat]

Although disappointed missing out on high level recruits, we need an older team.

Even with the class they have coming in, Duke is not winning it all. Too young

Whats concerning for us if that we can’t put a team of good players together that are put together for an all-around team

We are in the dark right now.

 

[SkyPrince1]

That last sentence is so cringe worthy its like something a mind numb robot would say after being taught by John Calapari for a decade . Its earth shaking really . In an argument against recruits and who gets the best players a fan , I assume an honest to goodness member of BBN says" well our guys are kicking ass in the league " If that doesnt represent where we are then I've never seen it .

Its just a fact to demonstrate that UK pulls mega talent regardless of rankings or head to head against Duke.
Im not saying that i dont care about results while at UK but their pro success validates them as players.
No we didnt sign Zion, Barrett, Reddish and Jones but we went as far as they did and IMO UK's class has passed that Duke class in on court production.
Who the hell knows about Zion, he' s in a class by himself but is not playing and i don't think Cal screwed up his recruitment.

 

[katwest]

Everything at Duke is all good now, but only 5 can play at a time and if every other coach has that problem Scheyer will too. All Americans will not sit the bench long, especially when there are 5 coming in. So, if any of the current players stay, there WILL be discontent in the ranks. It's happened at Kentucky and Memphis, going from the man to one of the guys isn't easy or doable for some kids. Scheyer will have to come up with more ways than sending birthday cards and ice cream to make them spoiled little boys happy. It remains to be seen as to whether he can do it by himself or not.

 

[HerrosHeroes]

Everything at Duke is all good now, but only 5 can play at a time and if every other coach has that problem Scheyer will too. All Americans will not sit the bench long, especially when there are 5 coming in. So, if any of the current players stay, there WILL be discontent in the ranks. It's happened at Kentucky and Memphis, going from the man to one of the guys isn't easy or doable for some kids. Scheyer will have to come up with more ways than sending birthday cards and ice cream to make them spoiled little boys happy. It remains to be seen as to whether he can do it by himself or not.

I wouldn't say “everything”, not after The Love Dagger in the FF v UNC in 1st ever meeting between the school’s in the 83 yr history of the Dance and that while sending Coach K to an early retirement.

 

[kywildcat41035]

The bottom line is who the hell has an ego so big that you literally tell Nike you won't play in their own tournament? We are basically the only top Nike affiliated school that doesn't play in it.
Another thing that gets me on a smaller level is Cal refusing to go to Maui. Every recruit in America is watching those games thinking man id love to go out to Hawaii.
Cal's ego is killing our program.

Man did you see the lineup of the teams in the upcoming Maui tournament. There are some nice teams going to be down there!

 

[Larry Skaggs]

Matt Jones picked Duke Law School over UK

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

If you ignore facts, you are free to make up any bullshit you like.

You write responses like this to literally every post you don't like.

Try this one: instead of raging and countering like a man who's never debated an issue in his life, try offering some real counter points to any of the arguments that have been presented.

 

[Deli owl]

Duke is beating 350 teams for these recruits, not just us.

 

[Runnin'Ramel]

Here's what people don't want to acknowledge or accept: 2015 broke a lot of things, not just the spirit of many within BBN. UK was no longer the cool/"it"/dominant thing in college hoops. Duke winning that title was the worst thing that could have happened. In retrospect, Wisconsin winning that title would have been infinitely better for many reasons.

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Duke is beating 350 teams for these recruits, not just us.

Are the other 350 teams claiming to "eat first", "chase UCLA", be the "gold standard", "move the needle", etc.?

 

[Son_Of_Saul]

Here's what people don't want to acknowledge or accept: 2015 broke a lot of things, not just the spirit of many within BBN. UK was no longer the cool/"it"/dominant thing in college hoops. Duke winning that title was the worst thing that could have happened. In retrospect, Wisconsin winning that title would have been infinitely better for many reasons.

True.

If Cal wins it all in 2015 and maintained a relationship with Nike, maybe it helps us get some guys like Miles Bridges, Bagley, etc.

That April in 2015 changed a lot.

 

[Duke Blu]

I am happy. I don’t won’t to sound ungrateful. But I personally would like to see some more experience infused on a consistent basis, even if through the portal and especially at the guard position, which is paramount for consistent NCAA tournament success.

 

[TOMCATS1990]

Duke is beating 350 teams for these recruits, not just us.

Last time I checked we are KY we are college basketball and no one gives a fling chit about anyone else but.

 

[Gromcat]

Sosa Im embarrassed to say my 27 yr old son does too. Kids today!

View embedded media

I know I’ll catch hell but you can’t prove the earth is a sphere. I’ve been through this with many people don’t try. There’s no way to prove it. But there’s much evidence to suggest it may indeed be flat.

 

[ManitouDan]

I know I’ll catch hell but you can’t prove the earth is a sphere. I’ve been through this with many people don’t try. There’s no way to prove it. But there’s much evidence to suggest it may indeed be flat.

Damn Grom all that plastic Tofu has thrown off your brain . Or weed .. maybe its the weed ? LOL

 

[Gromcat]

Matt Jones picked Duke Law School over UK

bEcAuSe iTs dUkE lAw!!!

Then he doesn’t even use his degree. This should have stopped him from covering UK in its tracks.

If you’re not even going to use it go to UK. I can honestly say as someone who’s going to be driving close to 6 hours for grad to get a UK degree I would have never chose Duke law over UK.

 

[Gromcat]

Damn Grom all that plastic Tofu has thrown off your brain . Or weed .. maybe its the weed ? LOL

In all seriousness I actually argued a flat earther in the Marriott lobby downtown St. Louis during some sort of alien / flat earth convention thing years ago.

I’ve never argued one since. They’re some of the most dumb stubborn SOB’s I’ve ever encountered. Doesn’t matter what you say, it’s an ILLUSION.

 

[Deli owl]

Are the other 350 teams claiming to "eat first", "chase UCLA", be the "gold standard", "move the needle", etc.?

Who said that? I didn’t say that. I said Duke was kicking everyone’s butt.

 

[Deli owl]

Last time I checked we are KY we are college basketball and no one gives a fling chit about anyone else but.

Lots of people do. I would venture a guess many people hate KY basketball.

 

[Smashcat]

Duke has now beaten us for 17 out of the last 20 head-to-heads for top 10 RSCI guys. That's an 85% success rate on their end, and a 15% success rate on our end.

In 2017, Calipari started taking open shots at Duke's recruiting pitch. By the spring of 2018, he was openly mocking them and ended up calling them out three or four times publicly in a three year period.

Despite all of Calipari's deflection and excuse making, it's more than "Nike helps them", although that's part of it (and a huge part). Duke is outselling their program against Kentucky.

This stuff started way back in 2009 when we were going after Kyrie. Calipari was at his absolute zenith, and he had Rod Strickland on the staff, who is Kyrie's freaking literal godfather. He also had Wall coming in, and had just sent Evans and Rose to the NBA as #4 and #1 picks, respectively (both won rookie of the year in their NBA debut seasons).

So here was Cal, recruiting Kyrie, and offering Nike support, the keys to the Kentucky point guard kingdom, and a chance to play on the largest stage in the country (the Kentucky brand was better than the Duke brand at that moment, particularly when Kyrie committed to Duke while Wall and Cousins were bringing waves of newfound hype to Lexington and Duke was the under-the-radar, eventual national champion that season).

So why did Kyrie wade through all the fully galvanized Calipari pitch, only to pick Duke at the end? Nike was supporting both programs. Cal's point guard record was the hottest discussion in college hoops. He also had Strickland to dangle in front of Kyrie's family.

So what was it? It ended up being that Duke had a better pitch for players who saw themselves (or wanted to see themselves) as more than the next kid on the NBA fast track. They sold Kyrie on Duke being everything Kentucky was - fast track to the NBA, brightest spotlight, etc. - only doing it on a more superior, elite way. Duke even went so far as to begin poaching everything we did well - "brotherhood" instead of "la familia"; pro day; fully embracing OAD, etc. All we were left with when the smoke cleared was a lesser version of Duke's pitch. They offered academics, future connections provided by university affiliation, and a connection to a real legacy centered around a head coach. Kentucky, under Cal, was only offering the quick ticket to the NBA, and the best possible training for the NBA. When recruits began to question if UK was really the best possible place for player development when compared to Duke, suddenly all of Calipari's best pitches had been thrown, while K was still fine-tuning new ones.

By the time we get to Jabari Parker's recruitment in 2012ish, Coach K's pitch was expanding. Jabari even said he didn't like the way UK was portraying the OAD setting, and came across as if it was all about the NBA with Calipari. Parker, and clearly other kids like Kyrie, wanted more, and their parents wanted more. They wanted the OAD elitism, without the OAD stigma. They wanted the reality of NBA fast-track, but wanted to do it from an elite college academic environment where their parents could pretend their son was bettering himself academically, professionally, and in terms of having future connection through the Duke "set for life" approach.

It worked. By November of 2013, Tyus Jones and Okafor both chose Duke over Kentucky. Winslow followed suit just a few months later.

Since then, Duke has beaten Kentucky for 17 out of 20 top ten guys. While we've been mocking their players and their pitch on the "set for life" angle, few of us have really heard what the players are actually saying. They've literally been telling us the same thing over and over again: they prefer what Duke is pitching to them more than what Kentucky is pitching to them.

Instead of mocking them, maybe Calipari should start listening to them and start selling recruits on everything our state and program can offer besides and beyond the NBA.

As infuriating as that is, at least Duke hasn't won a championship since 2015.