Duke Takes Brutal Hit in Potential Flory Bidunga Pursuit
With the NCAA Transfer Portal now open, the Duke basketball program is ready for chaos. Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff could potentially deal with the most unpredictable offseason of any team in college basketball, as there are so many decisions for rotation pieces that could go either way.
The only guaranteed exits are Maliq Brown and, in all likelihood, Cameron Boozer. Besides those two, it feels like Isaiah Evans, Patrick, Ngongba, Dame Sarr, Nik Khamenia, and Cayden Boozer could elect to return to Durham or depart for the NBA or transfer portal.
More than Scheyer and Co. are used to, they will have to use the portal to a greater extent, specifically at the center spot. With Brown gone, Duke will be left with no five-men on the roster if Ngongba ultimately declares for the NBA Draft.
There is one elite portal target that Duke should be heavily invested in, but it now looks like the Blue Devils could be falling behind for his services
Duke Could Be out of Mix for Kansas Transfer Flory Bidunga
Flory Bidunga is the No. 1 overall player in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. The 6’10”, 235-pound forward just wrapped up his sophomore year with the Jayhawks, averaging 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and a Big 12-leading 2.6 blocks a game on 64.0% shooting from the field.
Bidunga is a stellar athlete at his size and is the exact player Duke needs to potentially replace Ngongba. The Congo native is a versatile defender, can move his feet well, and is arguably the best rim protector in college basketball.
However, Duke could be falling out of the mix, as Bidunga has received a 100% confidence crystal ball prediction to land at Texas Tech by 247Sports’ Jeff Ermann.
Losing on Bidunga Would Be Major Hit for Blue Devils
It was reported that Bidunga’s asking price in the portal was swirling around $5 million. In addition to entering the portal, Bidunga also declared for this summer’s draft, where he could potentially be a first-round pick.
When he was coming out of high school, Duke was in Bidunga’s final four schools before he ultimately committed to Kansas. For a program like Duke, missing out on the top big in the portal, especially when it’s such a dire need for the team, is a major hit.
Obviously, there will be other options to go after, but Bidunga is certainly the best big man in the portal, and his rim-protecting ability bodes perfectly for Duke. If these predictions hold true, Duke will need to look elsewhere.
