It looks like the Kentucky Wildcats are still in contention for Wendell Carter Jr.
The five-star forward and consensus top-five pick in the 2017 class announced his new list of eight schools still in consideration, and the Cats survived the cut.
final 8 pic.twitter.com/lJu6lJKGox
— Wendell Carter Jr (@wendellcarter34) July 18, 2016
Well, in theory, UK is still alive for this elite big man, but don't expect Carter to pick the Cats. Simply put, Carter is a different kind of basketball player. He wants to be elite not just on the court, but in the classroom as well, so much so that Harvard is a legitimate contender for his college services.
However, the combination of education, basketball development, and a path to the NBA is why Duke looks like the ultimate landing spot for him. It's also a strong possibility that Carter and five-star guard Gary Trent Jr. are a package deal in college.
That's why UK is showing much less interest now and focusing more on fellow elite big men Mohamed Bamba and DeAndre Ayton. I continue to feel good about UK's chances of landing one of those two, and you could make a case for all three to be the best 2017 has to offer.