Vernon Carey Jr. sets final 3 and Kentucky misses cut

Vernon Carey Jr., one of the top recruits in the high school basketball recruiting class of 2019, has cut his final list down to three teams. Unfortunately for Big Blue Nation, the Kentucky Wildcats were left off the list.

Duke, Michigan State and North Carolina are the final teams remaining for Carey’s commitment. Kentucky had seemingly gained traction with Carey around the time of Big Blue Madness after Duke and Michigan State spent months battling each other as the two clear favorites.

The Miami Hurricanes were also strongly in the mix for the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native. After visiting them and hosting John Calipari in late October, Carey’s official visits to Michigan State and North Carolina in early November appear to have done enough to pair them right behind Duke.

Carey is a consensus top-five player in the class of 2019 with several recruiting outlets putting him right behind the top dawg of the class, James Wiseman. He’s a massive prescience at 6 feet 10 inches and 275 pounds. The tough lefty is a burly forward that is able to dominate with his size and athleticism. Whoever lands his commitment is getting one of the more physically imposing prospects in recent memory.

For Kentucky, the misfortunes of losing out on top tier recruits continues into the 2019 class. The only potential benefit from the Carey news is that another top-five recruit at center, Isaiah Stewart, is considered a Michigan State lead. Kentucky has been in the mix for Stewart and a potential Carey commitment to Michigan State could swing the tide in Calipari’s favor in this case.