Kentucky target Jeremy Roach picks Duke

Jeremy Roach was the first 2020 point guard that the Kentucky Wildcats offered a scholarship to.

Unfortunately, he’s already off the board, as Roach has committed to the Duke Blue Devils, according to Evan Daniels.

While deciding this early is a bit of a surprise, Roach going elsewhere is not. Ever since he suffered a torn ACL in the fall of 2018, Kentucky has seemingly fallen further and further back in his recruitment, enough that Duke and the Villanova Wildcats were viewed as the top contenders leading into his decision.

Even so, Kentucky still wanted Roach and was even pushing him to take an official visit this spring.

This could be the first of several 2020 point guards who land somewhere other than Kentucky.

Five-star guard Sharife Cooper, who made end up moving into the 2019 class, is believed to be favoring the Auburn Tigers.

All of this could explain why Kentucky is starting to show more interest in Daishen Nix, who is actually the top-ranked point guard in 2020 (Cooper is classified as a combo guard). Don’t be surprised if Nix gets an offer soon.

Then you’ve got Jalen Suggs, perhaps the most intriguing recruit of the 2020 class. Suggs has previously said he expects an offer from Kentucky. He is also a four-star quarterback recruit with offers from the Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers among others.

Bryce Thompson is another combo guard that Kentucky could be jumping into the mix for.

But the truth is, Kentucky’s best point guard option for the 2020-21 season may already be on the roster. With Tyrese Maxey and Ashton Hagans likely getting most of the minutes at the 1 and 2 spots this season, it’s hard to see Immanuel Quickley doing enough to warrant entering the NBA Draft next year.

And assuming both Hagans and Maxey go pro next year, that could leave Quickley in complete control of the point guard duties for the 2020-21 team.

Still, I’d be shocked if Kentucky didn’t find a way to add another point guard in the 2020 class.