Where Duke Basketball Stands Heading Into Flory Bidunga's Big Day

Kokomo (Ind.) center and big-time 2024 Duke basketball recruiting target Flory Bidunga will announce his college decision during halftime of Saturday night's Elite 24 Under Armour Next boys' showcase in Atlanta, ESPN's Paul Biancardi reported on Friday.

The game tips off at 8 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPNU). So Bidunga's televised moment in the spotlight should come shortly before 9.

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Bidunga, a Democratic Republic of Congo native who has focused on basketball for only a few years but ranks No. 1 among big men and No. 4 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, named four finalists in his recruitment back in July. They are Duke, Kansas, Auburn, and Michigan.

Recruiting News!
Flory Bidunga will make his college announcement on Saturday during halftime of the Boys Elite 24 game on ESPNU at 8 PM ET. The five-star Bidunga is ranked No.4 in the ESPN 100 for the class of 2024. His final list of schools are Auburn, Duke, Kansas, and… pic.twitter.com/3u9CJz5RXi
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) August 10, 2023

At the time of this article's publishing, all three 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions favor Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his gang to come out on top. And now eight Rivals FutureCast predictions, including six in the past few days alone, also foresee Blue Devil fans enjoying the recruiting news on Saturday night.

However, opposing fanbases in the race don't seem nearly as sure about that.

Auburn faithful point to head coach Bruce Pearl's repost of Bidunga's reported announcement time as a good sign for the Tigers. That's not to mention Auburn is the only Under Armour school in his final four and the fact he's announcing his decision at an Under Armour event.

Then there's Kansas, seen as a frontrunner alongside Duke throughout July. It's worth noting the Jayhawks and Blue Devils were the only finalists who hosted him for an official visit.

Whichever program prevails is getting a potential game-changer force in the post.

Here's a snippet of a scouting report on Flory Bidunga from On3's Jamie Shaw, who entered a pick for Duke into the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine two months ago and hasn't changed it since:

"Flory Bidunga is a physical specimen. At 6-foot-9, he has long arms, broad shoulders, and a lot of burst. He is an excellent shot-blocker, both on the ball and from the weak side. He has natural timing and can get up to the square quickly, even through contact. Bidunga runs the floor quickly and purposefully...Bidunga is left-hand reliant, but his IQ and explosion allow him to get away with that for now. Physically, he is like a college upperclassman and is already one of the premier explosive athletes in high school basketball."

Should Flory Bidunga commit to the Blue Devils, he'll join North Meck (N.C.) five-star small forward Isaiah Evans and Paul VI Catholic (Va.) four-star small forward Darren Harris in a Duke basketball recruiting class that currently ranks No. 7 in the nation, per 247Sports.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke basketball recruiting news.