The North Carolina Tar Heels are continuing their prep for the upcoming 2026-27 college basketball season, the first under new head coach Michael Malone. North Carolina will begin exhibition play this Friday, hosting USC in the Dean Dome.
But as the preparation continues, the Tar Heels are still focusing on recruiting for future classes. The Tar Heels have some big recruits on their board, hosting them for visits and attempting to put together a really good 2027 class.
On Sunday, they may have received some bad news regarding one of their targets.
Five-star small forward Asa Montgomery took a visit to Duke over the weekend. It didn't take long for the Blue Devils to earn not one but two crystal ball predictions for Montgomery. Chad Lykins and John
Watson both logged crystal ball predictions for the Blue Devils in Montgomery's recruitment.
They are the only two predictions, coming from two Duke insiders.
Predictions aren't a guarantee by any means, but they're usually a good indication of where things stand in recruiting with programs. That's likely the case here, and it's not good news for the Tar Heels.
Montgomery has taken six visits so far, including one to North Carolina on September 25th. LSU, Georgia Tech, Florida, UConn, Arizona, and Louisville are also involved. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Montgomery is ranked No. 8 nationally, No. 3 small forward and the No. 2 player in the state of Georgia per the 247Sports composite rankings.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Duke surging for five-star UNC basketball recruiting target
