On Monday, 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein reported that coveted Harvard-Westlake School (Calif.) forward Nikolas Khamenia had dropped the UNC basketball program and Arizona from his list of contenders ahead of his announcement date.

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And on Tuesday, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound stretch-four, a top-tier four-star at No. 27 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite, proved all notable predictions wrong by revealing his commitment to Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devil recruiting powerhouse. He chose Scheyer & Co. over fellow final-day finalists Gonzaga and UCLA.

Mick Cronin’s Bruins were the outright favorite in the eyes of insiders.

Duke now ranks No. 1 in the 2025 recruiting cycle. That’s precisely where the Blue Devils ended up in 2022 and 2024, marking top-spot finishes with two of the first three collections that Scheyer welcomed to Durham after succeeding Mike Krzyzewski.

The Blue Devils’ first two 2025 prizes, which arrived to the delight of the program’s fanbase earlier this month, were also full-fledged UNC basketball targets in Columbus High School (Fla.) five-star forward Cameron Boozer and five-star guard Cayden Boozer, twin sons of Duke legend Carlos Boozer.

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Meanwhile, fourth-year Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis and his cohorts, whose teams continue to prove more than capable of defeating Duke on the court despite considerably fewer big-time recruiting wins, enjoy one 2025 commit in Gonzaga College High School (D.C.) four-star guard Derek Dixon, No. 47 overall on the 247Sports 2025 Composite.

Plus, the Tar Heels appear to remain in contention for at least a few more current high school seniors, including a few five-star prospects.

Stay tuned to North Carolina Tar Heels On SI for more UNC basketball recruiting news.