Tyler Betsey, the No. 27 prospect in the 2024 Rivals150, is in the midst of a multi-week visit tour that should help him pick a college out of a group of seven finalists. Officially, Duke, Creighton, Indiana, UConn, Cincinnati, Alabama and Villanova remain in the mix to land the 6-foot-7 prospects pledge. Unofficially, however, significantly fewer programs have a real chance.
Below, Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy ranks the contenders that have a realistic chance to land Betsey in order of how likely he is to sign with each program.
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1. CINCINNATI
Betsey has an extremely solid relationship with the Cincinnati staff and seems to view the program as a place where he can make an immediate difference in a major conference. His official visit is on the calendar for Sept. 23 and, at least for now, represents the final trip on the schedule, which can sometimes be a tell.
Either way, Wes Miller and company have been in the thick of Betsey’s recruitment for months now and feel like one of two teams actually in the hunt to land his commitment. If an announcement comes on the heels of his official visit later this month, the news will likely be good for the Bearcats. If not, Alabama and – to a lesser extent – UConn, could have real hope.
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2. ALABAMA
The Tide represents a real threat to land Betsey. In fact, a case could be made to put them on the top line here. A recent call from Alabama product turned lottery pick Brandon Miller seems to have made an impact on Betsey, who was strongly considering Nate Oats’ program even before Miller picked up the phone.
Alabama’s recent ability to win at a high level while putting players in the NBA has given it a real chance to land the sharp-shooting forward, who has long been intrigued by the Tide’s run-and-gun style. It feels as though Alabama and Cincy are in a tier of their own when it comes to Betsey’s recruitment. Betsey visited Tuscaloosa over the weekend., so the sooner a commitment comes, the better Oats and his staff should feel.
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3. UCONN
A few months back, you could have made the case for the Huskies as the leader but things on that front seem to have changed. Does UConn still have a fighting chance? Sure. But would it be at least mildly surprising if Betsey landed in Storrs? Indeed, it would.
The four-star wing visited over the summer but has not been back as of late and doesn’t seem to have a return trip on the schedule. Dan Hurley’s team has a much better chance than any program appearing underneath it on this list, but actually landing Betsey’s pledge is gonna take a lucky break or two down the stretch.
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4. DUKE
Betsey probably isn’t going to Duke. It only feels like you have to say “probably” because the Blue Devils have proven capable of making strong, late pushes in the past. With a Sept. 16 visit looming, it’s difficult to count them out completely.
That said, things on the trip would have to go exceedingly well if the Blue Devils are going to vault themselves to the top of this list and actually sign the four-star wing. Stranger things have happened, sure, but a Duke-Betsey marriage seems unlikely at this juncture.
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5. INDIANA
The Hoosiers feel like a longshot, seeing as though Betsey hasn’t been on campus at IU since June and has no plans to return. That said, Mike Woodson’s program feels like the most realistic option of the bottom three finalists. The fact that Woodson is already recruiting high-level prospects and developing pros isn’t lost on Betsey, who discusses it every time he speaks about the Hoosiers, so it’s impossible to rule Indiana out completely. That said, it feels like IU is headed for a close-but-no-cigar situation in its pursuit of the Windsor (Conn.) St. Thomas More star.
