Duke Basketball: Top Sharpshooter No Longer Slated for Trip to Durham

The reigning champs look like the clear favorite for Duke basketball transfer target Koby Brea.

Duke basketball transfer target Koby Brea / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Former four-year Dayton guard Koby Brea, a two-time Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year and the NCAA's 2023-24 leader in 3-point percentage at 49.8 on 201 attempts, initially planned to arrive in Durham on Tuesday for a three-day Duke basketball visit, college hoops insider Adam Zagoria reported on Friday morning.

RELATED: Reported Duke Transfer Interest Removes Name From Portal

But in this new transfer era, plans often get torn to shreds in a flash during the heart of portal season. A frontrunner will quickly emerge with precisely what the transfer is looking for, snagging a visit and ensuing commitment.

On that note, it now appears that defending back-to-back national champion UConn is the perceived outright frontrunner for the 21-year-old Brea, who arrived in Storrs on Friday for a visit with Huskies head coach Dan Hurley and his staff extending through Sunday.

And as The News & Observer's Steve Wiseman first reported on Friday afternoon, the aforementioned planned visit to Duke is suddenly no longer on Brea's calendar.

Can report that Dayton transfer guard Koby Brea is not visiting Duke next week. It had been discussed and planned but is now off. The Blue Devils do need another veteran guard but it doesn't look like it will be Brea, whose strength is more as a shooter than a ballhandler.

— Stephen Wiseman (@stevewisemanNC) April 26, 2024

Hours later, the 247Sports Crystal Ball received its first prediction in the Koby Brea sweepstakes. No surprise it points to UConn as the favorite over fellow blueblood finalists Duke, Kentucky, UNC, and Kansas.

Meanwhile, it appears as though Duke basketball's search for backcourt depth via the transfer portal may well extend for another couple of weeks. As of the canceled visit between Brea and the Blue Devils, there are currently no reported transfer prospects on tap for Jon Scheyer and his staff to host as they try to add to their two portal pickups thus far in forwards Mason Gillis and Maliq Brown.

RELATED: Electrifying Transfer Guard Hears From Duke Coaches

It's also worth noting, though, that players have until Wednesday to enter their name into the transfer portal. So, it's possible the ideal perimeter addition (or two) for the 2024-25 Duke roster hasn't officially made himself available to be recruited just yet.

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