UNC Basketball: Prediction Appears for No. 1 Recruit

A Crystal Ball pick could indicate that longtime UNC basketball offer holder AJ Dybantsa is closing in on a decision.

UNC basketball recruiting target AJ Dybantsa / Jason Snow / The Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK

There's been no reports of UNC basketball recruiting target and Utah Prep phenom forward AJ Dybantsa moving up his February decision timeline.

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With that in mind, it's somewhat surprising that 247Sports national recruiting insider Travis Branham entered a pick into the AJ Dybantsa Crystal Ball on Wednesday. After all, the notably spot-on forecaster typically waits until a week or two prior to a recruit's anticipated announcement before formally predicting the race.

So, although Branham logged his prediction with only a "medium" confidence tag, it sure seems significant that he's already putting his name behind his forecast for BYU to prevail for the nation's No. 1 prep in the 2025 cycle.

Dybantsa trimmed his list of contenders to seven back in early August. Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels survived that cut, along with BYU, Kansas, Kansas State, Auburn, Alabama, and Baylor.

Seven weeks later, the 6-foot-9, 210-pound five-star was on an official visit with the UNC basketball program.

"It was great," Dybantsa explained to 247Sports' Eric Bossi about his trip to Chapel Hill. "I mean, most of these towns are good college towns, but Coach Hubert Davis and the whole staff was very family-orientated."

He has also visited his other finalists.

For now, there's no reason to think the Tar Heels have given up on their pursuit in the AJ Dybantsa sweepstakes. However, there's not much evidence to suggest UNC is the favorite.

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