The Top CBB Recruiting Storylines to Watch as the Early Signing Period Nears

With college basketball's national signing week being less than one month away, we're getting down to the final stretch of commitments.

Signing week doesn't hold as much significance as its football counterpart; however, there's a binding agreement between player and program, and commitments aren't as easily broken once the letter of intent is signed.

There are still plenty of talented players on the board, and lots of blue-blood programs are trying to get them, so it should be an intriguing few weeks before the season begins.

Many of the top programs don't even have a commitment yet; meanwhile, a lot of unusual names are sitting in the class of 2017 team rankings. Here's a look at six storylines to watch over the next few weeks. 

Will Duke Sign a Point Guard?

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Duke recruiting has been at a special level these past five years, as the Blue Devils always seem to compete for a top spot in the team rankings. 

The Blue Devils are off to a bit of a slow start in the class of 2017 by recent standards, as only 4-star guard Alex O'Connell is on the board. While coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff seem to have a handle on the big men, wings and shooting guards they are recruiting for this class, they seem to be all over the place at point guard.

For lead guards, the Blue Devils are thin on their roster and have recruited multiple players in this class. Duke has offered 4-star point guard Matt Coleman a scholarship while 5-star recruit Quade Green said he also received interest from the program. Fellow 5-stars Trevon Duval and Trae Young also said the Blue Devils were interested in them, so it's hard to tell where they are leaning for that position in this class.

Who Does Kentucky End Up With?

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Duke and Kentucky have been the two best recruiting programs in the country over the last five years, but things are a little slower for the Wildcats this year.

John Calipari's program usually expects to be in the race for nearly every 5-star prospect, but so far, Kentucky hasn't landed a single commitment in the class of 2017. That will obviously change, as Kentucky has tons of potential scholarships and available playing time if some of the freshmen leave after the season.

But for now, the Wildcats will have to stay patient, as they're in pursuit of a number of players at all positions. We know Kentucky is going to get a potential one-and-done, 5-star prospect, but whether it can compete with schools like Duke and Arizona for the No. 1 spot remains to be seen until it starts piecing this together.

How Many More Top-25 Prospects Will Decide (and Sign)?

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Trevon Duval

One of the more interesting trends to develop is the lack of commitments from 5-star prospects so far. 

Only six of Scout.com's top 25 prospects in the class of 2017 have committed, and some of these guys don't even seem close to making a decision. 

There is still plenty of time for some of these players to commit over the next month, but it still sets up for a potentially interesting signing week that could see a lot of guys wait to commit until the spring.

Also keep an eye out for elite prospects who are committed but do not sign a letter of intent during the fall signing period. Last year, Terrance Ferguson, who initially committed to Alabama, did not sign the letter of intent, only to later decommit and commit to Arizona. Ferguson ended up playing professional basketball in Australia.

Some prospects might want to make sure their commitment is non-binding, especially if a program is facing an uncertain future with NCAA penalties or a coach who could be on the hot seat.

Can Arizona and Auburn Stay in the Battle for the Top Spot?

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DeAndre Ayton

Currently, the top two classes belong to Arizona and Auburn, as the Wildcats and Tigers have both secured pledges from 5-star big men and 4-star wings to sit at the top.

While we're accustomed to seeing Sean Miller's program fighting for a top-three recruiting class every year, Auburn and Bruce Pearl continue to be a developing story on the recruiting trail. The Tigers currently have a 5-star commitment in three consecutive classes.

Since Arizona has the No. 1 prospect in DeAndre Ayton, it is likely to stay in the top three once again, especially now that the Wildcats have followed Ayton's commitment with a top-40 player in shooting guard Brandon Randolph to go along with 4-star guard Alex Barcello.

Auburn will likely need another good commitment to stay in the top five, as its class is headlined by 5-star center Austin Wiley. The Tigers also have 4-star commitments in point guard Davion Mitchell and wing Chuma Okeke, but they need one more piece to put the class over the top as some of the other programs start accumulating commitments to challenge for the top five.

After a Hot Start, Can Western Kentucky Hold a Top-10 Class?

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Western Kentucky head coach Rick Stansbury hasn't coached a game yet at his new job, but he's already shaken up the recruiting world with two big commitments in the class of 2017.

The former Mississippi State head coach and recent Texas A&M assistant laid the groundwork by getting some solid graduate transfers for this season, but things really got going once Western Kentucky got 5-star center Mitchell Robinson to commit.

With a top-10 national center committed, Western Kentucky was also able to lure 4-star guard Josh Anderson to commit to the Hilltoppers. The duo has given Western Kentucky the No. 5 ranking for team recruiting in the class of 2017.

If Western Kentucky can finish out this class with another good commitment or two, it might be a Conference USA program with a top-10 class, which would put the program on the fast track for competing for a league title.

Can Washington and Illinois Stay in the Top 10?

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Washington and Illinois are off to stellar starts in recruiting in the class of 2017. They're also two programs that are under pressure to succeed this season, as head coaches Lorenzo Romar and John Groce are both facing NCAA tournament droughts.

The Huskies appear to be on more stable footing, as 5-star guard Markelle Fultz leads the current freshman class and class of 2017 small forward Michael Porter is another 5-star prospect in the fold. Romar has likely recruited a top-10 NBA draft pick in three consecutive classes, so he might not need to have a huge season this year to keep his job.

Groce has faced difficulties on and off the floor, but his class of 2017 recruiting haul is arguably his best group ever. Center Jeremiah Tilmon is a legitimate 5-star in-state prospect, while guards DaMonte Williams and Trent Frazier are both 4-stars. If Illinois closes out this class strong, Groce might not need to make the NCAA tournament to keep his job.

Recruiting ratings via Scout.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and information were obtained firsthand.