Has Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski Lost His Recruiting Touch?

It's official—Harrison Barnes is a Tar Heel.

It will take a few days (okay, months) for the meltdown of the Duke fan base to clear, but when the dust settles, questions will remain.

Many of those questions will center around the state of Duke recruiting and whether or not coach Mike Krzyzewski has lost the recruiting prowess that helped make him a hall of fame coach.

Before anyone gets carried away (and before Duke fans fill the comments section with cries of blasphemy), let's remember that while the recruiting misses in recent years have hurt, Krzyzewski is still bringing considerable talent to Duke.

This season, Duke brought in Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee, two of the top 20 recruits in the nation.  Andre Dawkins was a five-star recruit in the 2010 class who came early in the wake of Elliot Williams' transfer to Memphis.  Had he stayed in the 2010 class, he would have certainly been a top 20, maybe even top 10, recruit.

Next season, Duke will bring in Tyler Thornton, Josh Hairston, and Kyrie Irving.  Hairston is currently a top 30 player in his class and his stock is seriously rising.  Irving is considered one of the top five players in his class by nearly every recruiting service.  Seth Curry, the nation's top scoring freshman last season, will also be available next year.

So despite the fact that Duke's recruiting misses will be talked up in the media over the next few months, no one should pretend that Duke hasn't been able to bring in top shelf talent.

That being said, just a few years ago, it seemed like Duke could go after any recruit in the nation and have a highly probable chance of landing their services.  But now, Barnes joins Brandan Wright, Patrick Patterson, Greg Monroe, and Kenny Boynton on a seemingly ever-growing list of consecutive top targets that consider Duke, but commit elsewhere.

While the loss of Duke's previous top targets has certainly hurt, the loss of Barnes will sting more than the rest.

Krzyzewski has been recruiting Barnes as "the guy" for Duke's 2010 class for nearly two years.  Barnes had made multiple visits to Duke, including the now infamous surprise flight down for the UNC game on Krzyzewski's birthday.  He even high-fived the Blue Devil on his official visit—talk about rubbing salt in a wound.

Roy Williams, on the other hand, didn't turn the heat up on Barnes until April—that's quite a coup d'etat.

So what does William's gain and Krzyzewski's loss ultimately mean for the Blue Devils?

In terms of upcoming matchups with UNC, Barnes' commitment won't give the Tar Heels an overwhelming advantage over the Duke (notice the word "overwhelming").

If Kyle Singler comes back for his senior year, he will certainly give Barnes more than a challenge on the wing.  Duke will likely have the advantage at the point with Irving, and if Ed Davis goes pro after this season, UNC's frontcourt will not be head and shoulders better than Duke's.

Granted, that's a lot of "ifs," but the above scenario is by no means unreasonable.

Losing Barnes to the Tar Heels is a big hit to the Blue Devils in terms of national perception, however.

Right now, the Tar Heels are the toast of college basketball while the Blue Devils are carry the stigma of good, but not great.

When the media talks about North Carolina, it's all praise; when they talk about Duke—let's just say it's a mixed drink made with one part praise and three parts speculation.

For example, on ESPNU's recruiting show leading up to Barnes' announcement, analysts talked a lot about UNC, discussing how great of a point guard the Tar Heels will have with Kendall Marshall coming next season.  There was no mention of Irving coming to Duke, even though Irving is rated significantly higher than Marshall.

Why the lopsided focus on UNC?

It's not like ESPN is anti-Duke (they give the Blue Devils as much air time as any team in the nation).  It's simply because, right now, North Carolina is the talk of the town in college hoops.  And with three Final Fours and two national titles in the last five years, they deserve to be.

It's easy to understand why recruits like Barnes would perceive UNC to be a better destination than Duke to showcase their talents and compete for a title considering the recent accomplishments of both teams.

North Carolina has earned the perception of a champion in recent years, and it's paying dividends for them in the recruiting world.

Duke hasn't been able to shake the negative perception they have gained in recent seasons with early exits in March and consistent losses to UNC in some of college basketball's most televised games.  That's not something that helps win recruiting battles against your rival.

Has Krzyzewski lost his recruiting touch?

As long as guys like Singler and Irving keep coming to Durham, the answer will have to be no.

At the same time, as long as guys like Barnes keep going elsewhere, public perception will say that he has.  Unfortunately for Duke, perception is everything in the eyes of teenagers choosing which college to suit up for.

If Duke wants to change that perception and regain the recruiting edge over their rivals, there is only one thing they need to do—win (especially against North Carolina).