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Kentucky commit thinks Julius Randle will pick UK, unsure about Andrew Wiggins

Julius Randle

Derek Willis, a 6-foot-9 Kentucky commit, took part in a Q-&-A with Courier-Journal‘s Steve Jones to share his thoughts on Kentucky, including the top-ranked class John Calipari has, a class that still can improve.

Kentucky is still in contention for the No. 1 overall player Andrew Wiggins (Huntington Prep/Thornhill, Ont., CAN), No. 2 overall player according to Rivals.com, Julius Randle (Prestonwood Christian/Plano, Tex.), and consensus top-10 recruit Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty High/San Jose, Calif.).

Willis, the first commit to the Class of 2013, when asked about whether or not he thought Kentucky could land Randle, the Kentucky native seemed fairly confident Randle will join him in Lexington.

“As far as Julius Randle goes, and this is all based on what I’ve found, what I’ve read, I think he will come,” Willis told Jones.

“But I think Randle is probably a lock; that’s my opinion,” Willis said later.

Earlier this week, Randle reportedly cut Oklahoma and N.C. State from his list, leaving only Florida, Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky. Randle is set to decide on Mar. 20.

Wiggins has been quiet about his recruiting, but many believe it centers around UK and his parents’ alma mater, Florida State, though, Kansas and North Carolina are also in the mix. Wiggins shying away from discussing his recruiting has left many, including Willis, uncertain of where he’d end up.

“Wiggins is a toss-up for me, I can’t figure it out,” said the future Wildcat. “I’ve tried to figure him out. I’ve read everything and looked him up. I don’t know. I know UK is one of his top two choices, I would say.”

As for the 6-foot-7 Gordon, who is considering Kentucky along with Oregon, Washington, and Arizona, Willis believes he may remain out west when all said and done.

If Kentucky misses out on both Wiggins and Randle, they still have a loaded class which includes the Harrison twins -- Andrew and Aaron, James Young, Marcus Lee, and Dakari Johnson to go along with Willis.

Photo courtesy Facebook/Prestonwood Christian Academy

Terrence is also the lead writer at NEHoopNews.com and can be followed on Twitter: @terrence_payne