Experts temper Duke basketball’s hope to snag five-star center

Recent predictions imply the Duke basketball recruiting machine cannot afford a letup down the homestretch for an all-important 2020 big man.

Up until Monday, the 247Sports Crystal Ball portrayed the Duke basketball program as all but uncatchable in the race for the 7-foot, 235-pounder who ranks No. 15 on the 2020 Composite.

Yes, there had been a lone prediction that Georgia would end up with Woodward Academy (Ga.) center Walker Kessler, but the pick was months old and not in tune with the five-star’s recently announced six finalists: Duke, North Carolina, Auburn, Cal, Gonzaga, and Michigan.

As of Monday, though, while the Georgia pick no longer exists, one legit pick is in for a school on the…