Kentucky coach John Calipari has seemingly lost his throne as the recruiting king in college basketball, and it may be getting under his skin.

With high school phenom Zion Williamson committing to Duke over the weekend, the Blue Devils now have the top three 2018 recruits heading to Durham in the fall.

While Mike Krzyzewski cackles in his office over his embarrassment of riches, Calipari, whose team just fell out of the top 25, looks to be taking subtle shots at Duke.

In a preview for the Wildcats’ game against against Mississippi State on Tuesday, Calipari was asked “if he finds a common theme among recruits that don't come to UK and the schools that recruit them.”

Though his response doesn’t blatantly mention Duke or Coach K, the intent is there.

“I don't sell, when you come here: 'The university and the state will take care of you for the rest of your life.' You may buy that, and I've got some great property and some swampland down in Florida to sell you too,” Calipari said. “We're not trying to say that this university or state will take care of you for the rest of your life. There's no socialism here. This stuff is you have to go do it and we're going to help you do it. Some like that, some don't like that."

Calipari is not-so-subtly referencing a popular Duke recruiting pitch detailed by 2017 five-star recruit Hamidou Diallo, who ultimately chose Kansas last year over the Blue Devils and Wildcats.

“Kentucky’s pitch was just the NBA thing,” Diallo told the Courier Journal in 2016. “Duke’s pitch was if you come to Duke, you’re going to be set for life. It’s more than just basketball.”

Williamson had similar phrasing in his press conference Saturday after putting on a Duke hat.

“When Coach K came to my house and spoke to me and my family, it wasn’t just about basketball and what he could do for me in one year,” Williamson said (via GoUpstae.com). “It was how he can build Zion as a brand on and off the court for like the next 20 years or the rest of my life.”

Duke is primed to have the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the third consecutive season, while Kentucky is currently ranked fourth behind Duke, Oregon and UCLA (via 247Sports.com).