Duke Basketball Transfer John Blackwell Ready for Even Brighter Lights

Across three seasons at Wisconsin, John Blackwell encountered his fair share of primetime matchups. And the 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard, who declared for the NBA Draft before committing to the Duke basketball program back in the spring but withdrew in time to maintain his eligibility for what figures to be his final season in college, often answered the call in those contests.

Those efforts included his 26-point outing last go-round in a 91-88 regular season road win over eventual national champion and then-No. 2-ranked Michigan. Morever, his heroics included a buzzer-beating three to give the Badgers a 78-75 victory at Minnesota.

Now, as a potential National Player of the Year candidate under fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer, the 21-year-old looks forward to helping a bonafide blue-blood when facing a non-conference schedule featuring five battles against teams among the top 10 in ESPN’s preseason top 25: versus Michigan State in Chicago on Nov. 10, at home versus Illinois on Nov. 17, versus UConn in Las Vegas on Nov. 25, at Florida on Dec. 1, and versus Texas Tech in New York City on Dec. 21.

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“As a player, these are games you get excited for,” Blackwell, one of the the nation’s top prospects in the transfer portal this offseason and projected by many to be the leading scorer in Durham this season, explained to Duke Blue Devils On SI at last week’s Duke Basketball Media Day when looking ahead to the Blue Devils’ loaded non-conference slate. “This is the biggest of the biggest stage. I think our coaches are going to do a great job of preparing us for these games, like they have before.

“I’m just excited. I’m just excited to be in this position. I’m excited to play these teams on the biggest stage.”

Blackwell and the Blue Devils also square off against projected top 15 non-conference foe Gonzaga in Detroit (the city hosting the 2027 Final Four) on Feb. 20. That’s not to mention the conference slate, featuring two games apiece against UNC and Virginia plus a road…

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Publish date : 2026-09-29 23:32:00

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