John Blackwell commits to Duke basketball via transfer portal

Duke basketball is reloading, per usual.

The Blue Devils gained a commitment from former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell on Tuesday, April 21, adding one of the top-ranked players in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-4 junior averaged 19.1 points with 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season, earning all-Big Ten third-team honors.

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"It just felt right," Blackwell told The Field of 68. "It felt right for me from the jump. When I talked to Coach (Jon) Scheyer and Coach (Emanuel) Dildy ... we chatted and it just felt like the right situation for me. Then when I got on campus, it just confirmed everything I was looking for."

Blackwell is ranked No. 7 in USA TODAY's transfer portal rankings, and was the No. 2 guard in the portal behind former Wake Forest star Juke Harris, who's still uncommitted.

The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native started 72 games in three seasons with the Badgers, and averaged double figures on Wisconsin's back-to-back NCAA Tournament teams. He's 1-3 in his career in March Madness, including two first-round exit upsets to No. 12 seeds High Point and James Madison in 2026 and 2024, respectively.

Blackwell will likely start in the backcourt alongside returning guard Cayden Boozer and potentially , who's still mulling a 2026 NBA Draft decision. and could also return to , with incoming Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski and returning center Patrick Ngongba likely handling frontcourt duties.