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.
"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 bout against Louisville.
"As far as John, I just think it's the fact we're replacing a lot of scoring and firepower with a proven scorer who's tough and competitve and has been in big games," Scheyer noted last week about Blackwell, who averaged 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 43.0 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from 3-point land, and 85.9 percent at the charity stripe as a Wisconsin junior last season. "And that's going to really help us throughout the whole year."
Other Potent Duke Basketball Newcomers Galore
Along with John Blackwell, the 2026-27 Duke basketball roster includes a formidable cast of new scholarship additions to the program.
Two more are transfers in former Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski and former Wyoming and Loyola (MD) guard Jacob Theodosiou. Five are heralded freshmen in guard Deron Rippey Jr., guard Bryson Howard, forward Cameron Williams, forward/center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, and center Maxime Meyer.
They join five players returning from a 2025-26 Duke basketball squad that finished 35-3 overall and reached the Elite Eight in sophomore guard Cayden Boozer, sophomore wing Dame Sarr, redshirt freshman wing Sebastian Wilkins, junior center Patrick Ngongba II, and senior guard Caleb Foster.
ROTHSTEIN REACTION: DUKE. pic.twitter.com/YjUUut9MsH
– Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 29, 2026
"The deepest team of the Jon Scheyer era in Durham will feature the deepest perimeter in college basketball," CBS Sports national college hoops pundit Jon Rothstein said in the above video after watching the Blue Devils practice on Tuesday afternoon.
Blackwell and the rest of the new Duke basketball faces will formally introduce themselves to the fanbase at Countdown to Craziness on Saturday. And at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 8, the Blue Devils will face their first test against an opponent when they welcome Belmont to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a preseason scrimmage (ACCNX).
Duke's regular season slate tips off at home against Army on Nov. 2 (time and TV to be announced).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke Basketball Transfer John Blackwell Ready for Even Brighter Lights.