Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have been putting in work over the last week of the NCAA Transfer Portal cycle. Now, after entering last weekend with tons of uncertainty, the Blue Devils now look like a true national title contender heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
Scheyer and Co. got return pledges from Cayden Boozer, Patrick Ngongba, Caleb Foster, and Sebastian Wilkins. The program is also bringing in former Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski and former star Wisconsin guard John Blackwell via the transfer portal.
Add in the No. 1 overall 2026 recruiting class, and the Blue Devils look like a major threat on a national scale, at least on paper.
Duke, over the last decade or so, has primarily utilized freshman talent to lead its squads. This season, however, is different, with a perfect mix of continuity, veteran leadership, and young talent. With its latest additions, the Blue Devils might have the best backcourt unit in college basketball.
Duke Boasts Potential Top Backcourt in College Basketball Next Season
At the very least, Duke is in the conversation for having the deepest backcourt in the sport with a unit of Boozer, Blackwell, Foster, and incoming 5-star freshman Deron Rippey Jr. Not only is the unit immensely talented, but they complement each other extremely well, and Scheyer can throw virtually any of the three with Blackwelll, who will be the guard with the ball in his hands most of the time.
As a junior with the Badgers, Blackwell established himself as one of the best scorers in the country, averaging 19 points per game on 43% shooting from the field, also knocking down 96 threes on a near 40% clip.
Additionally, Blackwell moves extremely well without the basketball, and with how talented of passers that Boozer and Foster are, that makes for a ton of different action in the backcourt that Scheyer can run.
Defense Main Key
But, above all, the four guards are great perimeter defenders. Foster might have been the Blue Devils best outside defender last season, and Boozer uses his body extremely well with active hands. Blackwell, Boozer, and Foster are also all 6'4" or taller. Rippey stands at 6'2", but makes up for it with a high level of physicality.
Duke has a high-volume shooter complemented by elite passers, playmakers, and defenders who don't need the ball in their hands to impact the game. Blackwell can operate that way as well, but there's no doubt he thrives with the basketball.
It's hard to see many backcourt units outdoing that of the Blue Devils next year.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke Could Run the Show in This Facet Next Season.