The No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils' NCAA Tournament run ended with an Elite Eight loss to the No. 2 UConn Huskies. It was a disappointing ending after not only being crowned the ACC regular-season champion but also winning the conference tournament.
Now, into the offseason, head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff have turned their attention toward the transfer portal. It officially opened Tuesday and runs through April 21, giving players a 15-day window to enter. The Blue Devils weren't extremely active last offseason. Their two additions gave them a group that ranked just 14th in the ACC.
However, following their Elite Eight elimination, they may be looking to make a big splash. In an article from On3's Joe Tipton, he lists Duke as one team to watch for former Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell.
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"John Blackwell is one of the top guards to hit the portal," Tipton wrote. "The All-Big Ten selection averaged just over 19 points per game. Early schools to watch are Duke and Illinois."
In his junior season for Wisconsin, Blackwell started 34 games, averaging 19.1 points (second on the team), 5.1 rebounds (second on the team) and 2.3 assists (third on the team). He also shot 43% from the field and 38.9% from the three-point line.
Coming out of high school, he was only a three-star recruit and the No. 219 player in the nation. Exceeding expectations, he is now one of the top players available this offseason. On3 rankings list him as the No. 4 player in the transfer portal. At 6-foot-4 and 203 pounds, he has one more year of eligibility.
If he chose Duke, he would be the Blue Devils' first portal addition of the offseason. It would help replenish the roster after losing guard/forward Darren Harris and guard/forward Nikolas Khamenia.
