Duke's hopes of bringing in John Blackwell could come down to beating out 2 other teams

Jon Scheyer and Duke are getting to make their pitch to Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell on Monday.

Blackwell is scheduled to be in Durham today for his visit, and while he's not expected to make a decision until next month, this is Scheyer's opportunity to effectively close the deal and land a player who would have a tremendous impact on next season's team.

With Illinois seemingly out of the Blackwell sweepstakes after Andrej Stojakovic elected to return to the Illini, and with things quiet with both Alabama and Arizona, it appears it will come down to three teams for the talented transfer guard.

Blackwell has already visited UCLA. He'll see Duke today, and then plans to make the trip to Louisville later in the week:

Duke appears to be battling UCLA and Louisville for Wisconsin's John Blackwell

Louisville has been one of the biggest winners in the Transfer Portal so far, adding Kansas' Flory Bidunga, Oregon's Jackson Shelstad, and Arkansas' Karter Knox. They are pushing for others, including Blackwell, and Duke can't let that one happen.

Blackwell has an obvious fit and role with Duke next season, likely slotting into the starting two-guard role next to Cayden Boozer in the backcourt.

Blackwell fits a major need for Duke in finding an impactful scorer to replace the production of Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans, both of whom are expected to enter the NBA Draft. Blackwell averaged over 19 points per game for Wisconsin this past season while shooting 39% from three-point range.

A veteran, steadying presence in the backcourt who can go get buckets would be a huge boost for Duke, particularly in the NCAA Tournament.

There's still some recruiting to be done, but getting him on campus on Monday is an important first step in trying to beat out the Bruins and Cardinals. Scheyer needs to get it done.

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