The prevailing thought when Wisconsin star guard John Blackwell entered the Transfer Portal was that it was likely going to be a two-horse race between Duke and Illinois. He ultimately released a longer list that also included Alabama, Arizona, Louisville, and UCLA, but smart money remained on the Blue Devils and the Illini as the top two suitors.
Now, Duke may be standing alone at the top of his list.
Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic officially announced his return for next season, which could take the Illini out of the Blackwell sweepstakes:
Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic will return to the Illini next season, his agent Drake U’u told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 17, 2026
The 6-7 junior averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season. Scored 21 points in the Round of 32 against VCU and 17 in the Elite Eight against Iowa.… pic.twitter.com/v6iE9R39sN
Stojakovic's return, along with the addition of Stefan Vaaks, likely takes Illinois out of the running for Blackwell.
Duke is seemingly heavy favorites for John Blackwell with Stojakovic's return to Illinois
Our friends over at Writing Illini, who do a great job of covering Illinois athletics, certainly believe that to be the case. Prior to Stojakovic's return, Rees Woodcock wrote that it was likely an either/or scenario between Stojakovic and Blackwell in Champaign.
"Andrej Stojakvoic staying at Illinois should signal a closure to the transfer portal recruitment of John Blackwell," Woodcock writes.
That should clear Duke's biggest challenger for Blackwell out of the way, if what Illinois fans believe is true.
It's been quiet for Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils in the Transfer Portal so far, but things could be heating up soon. Blackwell has been the top target for Duke, and they now seem to be in an even better position to land him, though no decision appears to be imminent.
Duke has also expressed interest in Santa Clara's Allen Graves, who is going through the NBA Draft process. Scheyer won't put all his eggs in the Graves basket, looking to avoid the same mistake he made a year ago with Washington State transfer Cedric Coward, who ultimately remained in the NBA Draft instead of transferring to Duke.
Cayden Boozer announced his decision to return to Duke for his sophomore season, but Scheyer is still waiting on NBA Draft decisions from Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, Dame Sarr, and Patrick Ngongba. The former two seem likely to declare, while the latter two are widely expected to return.
Adding a scorer of Blackwell's caliber is of the utmost importance this offseason, particularly if both Boozer and Evans head to the draft.
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