The biggest addition of the offseason for Duke was Wisconsin star guard John Blackwell, who landed with the Blue Devils out of the Transfer Portal. He was one of the biggest names in the portal, and Jon Scheyer won out in his recruitment to bring the elite scoring guard to Durham.
He'll give Duke the kind of on-ball scoring guard they haven't had in recent seasons. He arrives on Tobacco Road with high expectations as the projected best player on a national title contender.
That standing will obviously have him on the shortlist in the National Player of the Year conversation.
That conversation got started this week with DraftKings releasing its opening odds for the Wooden Award.
Blackwell has the third-best odds at +1200, behind only Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. (+850) and Florida's Thomas Haugh (+1000).
A John Blackwell Wooden Award win would mean college basketball history for Duke
A Duke player has won back-to-back Wooden Awards with Cooper Flagg in 2025 and Cameron Boozer in 2026.
No program has ever produced three consecutive Wooden Awards. If Blackwell wins, it would be a historic moment for the Blue Devils.
Duke is one of just four programs that have produced consecutive Wooden Award winners, and one of only two programs to produce two different Wooden winners in consecutive seasons. Purdue's Zach Edey (2023, 2024) and Virginia's Ralph Sampson (1982, 1983) won back-to-back, while St. John's produced back-to-back Wooden winners in Chris Mullin (1985) and Walter Berry (1986).
This current streak is the second time Duke has produced back-to-back Wooden Award winners. It previously happened with Shane Battier (2001) and Jay Williams (2002). That's the closest any program has come to three in a row, with the Blue Devils landing the award three out of four years, with Battier and Williams following Elton Brand (1999).
The Wooden Award has been around since 1977, with next year being the 50th time it has been given out. Duke has won eight of the previous 49, and Blackwell could make it nine times out of 50 and three in a row next season.
Blackwell is projected to be Duke's leading scorer, but this is a balanced and deep roster, which could make it difficult for Blackwell to produce the numbers required to win such an illustrious award. As much as the individual success would be meaningful for the Wisconsin transfer, he came to Duke with only one goal in mind:
Winning the national championship.
That's the only award that matters.
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