Duke Guard John Blackwell Leads College Basketball Transfer Class

John Blackwell enters the 2026-27 college basketball season as a first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection at Duke.

Blackwell, a 6-foot-5 guard, moved from Wisconsin to Duke after entering the transfer portal. He ranks 11th on the Badgers career scoring list with 1,505 points over three seasons. In his final year at Wisconsin, he averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds as the team finished with a 24-11 record. The Badgers fell to High Point 83-82 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Blackwell credits Duke coach Jon Scheyer for his decision to transfer, citing the head coach's direct communication style during recruitment. Blackwell told reporters that Scheyer kept it real and promised to push players every single day.

Blackwell has already demonstrated his scoring ability in Duke's early games. He recorded 23 points in a 90-84 victory over No. 17 Kansas and 18 points in a 103-64 win against No. 8 Tennessee. An ACC media panel voted him second to Virginia forward Thijs De Ridder for preseason player of the year. Scheyer noted that Blackwell is a proven scorer who does not require the ball to impact games.

Flory Bidunga joined Louisville from Kansas. The 6-foot-9 forward from the Democratic Republic of the Congo earned second-team Associated Press all-Big 12 honors last season. Big 12 coaches named him the league's defensive player of the year. Bidunga recorded 145 blocks in his two seasons at Kansas and averaged 13.3 points and 9 rebounds in the 2025-26 campaign. An ACC media panel selected him as a first-team all-conference pick. Louisville also added Jackson Shelstad from Oregon, who received a preseason second-team all-ACC selection.

Juke Harris transferred from Wake Forest to Tennessee. The 6-foot-7 guard averaged 21.4 points per game for Wake Forest last season and earned AP second-team all-ACC honors. Harris played 1,230 minutes last season, the most by a Wake Forest player since the 1974-75 season. SEC coaches placed him on the second-team preseason all-conference roster.

Mila Momcilovic moved from Iowa State to Kentucky. The 6-foot-9 forward led all Division I players in 3-point baskets with 136 and in 3-point percentage at .487 last season. He averaged 16.9 points per game for Iowa State. His 136 three-pointers represented the second-highest single-season total in Big 12 history. Momcilovic has made 42.9% of his career 3-point attempts. He scored 19 points in an exhibition win over Central Florida and 15 in a victory over Texas Tech.

Paulius Murauskas arrived at Arizona State from Saint Mary's. The 6-foot-8 forward from Lithuania was named the Big 12 preseason newcomer of the year and a preseason all-conference selection by league coaches. He earned first-team all-West Coast Conference honors in both of his seasons at Saint Mary's. Murauskas averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds last season.

Dedan Thomas Jr. joined Houston from LSU. The 6-1 guard averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 assists in 16 games at LSU before an injured left foot ended his season. He recorded four times as many assists as turnovers. Big 12 coaches selected him for the preseason all-conference team. Thomas has averaged 14.6 points and 5.3 assists in 76 career games.

Tounde Yessoufou transferred from Baylor to St. John's. The 6-foot-5 guard from Benin set a Baylor freshman scoring record with 605 points last season. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2 steals. He ranked 10th among all Division I freshmen in points per game and third in steals per game. Big East coaches named him a first-team preseason all-conference pick. Yessoufou scored 23 points in an 87-74 preseason exhibition victory over Texas.