John Blackwell Just Entered the Portal, and Illinois Wants Him Bad
Wisconsin's John Blackwell announced he's heading into the transfer portal on Monday, and Illinois is probably circling his name hard. The 6-foot-4, 203-pound guard put up 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season and landed All-Big Ten Third Team honors. He was the seventh-leading scorer in the entire Big Ten. Yeah, the Illini noticed.
A Guy Who Got Hot Against Illinois at the Exact Right Time
Blackwell absolutely torched Illinois twice this past season, and both times it mattered. On February 11 in Champaign, he dropped 24 points and four assists on 9-for-22 shooting in Wisconsin's 92-90 overtime win. Then in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, he went off for 31 points and six rebounds, shooting 9-for-17, in another Wisconsin overtime victory over Illinois, this time 91-88. The guy shows up when it counts.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiLast season he hit the 20-point mark 16 different times, which tied for fifth in the Big Ten. As a sophomore, he was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention after averaging 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He's been a steady climber since his freshman year when he averaged 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game off the bench. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan native has spent all three years at Wisconsin.
Portal Stock Rising, NBA Uncertain
Blackwell is currently the No. 2 overall player in the transfer portal according to 247Sports. He will go through the NBA Draft process, but he's not currently projected to be selected by any major draft outlet, so the portal route makes sense. For context, Wisconsin was his only high-major offer out of high school when he was ranked No. 211 in the Class of 2023 Composite rankings. He had offers from Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Toledo among other mid-major programs.
Illinois just tasted the Final Four. Coach Brad Underwood called it a drug, something addictive. The Illini are the third Illinois team in the modern era of college basketball to reach that stage, and they're hungry to get back. Blackwell might be exactly the scorer they need.
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