John Blackwell had his first big test since transferring from Wisconsin to Duke, taking on a familiar foe in the Michigan State Spartans. The Blue Devils ended up dropping the game 78-73, putting up a good fight in the second half after digging themselves an early hole. But in the end, Jeremy Fears Jr. and co. were too much, pulling away with the upset victory.
As for Blackwell, he had a performance that rings all too familiar for Badger fans, as inconsistency from half to half, questionable shot selection and late-game blunders ultimately played a large part in Duke falling short. That said, he also can be credited with giving the Blue Devils multiple much-needed offensive boosts in the second half, making it a classic Blackwell experience.
final from Chicago pic.twitter.com/KgHa1zvQdq
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 11, 2026
Up and down night
He ended up with a team-high 17 points (on a team-high 16 shots) to go along with five rebounds and an assist. Twelve of those 17 came in the second half, as it took a while for Blackwell to get rolling. Early on, he was very passive, mostly drifting off the ball and being used as a ball mover, not taking advantage of the limited opportunity he did get.
In the second half, however, there was a clear and observable effort to get him more involved, which he took advantage of — kinda. Blackwell definitely had some moments, hitting some timely 3s and creating offense when needed, but when the going got tough, he began to drift.
JOHN BLACKWELL HITS A THREE pic.twitter.com/OFUBHj1b7K
— Oate Noats (@OatetheNoats) November 11, 2026
Blackwell missed four of his last five shots in the last minute and a half, including a pair of wide-open 3s and an open layup, each of which could've given a much-needed spark. However, his lack of ability to convert ended up being one of the many driving factors in the loss.
Although, in the end, it was by no means a poor performance, it was still a lot of the ugly faults that made Blackwell’s time in Madison rocky and added fuel to the fire of fans who thought Wisconsin would be better off without him. Although that statement is a bit wild in and of itself, arguably the biggest faults of this current Badger team are the lack of shot creation and depth at the shooting guard position, two roles Blackwell could fill. There is some merit behind fans' disdain.
Nonetheless, it's still early for Blackwell, and he has had the tendency in years past to build as the season moves on. Duke is a crowded and congested roster filled with NBA-level talents, so there were always going to be some early-season growing pains as they tried to figure everything out.
The question going forward, however, is if those growing pains are solved with or without Blackwell on the court for chunks of time. Skepticism has already been raised about his fit with the current roster, and although his talent will demand playing time, he could see a decreased role as the Blue Devils' schedule only continues to ramp up.
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