Louisville basketball in heated battle with Duke for John Blackwell after major update

Louisville basketball got a major update Saturday night, as the Cardinals learned they are not only still in the race for John Blackwell but are trending toward earning a visit later this week. Blackwell’s recruiting process has had some crazy twists and turns as Illinois was once the favorite, but now it appears they are out, and the race all of a sudden feels like it is between the Cardinals, Duke, and UCLA.

Pat Kelsey getting major John Blackwell recruiting help from new Louisville commit

Illinois was once the favorite for the 5-star transfer, as Blackwell’s father, Glynn Blackwell, played for the Illini in the mid-1980s. However, Illinois landed the No. 2 shooting guard, Stefan Vaaks, and learned their star guard, Andrej Stojakovic, will return, making it seem like they are out of the race.

Now, it was reported Saturday night that the Cardinals are in a heated recruiting battle with their ACC rival, as Duke will host a visit Monday and Louisville will hopefully host one later in the week.

Louisville basketball in heated battle with Duke for John Blackwell

The Cardinals and the Blue Devils will each pick up their recruiting efforts for the 5-star transfer, as the Cardinals hope Blackwell will leave Duke uncommitted and visit Louisville.

Louisville fans saw how important the first visit is with Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad, as Duke had a visit scheduled with Bidunga, but Louisville earned his commitment before he went on it. Now, Duke has a visit scheduled for Monday, and Louisville hopes Blackwell will remain uncommitted and plans the visit to Louisville later in the week.

The Cardinals won the recruiting battle over Duke for Bidunga, and Kelsey will try to work that portal magic one more time and land his second 5-star transfer this offseason, and his third 5-star transfer in the past two offseasons. Kelsey recently visited Blackwell earlier this week, and Louisville saw Shelstad recruit Blackwell himself by commenting on the 5-star transfer's social media post.

Louisville fans thought the Cardinals' recruiting efforts might slow down after Adrian Wooley returned, but it appears Kelsey is trying to not only build a Final Four-caliber roster, but a National Title favorite roster. If Louisville can land Blackwell, this Cardinals team would likely be not just a top-10, but potentially a top-5, team in the nation, as that would mean they landed the No. 1 and No. 3 overall transfers in the portal.

Blackwell ranks No. 1 among shooting guards and No. 3 overall in the portal as the 5-star transfer averaged 19.1 points per game, and made a career-high 96 3’s on 39 percent from beyond the arc. The Cardinals fans will have a close eye on Blackwell on Monday during his visit to Duke, as if he leaves Duke's campus uncommitted, the Cards will be in a great position to earn this visit.

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For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.

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