Former Duke Basketball Guard Erupts in ACC Tournament Win

Apparently, Duke basketball alum Jaylen Blakes isn't yet ready to see his college career end.

Former Duke basketball guard Jaylen Blakes / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Three-year Duke basketball reserve Jaylen Blakes, who transferred to Stanford for his senior campaign after earning his degree in Durham, tallied exactly 20 points twice in ACC regular season action this go-round.

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The first instance was in Stanford's ACC debut victory at Cal in early December. And the second came courtesy of the New Jersey native's clutch buckets in a win at UNC in January.

But Blakes topped his ACC career-high in No. 7 seed Stanford's ACC Tournament debut on Wednesday night, helping to power the Cardinal (20-12, 11-9 ACC) to a 78-73 win over the No. 15 seed Cal Golden Bears (14-19, 6-14 ACC) and secure a spot in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Blakes, who received the second-most votes for ACC Most Improved Player after averaging 12.9 points and 4.6 assists for Stanford, finished with 21 points versus Cal, shooting 7-for-12 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, and 6-for-7 at the foul line. The 21-year-old added three rebounds, six assists, three steals, and only one turnover across his 37 minutes on the floor.

He and the Cardinal, likely needing to capture the ACC Tournament crown to reach the NCAA Tournament, are now preparing to battle the No. 2 seed Louisville Cardinals (25-6, 18-2 ACC) at 7 p.m. ET Thursday (ESPN or ESPN2).

Meanwhile, the No. 1 seed Duke basketball squad (28-3, 19-1 ACC) will square off against the No. 8 seed Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (17-15, 10-10 ACC) at noon ET Thursday (ESPN).

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Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball recruiting news.