Duke Basketball Rookie Gives Reality Check to Sycamores

They never trailed again the rest of the way, ultimately improving to 4-0 overall this season and 2-0 at home via a 100-62 victory over the Sycamores.

By halftime, projected one-and-done forward Cameron Boozer had already tallied 15 points for the fourth time in as many tries as a Blue Devil.

In fact, the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Florida native, son of Duke basketball champ Carlos Boozer, entered the break with 23 points, only two shy of his career-high scoring total, and the Blue Devils held an 51-32 halftime advantage.

Boozer's points marked the most by any Blue Devil in a first half since one-and-done guard Jared McCain totaled 25 before the break in a road win over the Florida State Seminoles on Feb. 17, 2024.

Cameron Boozer finished the contest with 35 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three blocks. And he did so in under 30 minutes of playing time, shooting a highly efficient 13-for-16 from the field, 2-for-2 from downtown, and 7-for-11 at the foul line.

By the time another Blue Devil reached double-digit points — freshman guard Dame Sarr hit that mark almost seven minutes into the second half — Boozer had already pushed his total to 33. At that point, he sat only eight points shy of Indiana State's total.

Blue Devil junior guard Caleb Foster eventually joined Boozer and Sarr as a double-digit scorer. In his most productive effort this season, Foster delivered 14 points, four boards, two dimes, and one steal.

Next up for Jon Scheyer's fourth Duke basketball squad is a Champions Classic showdown against the No. 25 Kansas Jayhawks in New York City's Madison Square Garden at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).

The Blue Devils then return to the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium to host the Niagara Purple Eagles, coached by Scheyer's former college teammate in 2005-09 Duke basketball guard Greg Paulus, at 7 p.m ET next Friday (ACC Network).