Cameron Boozer leads Duke to 8-0 start for first time since 2017

Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) drives to the basket against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Malique Ewin (12) during the second half at United Center. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Arkansas-Duke takeaways: Cameron Boozer leads Blue Devils to 8-0 start for first time since 2017

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Nov 27, 2025 10:57 PM ET

No. 4 Duke held off No. 22 Arkansas for a 80-71 win inside the United Center on Thursday evening, earning a monumental early-season victory in a game that felt very March Madness-esque. Here are four takeaways from a Thanksgiving classic.

Cameron Boozer continues to shine

Cameron Boozer came into Thursday's contest averaging 21.1 points per game. With his father Carlos in attendance, the younger Boozer showed out.

Boozer scored 15 points and 18 points in wins over Texas and Kansas, respectively. But he turned in the best performance of his young collegiate career on Thursday, scoring 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field and coming up one rebound shy of a double-double.

Boozer will be a matchup nightmare for each and every team he faces for the remainder of his freshman season, and he was a thorn in the Razorbacks' side on Thursday.

THANKSGIVING 30 BURGER FOR CAM pic.twitter.com/lfSDveSHdA
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 28, 2025

Arkansas freshmen fall short but show out

Boozer deservedly got much of the attention during Thursday's game, but Arkansas' pair of dynamic freshmen also made their mark. Freshman guards Darius Acuff Jr. (21 points) and Meleek Thomas (13 points) kept Arkansas in the game and continue to show that they are consistently viable scoring options for head coach John Calipari.

DARIUS COMING THROUGH pic.twitter.com/o0Ewb8XODs
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball (@RazorbackMBB) November 28, 2025

Fouls bite Hogs late

Fouls were far from the only reason Arkansas came up short on Thursday, but they definitely had an impact. With Boozer already on fire, Arkansas' big men — Trevon Brazile, Nick Pringle and Malique Ewin — were all in foul trouble in the second half, which didn't allow Arkansas to play aggressive defense against Duke's freshman star.

The result was Boozer shooting a total of 11 free throws on Thursday and Brazile fouling out of the game.

Duke starts 8-0 for first time in eight years

For the first time since 2017-18, the Blue Devils are undefeated through their first eight games. After getting to the Final Four a year ago, John Scheyer's squad looks like it has the potential to make another deep tournament run.

Duke will look to start 9-0 when it hosts defending national champion Florida on Dec. 2.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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