Cameron Boozer didn’t just play well — he took over Cameron Indoor in a way that made the entire building forget about anything except what he was doing. The highly touted Duke freshman exploded for a career-high 35 points as No. 4 Duke (4–0) crushed Indiana State (2–2), 100–62, on Friday night.
From the jump, Boozer looked like he was operating on a different level. He scored inside, hit touch shots, whipped outlet passes, crashed the boards, and made defenders look painfully overmatched. His first half alone felt unreal: 23 points on 9-of-10 shooting, with his lone miss turning into an offensive rebound and a bucket seconds later.
And watching it all courtside was Duke legend — and proud dad — Carlos Boozer, who got a front-row seat to his son’s breakout moment.
By the end of the night, Boozer had stacked up one of the most complete stat lines any freshman has produced in years: 35 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 3 steals in just 28 minutes. According to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, he’s the first major-conference freshman since Carmelo Anthony in 2003 to record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and one or fewer turnovers.
For a while, it even looked like Boozer might chase down Cooper Flagg’s Duke freshman scoring record of 42 set last season. But Jon Scheyer, with the game fully in hand, pulled the freshman late in the second half.
Now Duke gets a quick breather before a massive showdown on November 18: No. 25 Kansas at Madison Square Garden in the Champions Classic — easily the biggest test of the Blue Devils’ season so far.
And in a loaded freshman class that includes Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, UNC’s Caleb Wilson, Tennessee’s Nate Ament, and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Boozer may already be separating himself from the pack.
Friday wasn’t just a great performance — it was the kind of night that makes the entire sport take notice.
