After Loss, Steve Forbes Compares 2 Duke Greats

The Duke basketball program improved to 18-1 overall and 7-0 in conference play after a 90-69 victory over Wake Forest (11-9, 2-5 ACC) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday. The victory counts as a Quadrant 2 win for the Blue Devils, and this is now the team's second straight win by 20 points or more.

Duke was dominant offensively as it continued to attack inside. The Blue Devils outscored the Demon Deacons 48-16 in the paint while securing 16 offensive boards.

Jon Scheyer's club also put together one of its best performances from the free-throw line all season, going 21-of-24 (88%) as a team, while Wake went 11-13 (85%) from the charity stripe.

Freshman sensation Cameron Boozer was dominant once again, and it's becoming nearly impossible to argue for anyone else to take home the National Player of the Year award. Fans are growing accustomed to 25-point and 10-rebound games from the prized rookie, which isn't something that happens too often.

Coach Scheyer after @DukeMBB beat Wake Forest 90-69:

“I was really proud of our team, it wasn’t the cleanest start but we got through that and our defense really carried us. Our execution on offense was great again attacking the paint, Cam handled the double teams really well.”
— David Shumate (@dukepbp) January 24, 2026

If Boozer continues his unprecedented play and takes home NPOY honors, this would give Duke the nation's top player for the second season in a row, as Boozer would follow 2025 National Player of the Year and eventual No. 1 overall 2025 NBA Draft choice Cooper Flagg.

Steve Forbes Faces National Player of the Year Favorite for Second Straight Season

Steve Forbes, the head coach at Wake Forest, got to go up against Flagg during the 2024-25 campaign. In a 93-60 win for the Blue Devils, Flagg tallied a game-high 28 points to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks.

Boozer did the same damage to Forbes and his squad this time around as well.

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) walks off the court after losing to the Houston Cougars in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

In a 21-point victory for the Blue Devils on Saturday, Boozer tallied 32 points, nine boards, four assists, and three steals on 11-of-20 (55%) shooting from the field, 3-of-8 (37.5%) shooting from three-point range, and 7-of-7 (100%) shooting from the free-throw line.

This was Boozer's second straight game with at least 30 points.

After the contest, Forbes compared the two Blue Devil greats.

"Last year it was Cooper Flagg, this year it's Cameron Boozer," Forbes said after the loss to Duke.

Boozer Cannot Be Stopped

Over Duke's last three games, Boozer is averaging 27.6 points, 12 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a night on 60% shooting from the floor. It's true video game numbers from the freshman, and no one is really coming close to the level of production Boozer is putting together.

The Miami native has been the most dominant player in the sport, and Forbes sees the comparison between him and Flagg.

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