Why Duke Can't Lose When Boozer Enters This Zone

Cameron Boozer has quickly turned “when he’s hooping” into the unofficial slogan for Duke’s dominance in the 2025-2026 season.

The freshman forward isn’t just playing – he’s elevating the Blue Devils to near-unbeatable status when he takes over games in the second halves with his explosive scoring, rebounding, and playmaking.

DUKE FRESHMAN CAM BOOZER UNDERSTANDS IT NOW 😳

27 PTS | 8 REB | 10-12 FG | Win against No. 20 Louisville 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2N2UIDVMXY
— ESPN (@espn) January 7, 2026

Is Cameron Boozer the Greatest Freshman Since Zion?

At 6’9” and 250 pounds, Boozer arrived at Duke as a top 3 recruit in the 2025 class, a two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year, and the son of NBA veteran Carlos Boozer. He committed to Duke on October 11, 2024, in a major feat for coach Jon Scheyer. Through 21 games and just touching February, Boozer is delivering in every way possible.

He’s averaging 23.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, shooting an efficient 58.4% from the field (including 37.7% from three). Nationally, those numbers are consistently ranking him in the top 5 in scoring (4th currently), with his rebounding and assists adding layers to his impact.

I’m very perplexed with the way this app, national media and apparently NBA teams view Cameron Boozer.

He’s the youngest, most productive and versatile of “the big 3”, and he hasn’t had a bad game in three months.

We’re quite literally witnessing one of, if not the best…
— Latif Love (@realLatifLove) February 1, 2026

“Well, we have a three-headed monster in Cam Boozer, Maliq Brown and Pat [Ngongba II]. Those guys are big-time competitors and they’re really smart. They're tough. And they establish a competitiveness for our team. And they do it on both ends of the floor. Not to mention their assists and play making and passing. It's what we wanted, as a coaching staff, we wanted Pat and Maliq back. Didn’t feel like there’s anybody better. And then obviously, Cam coming in, it's come to fruition with us feeling that's an advantage for our team,” said Scheyer on his team’s dominance in the paint.

The Blue Devils are off to a 20-1 start, and a perfect 9-0 in ACC play due to the playmaking from Boozer and has the team ranked 4th nationally. The lone loss came by way of Texas Tech on December 20th, 82-81, which kind of feels like an outlier in a campaign where they have been steamrolling opponents.

Boozer's Efficient Night: 9-of-12 Shooting Seals Victory for No. 4 Duke

The “hooping” factor shines brightest in Boozer’s recent stretch of high-level performances:

On Saturday night at Virginia Tech, Boozer dropped 24 points (9-of-12 shooting), grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists in a 72-58 road win.
Duke’s ninth straight victory
Against No. 20 Louisville on January 27th, he posted 19 points and 10 rebounds in an 83-52 blowout
Versus Wake Forest on January 24th, Boozer erupted for 32 points (11-of-20 FG), 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 90-69 rout, controlling the interior and punishing help defense with his passing

From Gatorade National POY to ACC Rookie Sensation

Analysts are already buzzing. Boozer is a frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors; preseason ACC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-ACC picks are looking conservative. With Duke on a historic ACC run and building momentum toward March, the formula is clear: Get Boozer the ball early, let him establish position, and watch him hoop.

As the season heats up, one thing is certain: Boozer’s elevation is lifting Duke toward another championship pursuit.

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