Trio of Former Five-Stars Help Duke Past Clemson in Ranked Matchup

Saturday's college basketball slate is filled with important contests.

Kansas and Iowa State meet in a showdown between top-10 opponents, while Florida and Kentucky, as well as Texas Tech and Arizona also square off in ranked matchups. Alongside the aforementioned games, No. 4 Duke and No. 20 Clemson also took the court for an important meeting early in the day.

The Blue Devils came away with a 67-54 win, improving to 23-2 as the end of the regular season approaches. Clemson fell to 20-6 with the loss.

A number of 2026 NBA Draft prospects were on display in the contest, as Duke's Cameron Boozer, a likely top-3 pick in the upcoming class, led all scorers with 18 points. The star freshman shot 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from 3-point range and 2-of-3 from the free throw line, adding 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals a block and just one turnover in the win.

Boozer, the son of former All-NBA big man Carlos Boozer, has been one of the best players in college basketball this season.

Rated the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 power forward in the 2025 recruiting class by 247Sports, the 18-year-old has lived up to expectations so far, averaing 23 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 57.8% from the field and 38.3% from deep.

In addition to his prowess as a paint scorer and rebounder, Boozer is also a solid passer and perimeter shooter for his size, allowing the 6-foot-9, 250-pound big man to space the floor. The coveted prospect's skill set has likely cemented Boozer as one of the first three selections in this year's draft class.

Alongside Boozer, sophomore wing player Isaiah Evans had a solid outing for the Blue Devils, finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a turnover, shooting 5-of-12 from the field, 4-of-9 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 at the free throw line.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds, Evans is averaging 14.3 points, 3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, shooting 42.2% from the field, 35.2% from 3-point range and 88.3% from the free throw line. The No. 13 overall prospect and No. 4 small forward in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports, Evans has the potential to be a late first-round pick in the upcoming class.

The only other Duke player to score in double figures was freshman point guard Cayden Boozer, the brother of superstar big man Cameron Boozer.

Cayden Boozer tallied 12 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench, shooting 5-of-8 from the field, 0-of-2 from beyond the arc and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. The talented point guard was also a five-star recruit, but hasn't produced eye-catching numbers this year.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound freshman is averaging 6.2 points, 2.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.1% from the field and 31.6% from deep.

Cayden Boozer is an intriguing prospect, but could return to school rather than trying his luck in what should be a loaded 2026 draft class.

For Clemson, junior big man Carter Welling led the way with 12 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and zero turnovers while shooting 4-of-7 from the field, 0-of-2 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the line.

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