Cameron Boozer is dominating, with ESPN writers now debating if he'll surpass last year's star, Cooper Flagg. Duke eyes a championship run.
Cooper Flagg was the big name in men's college basketball last year.
With Flagg, Duke made it to the Final Four, but ultimately lost to Houston 70-67. Flagg made a hard decision to leave the Blue Devils after one season, becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft that belonged to the Dallas Mavericks.
Duke is in good hands with Cameron Boozer this season. The freshman forward is averaging 22.7 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
The Blue Devils are 29-2 overall before playing in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Thursday. Duke is expected to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament later this month.
ESPN's Myron Medcalf recently suggested Boozer could be better than Flagg.
"Boozer might also be better than Flagg: Boozer has a higher offensive rating on KenPom, is averaging more points (22.6 vs. 19.2) and rebounds (10.0 vs. 7.5), and is a better 3-point shooter," he wrote.
"According to EvanMiya, Boozer is having the best season in college basketball since at least 2009-10, surpassing Zach Edey's second consecutive Wooden Award season in 2023-24 (25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game).
Borzello and Medcalf noted Boozer and Flagg have different playing styles. Boozer is also helped with a deeper roster than Flagg had last season.
With a talented supporting cast, Boozer has a chance to do something Flagg could not, win a national championship.
"This season's Duke squad is better defensively -- and more potent in the paint too. Boozer already has led the Blue Devils through tough tests," Medcalf wrote. "
There certainly is a path -- and perhaps an expectation -- to cutting down the nets in Indianapolis."
Duke finished its season with a strong defensive showing, beating No. 17 North Carolina 76-61 thanks to 14 Tar Heels' turnovers.
Defense has been a point of emphasis for head coach Jon Scheyer ever since Duke lost to UNC in February. The Blue Devils proved they were a championship-caliber team with a 68-62 win over Michigan on Feb. 21.
Still, Boozer and Duke will have to win six straight games in the NCAA Tournament to win the championship, and one bad performance could leave Boozer stinging like Flagg when his college career ended.