Cameron Boozer and the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils have impressed the college basketball world all season, but they got arguably their most impressive win of the season on Saturday afternoon.
Following a 66-60 victory on the road against No. 7 Michigan State, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer praised Boozer, who scored 16 points in the second half after scoring just two points in the first half, and the team as a whole.
“We tried to put him [Boozer] in some good situations where he does such a good job getting downhill and the dynamic of his scoring and passing,” Boozer said. “I just thought he willed us. In the second half, what he did was incredible. Michigan State is tough as could be.
“Coming in here, I thought our guys were tested beyond anything we’ve seen so far and just really proud of our guys to get that win.”
Boozer was the star of the show for Duke, which trailed at halftime, finishing the game with 18 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block. Meanwhile, for the Blue Devils, Nikolas Khamenia had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Caleb Foster had 12 points and a decisive 3-pointer in the final 20 seconds.
Saturday’s win, which moved the Blue Devils to 10-0, was Duke’s fourth ranked victory of the season, previously beating Kansas (78-66), Arkansas (80-71) and defending-champion Florida (67-66).
On the other hand, Michigan State, which entered the day undefeated, has three ranked wins this season: Arkansas (69-66), Kentucky (83-66) and North Carolina (74-58).
Entering Saturday, Boozer was averaging 23.6 points (second in the nation), 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 56.2/37.5/77.3; Isaiah Evans and Patrick Ngongba were each averaging 12.6 points per game, with the former blocking 1.3 shots per contest and the latter blocking 1.6 shots; Foster was shooting 44.8% from distance.
“We got weapons. We got guys at every position that can shoot, drive and pass,” Boozer said after the game. “I got to make the right play every time, and all my guys are going to find me. Back-to-back games, two different guys hit big-time shots. I think that’s what describes our team. We’re nine deep, and we’re going to keep it rolling.”
Boozer & Co. have one more ranked, nonconference matchup on their schedule against No. 19 Texas Tech on Dec. 20.
‘We’re nine deep” 😤 Cameron Boozer & Jon Scheyer break down BIG road win against Michigan State
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