Cameron Boozer takes over as No. 3 Duke tops No. 1 Michigan in slugfest of elite teams

WASHINGTON — By the time the janitorial staff cleaning Capital One Arena broke out their leafblowers, at 9:41 p.m. local, almost everyone was gone.

The 20,000-plus fans who came to witness a Final Four preview in late February. Dusty May and Jon Scheyer, the coaches of the No. 1 and 3 teams in college basketball. Nearly every player from Michigan and Duke, who coalesced Saturday to more than deliver in the most highly anticipated game of this most excellent college basketball season.

But not everyone, though. Not this unassuming giant in nondescript white sneakers and a heather gray tracksuit. Not the deserving front-runner for the Wooden Award, given annually to college basketball’s best player. Not the singular talent who, more than anyone else, tilted the scale in Duke’s favor and ensured the Blue Devils came away with a 68-63 victory.

Not Cameron Boozer.

Instead, Boozer just… hung out. Took photos with his twin brother, Cayden. Scrolled on his phone. Flirted around the fringe of the hardwood, with all the outward enthusiasm of someone making elevator small talk.

Nothing special. Entirely ordinary. Which is what makes Boozer fascinating.

Because on the court, there is absolutely nothing ordinary about him.

That has been more than apparent all season long, as Boozer has cemented himself as the most impactful player in all of college hoops — full stop. NBA decision-makers might prefer the long-term upside of some of Boozer’s freshman counterparts, such as Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa, and that’s a reasonable conversation for another day. But after Saturday — when Boozer led Duke in points (18), rebounds (10) and assists (seven) against the top-ranked team in the sport — it’s indisputable that, even in this star-studded college season, Boozer stands alone atop the pack.

“This guy,” Scheyer said from a postgame dais, signaling to Boozer on his left, “he’s doing everything.”

And more, frankly. Saturday was Boozer’s 15th game this season with at least 15 points and 10 rebounds, the most of any high-major player in America. Even at a place like Duke, with its never-ending conveyor belt of ready-made freshman stars, Boozer has etched his name all over the record books, eclipsing some of college basketball’s best-ever first-years. In KenPom’s national player of the year rankings, the gap between Boozer and second place (Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson) is more than double the distance between Jefferson and 10th place (Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz).

deep water dub 🦈🦈🦈 pic.twitter.com/7XCacZJ7zu

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 22, 2026

Want a synopsis from Saturday? Not to oversimplify things, but the best player in college basketball simply proved too much for the best team in college basketball.

In other words, Duke had Cameron Boozer — and Michigan had no answer for him.

A tale as old as time. The same script from Duke’s eight previous ranked wins, but really, every game so far this season.

If anything was different against the Wolverines, it was only that Boozer saved his best for when he was already saddled with four fouls, in the final four minutes, with Duke desperately clinging to a 1-point lead.

After picking up his second and third personal fouls in two minutes early in the second half, Boozer picked up his pivotal fourth with just under nine minutes to play. And given his importance, Scheyer had no choice but to sideline his best player and hope the rest of the Blue Devils could hang on to Duke’s then-5-point lead. Which they did, between Nik Khamenia’s surprising nine rebounds off the bench, Maliq Brown’s rim protection and an overall defensive effort that held a top-10 offense to 28.6 percent shooting in the second half.

When Boozer checked back in with 4:47 left, Michigan had cut into its deficit by … 1 point.

“Obviously, when Boozer goes out, you’ve got to figure out a way to capitalize,” May said, “and we weren’t able to do that for a number of reasons.”

And then, despite being one wrong push or bump away from fouling out, Boozer called game. A key defensive rebound, part of Duke’s overall 41-28 edge on the glass that constitutes a new season-worst for Michigan. Then an offensive rebound, and timing his second shot perfectly so as to draw a fourth foul on Michigan’s 7-foot-3 center, Aday Mara. (And, of course, he made both free throws thereafter.) Then a 3, after the Wolverines made it a one-possession game, to push Duke’s cushion back to 6. And one last basket with 1:01 left, the Blue Devils’ final make of the game.

Boozer was not perfect, with the shot-blocking Mara meeting him at the rim on more than one occasion. But players this great — especially ones with NBA All-Star fathers — understand that’s part of the process.

“Something we said before the game was, if Mara doesn’t get a block tonight, we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do,” Boozer said. “Our job every night is to put pressure on their rim, put pressure under their defense, make them have to adjust to us. I feel like we did that a lot this game.”

And to be clear, Boozer didn’t go it alone in that respect. Sophomore center Patrick Ngongba Jr., playing with a less-than-perfect left wrist, scored 11 points and grabbed the de facto game-sealing offensive rebound with 22 seconds left. Junior guard Caleb Foster got downhill as well as he has in any game this season, dropping 12 points and four assists — none bigger than when he collapsed Michigan’s interior defense with under two minutes left, before pivoting and kicking to Boozer for his 3.

Everyone on Duke played their part, almost to a tee.

But that includes Boozer’s being all-world — and even Michigan’s vaunted front line, and its top-ranked defense, couldn’t seriously slow him.

“His physicality,” May added, “is impressive.”

It’s become easy, amid Boozer’s stupendous campaign, to almost take his counting stats and impact for granted. To become numb to his greatness. But after what he did Saturday — and whom he did it to, especially — you can almost feel the spotlight on the 6-foot-10 forward brightening in real time.

Because if Boozer can do that to that team?

Well, whom can’t Duke beat?

Scheyer has said often that February is for “elevating.” His team is becoming the best version of itself. And especially in the margins, you can see that transpiring. Khamenia went from playing only three minutes in a loss at rival North Carolina earlier this month to being one of the most consequential players on the court Saturday. Dame Sarr continues to be a defensive pterodactyl, smothering the point-of-attack with his 7-foot wingspan. That process isn’t linear, but it’s undoubtedly underway.

Duke is, indeed, elevating.

“We still can get a lot better, but I think we’ve done that,” Scheyer said. “This was just the next step in order to prove that. To show it.”

And to remind the world that, with the best player in the country on its roster, Duke is as capable of cutting down the nets in April as any team out there.

One last thing on Boozer, before the impact of this moment softens: The 18-year-old has been, like most teenagers, uncomfortable singing his own praises. And with so many others doing it for him, there’s really been no reason to. Let the game do the talking.

But for the first time all season, on Saturday, Boozer let one slip. A subtle reminder to the college basketball universe of what he’s capable of — and where he’s capable of taking his team.

“On my mind is making winning plays, helping our team win. I feel like I did that tonight,” Boozer said. “And if I do that, my talent, my game, is gonna show just from making winning plays. That’s what makes me great.”