North Carolina will have the tough task of guarding one of college basketball’s best players in Cameron Boozer.
At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Boozer has been a force for Duke this season. He is the favorite to win the ACC Player of the Year award and is projected to be a top-five pick as a power forward. He is averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game, all of which are team highs. Boozer has helped propel the Blue Devils to a 21-1 overall record and a 10-0 start in ACC play.
Of course, all eyes will be on his matchup against fellow future lottery pick Caleb Wilson from Carolina. Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson will also do their fair share in trying to slow down Boozer. However, there is some concern going into the game.
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Carolina’s defensive issues were once known on the perimeter, but that narrative has changed a bit over the past three games, as now the leaks are happening inside the paint.
Virginia’s Thijs De Ridder exposed that weakness first, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting while adding eight rebounds. Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo followed by bullying his way to a season-high 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting and seven boards.
Most recently, Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman kept the trend going. On Monday, he poured in 18 of his game-high 23 points before halftime, going 8-of-14 from the field and matching them with eight rebounds.
That trend is not a positive one for UNC, as Boozer is the ACC leader in points and rebounds, and his ability to distribute the basketball to his teammates is one of his most underrated attributes. He is averaging four assists per game, 12th best in the ACC and the best among big men.
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For North Carolina, the assignment is simple to describe but difficult to execute: make Boozer work for everything.
If the Tar Heels can crowd his touches, keep him off the offensive glass and force Duke’s supporting cast to carry more of the load, they’ll give themselves a chance. If not, the recent trend of opposing big men feasting in the paint could turn Saturday into Boozer’s latest — and loudest — statement in an already dominant season.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Tar Heels must contain Duke’s Cameron Boozer
