The fact that Duke basketball freshman power forward Cameron Boozer appears well on his way to putting together one of the greatest individual campaigns in college hoops history should not take away from the reality that the rest of the Blue Devils form a undeniably formidable supporting cast.
ALSO READ: Blue Devils Outmuscle Mighty Michigan in Nation’s Capital
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Sure, the 18-year-old Boozer was once again phenomenal in No. 3-ranked Duke’s 68-63 victory over the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night. He recorded a team-high 18 points, including seven of the Blue Devils’ last nine points, to go along with 10 rebounds, seven assists, and two blocks.
But there’s no denying that Boozer wasn’t working alone in forcing Michigan to shoot just 8-for-28 from the field in the second half. He wasn’t working alone in helping the Blue Devils to outrebound the towering Wolverines, 41-28, nor was he the only Duke player who displayed iced veins in sealing the victory down the stretch.
So, it’s understandable why the Duke basketball program’s social media team took offense to something that Michigan product Jalen Rose said ahead of the showdown.
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Jalen Rose Undervalues Deep Duke Basketball Squad
“Everytime we talk about Duke, we’re only talking about one player,” the 1991-94 Wolverines guard said in reference to Cameron Boozer, a projected one-and-done high lottery pick who is now the outright frontrunner for the Naismith Award.
A few hours after Jon Scheyer and his Blue Devils emerged victorious on Saturday night, Duke responded to Rose’s comment by posting the following photo of the 1991-92 Blue Devils hoisting the national championship trophy after that elite group pulled off a 71-51 win over Rose and the rest of the “Fab Five” Wolverines in Minneapolis back on April 6, 1992.
Perhaps the post will lead to the 53-year-old TNT pundit thinking twice about dismissing the likes of Duke’s Isaiah Evans (14 points and the win-sealing free throws versus Michigan), Patrick Ngongba II (11 points, six boards, two dimes, two blocks), Caleb Foster (12 points, four rebounds, four assists), and Nikolas Khamenia (nine rebounds off the bench).
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After all, when Boozer headed to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 8:42 to play and Duke holding a 53-46 lead, the Blue Devils didn’t stumble at all. No, across the next four minutes of action, they managed to deliver enough clutch plays on both ends of the floor to ensure a five-point advantage when Boozer checked back into the game.
And that set the stage for Boozer and his cohorts to display their winning ways.
Cameron Boozer and the Blue Devils (25-2, 13-1 ACC), winners of four straight and sitting alone atop the ACC standings as they figure to rank No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll on Monday, are now gearing up for a road bout against the unranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-15, 3-11 ACC). That contest in Purcell Pavilion tips off at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ESPN).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke Basketball Torments Michigan Legend With One Photo.
