Duke survives, Boozer’s big run
Duke edged St. John’s 80–75 to reach its third straight Elite Eight — Cameron Boozer poured in 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 3 assists in 39 minutes, marking the first three-game NCAA tourney stretch of 15+/10+/3+ since Larry Bird. — Caleb Foster returned from foot surgery just 20 days earlier and coach Jon Scheyer (38) now joins Bob Knight and Dean Smith as the only coaches to reach three Elite Eights before age 40. (espn.com) (ncaa.com)
Cameron Boozer entered the tournament as one of Duke’s primary statistical leaders, averaging roughly 22.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on the season. (espn.com) He shot 7-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line in the Sweet 16 matchup, a performance that came on the heels of three straight double-doubles during the tournament run. (espn.com) Caleb Foster fractured his right foot 20 days before the Sweet 16, underwent surgery the following day, missed five games, and after limited practices returned off the bench to score 11 second-half points on 5-of-8 shooting in 18 minutes. (espn.com) St. John’s made 13 three-pointers (nine of them in the first half), their third consecutive game with double-digit made threes, but Duke’s defense held the Red Storm to 20 points across the final 15 minutes to fuel the comeback. (espn.com) Isaiah Evans paced Duke with 25 points in the game, and the win pushed Duke’s active winning streak to 14 games while bringing the program’s victory total to 70 over the past two seasons. (goduke.com) The recent success arrives with program continuity: Scheyer signed a six-year contract extension through the 2028–29 season in October 2023 and is listed among finalists for the 2026 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year award. (goduke.com)
