The No. 5 Duke Blue Devils’ five-star forward Cam Boozer exploded as his team defeated the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers 83-76 in an exhibition game on Sunday. Boozer is the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, and he displayed the caliber that mirrors his father’s athletic legacy.
The game in Knoxville marked the first-ever exhibition meeting between the two programs and featured a top-20 preseason clash in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Fans React to Cam Boozer’s Mighty Performance Against Tennessee
The 2026 NBA Draft features a phenomenal top three, featuring Boozer, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, and BYU wing AJ Dybantsa. In Sunday’s game, Boozer once again made a strong case for being the No. 1 pick.
Boozer led all players with 24 points, adding 23 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal, shooting 7-of-20 from the field, 1-of-3 from three, and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Duke takes down Tennessee in an exhibition in Knoxville.
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>Dominant performance from Cam Boozer — 24 points, 23 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks.
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>Isaiah Evans had 22, including four threes. pic.twitter.com/w6IeW7tXGw— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 27, 2025
Boozer is set to step in for Cooper Flagg with the Blue Devils. After leading Duke to Sunday’s win following a sluggish first half, some fans even argue that he surpasses Flagg.
“I said before that the say season he was better than Flagg,” a fan said.
“Cam Boozer. Number 1 pick,” one added.
“Boozer played 39 minutes in a game that didn’t count. Great player, but Scheyer really wanted this one,” a fan said.
Boozer played 39 minutes in a game that didn’t count.
Great player, but Scheyer really wanted this one. 🤣
— Rockyadriane (@CTREM31) October 27, 2025
In the Tennessee game, Boozer’s team converted 24 of 69 field-goal attempts and 10 of 27 from beyond the arc. He is expected to continue strong performances during Duke’s regular season, but fans are already convinced of his talent.
“Give the dude all the minutes in a game…and he will be putting out numbers like that. C’mon. It was a huge scouting game…was a Boozer glaze,” one said.
“Damn this dude legit,” a person said.
Damn this dude legit
— Zach (@thfc_zoro) October 27, 2025
According to Sports Illustrated’s scouting report, Boozer holds magnificent perimeter skills. The reports say he could easily slide into a combo forward role or even play alongside two other frontcourt players.
Boozer also hit the headlines with a 33-point, 12-rebound, and four-assist performance against UCF last week.
“[Boozer] is a warrior, man,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “I think that’s the best thing I can say about him. He’s a warrior, competitor, and obviously, he impacted the game in a lot of different ways, including getting fouled and getting us to the bonus early. I thought he had such a professional approach. I was happy that he had to play through some extended minutes with the lack of depth with Maliq [Brown] being out. He’s just a big-time winner.”
The Blue Devils will open their season against the Texas Longhorns on November 4.
