Cameron Boozer and the “Cameron Crazies” were working in tandem on Saturday as the top-ranked Duke Blue Devils posted a 76-61 win over the No. 17-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels as the old-school rivals renewed their rivalry on Tobacco Road.
Actually, the game took place inside the always-crazy Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
CBB World Goes Wild Over Duke’s Big Victory
Boozer topped Duke scorers with 26 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists. After watching this game on ESPN, the college basketball world had some thoughts.
Jeff Goodman, a basketball analyst who is also a co-founder of The Field of 68, posted a pretty sweet breakdown of what happened between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels. Goodman, though, also pointed out that Duke’s Caleb Foster had to leave the game due to an injury.
Goodman wrote, “Duke gets some revenge for the earlier loss in Chapel Hill with a 76-61 win over UNC at Cameron. Cameron Boozer with another double-double: 26 pts, 15 reb, 5 ast. Duke locked down UNC in the second half. Tar Heels scored just 27 points after the break. But the win may have come at a cost as Caleb Foster left the game due to foot injury.”
Speaking of The Field of 68, its account on X shared a little more detail on what the victory meant for Duke.
The Blue Devils’ account on X shared a clip of Dame Sarr in action. The account posted, “This will go down as one of my favorite Duke sequences ever Shoutout to Dame Sarr!”
ESPN Insights’ account on X put some more details on what Boozer accomplished against North Carolina on Saturday. The account wrote, “Cameron Boozer is the third player all-time to have a 20-point double-double in each of his first two career Duke-UNC games … He joins: 2018-19 RJ Barrett, Duke … 1961-62 Jeff Mullins, Duke.”
Kyle Tucker, director of college basketball content for 247Sports, posted this on X: “Duke is a machine. Handled UNC down two key pieces. But man, if Caleb Foster’s injury is serious, that is a huge blow in the regular-season finale. Real crappy year for injuries in college hoops.”
Brendan Marks, who covers college basketball for The Athletic, also had some thoughts about the victory but added some context on Wilson and Patrick Ngongba.
Marks posted on X, “FINAL: No. 1 Duke 76, No. 17 North Carolina 61 … Duke finishes its second straight undefeated season at home with its 11th ranked regular-season win… which ties the most EVER by any team. But obviously, questions about Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba loom large.”
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According to a story from The Associated Press, Ngongba had a boot on his right foot after halftime. Wilson checked out with 4:51 left in the first half, grabbing his right foot, then he left the bench area. But Wilson came back in the second half with a boot on his own right foot.
The Blue Devils will have to monitor how both players will be able to take part in the upcoming ACC Tournament. With the victory, Duke goes to 29-2 overall, 17-1 in ACC play. North Carolina falls to 24-7 overall, 12-6 in ACC play.
