Over the weekend, when Jeff Capel sat down to begin preparing for Duke’s Tuesday evening visit to Petersen Events Center, it marked the first time he had watched the Blue Devils at length this season.
As a Duke alumni himself and a coach in the ACC, Capel was doubtless aware of the year the fourth-ranked Blue Devils (21-2, 10-1 ACC) have been having, with Saturday’s buzzer-beating defeat to rival No. 14 UNC only their second loss of the season.
By now, Duke freshman forward Cameron Boozer has taken Capel, the ACC and college basketball world alike by storm, yet only recently did Pitt’s coach watch him play for extended minutes.
“His demeanor reminds me of a guy I played against for four years when I was in college: Tim Duncan,” Capel said. “He’s just steady the whole time. Obviously, he’s talented. There’s a lot that he can do on the floor. He can bring it up, they run ball screens for him, he’s a really good passer and leads their team in assists. I just think the poise and demeanor with all the hype, it doesn’t get to him. … Really, really impressive young man.”
Boozer, the 6-foot-9 son of 13-year NBA veteran Carlos Boozer, is the ACC’s leading scorer (23.3 points per game) and rebounder (10), while ranking second nationally in scoring and 14th in rebounding.
The 18-year-old phenom, in addition to scoring and rebounding, leads his team in minutes per game (32.7), assists (92) and steals (42).
He’s shooting 57.6% from the field and is also one of Duke’s primary 3-point threats, owning a 38% make rate from behind the arc.
In short, Pitt (9-15, 2-9) will have its hands full Tuesday in trying to limit one of the most dynamic players in college basketball.
“Obviously, they’re an outstanding team,” Capel said of Duke. “Incredibly talented, the pieces fit really well together, they have one of the best players in the country who’s having probably the best season of anyone in college basketball in Cameron Boozer, who’s a really unique talent. They use him in a really unique way.”
While Boozer leads the charge, he’s far from the only player who has made Duke a national contender this season.
Isaiah Evans has made leaps from his true freshman campaign a season ago, averaging 14 points per game, while big man Patrick Ngongba, another sophomore, is now a full-time starter after averaging only 10.5 minutes per game in 2024-25.
Boozer’s twin brother, Cayden, offers secondary scoring off the bench while Duke has additional size and experience in senior forward Maliq Brown, another player coach Jon Scheyer has utilized from the bench.
“They surround (Boozer) with other really good players — some experienced guys in Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster, some really talented freshmen and another experienced guy in Patrick Ngongba,” Capel said. “When you can bring a guy like Maliq Brown off the bench, who’s a really, really good player, it shows the depth and talent that they have.
“They’re one of the best teams, statistically, offensively and defensively in the country. They have great size, great length and there are a lot of challenges when you’re facing a team like that.”
Capel saw North Carolina dispatch Duke on Saturday on a Seth Trimble 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining.
With the Blue Devils coming off such a loss, Capel is under no illusions that Duke might arrive in Pittsburgh on Tuesday and overlook his Panthers’ squad, which has dropped three straight.
“I know there will be a sense of urgency that they have, and my hope is that we have it,” Capel said. “Hopefully, we’ve matured (and) the care factor is at a high level where we can come out and play with urgency and play well also. But I do know that after what happened Saturday night with them, they’ll be loaded for bear. I know that.”