The Duke basketball program kicked off its 2025-26 campaign with a 75-60 win over Texas in the first annual Dick Vitale Invitational. Although freshman star Cameron Boozer certainly didn't have the elite debut he was looking for, his stat line being considered a "bad" game actually speaks volumes about how elite the rookie is. Boozer was completely shut down in the first half on the offensive side of the ball, finishing the opening 20 minutes scoreless as the Blue Devils entered the halftime locker room down 33-32 to the Longhorns. However, Boozer flipped a switch in the second half and was back to being Duke's go-to guy on the offensive side of the ball.
Cameron Boozer's sloppy first half proves just how elite he actually is
Entering the half, Boozer was held scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting from the field. Texas won the physicality battle and did a phenomenal job shutting down any lane the elite forward had to the basket. However, the second half was a different story.
Duke came out of the locker room red hot, beginning the second half on a 10-0 run that would shift the momentum back in the Blue Devils' favor. Throughout the entirety of the second 20 minutes, Boozer was unstoppable.
The big man tallied 15 points, 13 rebounds, and three steals for the contest, with nine of his points coming from the free throw line. Boozer attacked the paint early in the shot clock and was rewarded with several charity stripe trips as the Longhorns were chasing constantly.
What speaks volumes on Boozer's game is that most fans and insiders would consider this debut from the highly-touted freshman fairly disappointing, at least relative to some other big-time freshmen debuts across the first few days of the season.
Duke went on to outscore Texas 43-27 in the second half to pick up a 15-point win after entering the half down by a point. In both its exhibitions and its regular season opener, Duke has been a completely different team in the second half. However, Jon Scheyer will likely need to get his guys off to hotter starts with the gauntlet of a non-conference slate that the Blue Devils will go through.