Jon Scheyer takes Cam Boozer out in 1st half before he reaches double-double vs. Irish

Well, with 20 minutes in the rearview mirror and just one half remaining, the Duke Blue Devils were quickly proving they deserved to be ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation.

At halftime, the Blue Devils held a 54-22 lead over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and it was due, in large part, to the jaw-dropping first-half performance by freshman Cameron Boozer.

In the first half alone, Boozer had already racked up 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals, nearly outscoring and outrebounding the entire Notre Dame roster on his own.

Then, with just under a minute and a half until halftime, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer decided it was time to pull Scheyer from the game and give his star player some rest.

Cameron Boozer looked like he could beat Notre Dame by himself

Boozer was just possibly one play away from recording a 20-point double-double in the first half, only needing one rebound to accomplish the astonishing task when Scheyer pulled him out of the game.

No, Scheyer didn't do this to punish him, and no, there was nothing wrong with Boozer physically. At the end of the day, the kid deserved some rest, even if it prevented him from securing yet another double-double before halftime.

Boozer was the only Blue Devil with double-digit points when the teams headed to their locker rooms at halftime, and only one Notre Dame player had reached that mark: Cole Certa scored 11 points in the first half.

The young forward was simply unstoppable in the first half as he led Duke to its 32-point lead by halftime, and he was showing, once again, why he deserved every ounce of praise he received, and then some.