Duke basketball 5-star freshman Cameron Boozer was absolutely dominant through the Blue Devils' two exhibition games as the forward enters the 2025-26 season as one of the most talented freshmen in the nation. However, after Arizona freshman Koa Peat's elite debut on November 3rd, Boozer might have some added pressure on him to dominate in his regular season debut to keep himself cemented as the best rookie forward in college basketball. The consensus top three freshmen in the country heading into the season were Kansas' Darryn Peterson, BYU's AJ Dybantsa, and Boozer. Now, after Peat's unreal first game, Boozer needs to show in his opener that he's still the most dominant freshman frontcourt piece college hoops has to offer. Duke opens up its season in Charlotte, NC, on November 4th against Texas.
Koa Peat's dominant performance could put pressure on Cam Boozer to pad the stat sheet as well
No. 13 Arizona opened up its season with a 93-87 victory over No. 3 Florida in the Hall of Fame Series on November 3rd. Peat was unstoppable in the paint and has already established himself as the Wildcats' go-to guy on offense.
In 36 minutes of action, Peat went for 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals on 11-of-18 (61.1%) shooting from the field and 8-of-12 (66.7%) from the free throw line.
This season might have the most talented freshman class in the history of the sport. With so many elite recruits, Peat somewhat fell under the radar despite being a 5-star prospect. The 6'8", 235-pound power forward was the No. 9 overall recruit, No. 4 power forward, and No. 1 player out of the state of Arizona per the 247Sports 2025 Composite Rankings. Yet despite being a top-ten prospect, it felt like no one was talking about Peat in the preseason, while everyone was talking about Boozer.
Boozer entered the season on First Team All-American watch, and only solidified that status with two elite performances in the Blue Devils' two exhibition matches. Against UCF, Boozer went for 33 points and 12 rebounds, and against Tennessee on the road, the 5-star backed it up with 24 points and 23 rebounds.
Boozer is already Duke's go-to guy on the offensive side of the ball, while also being the team's best rebounder and passer. With all the hype on the star throughout the preseason, he's got some added pressure after Peat's unreal debut.