Duke freshman Cameron Boozer scored a career-high-tying 35 points to lead the Blue Devils past Arkansas.
Boozer scored 15 points in the final 10 minutes of the first half and 14 points in the final 10 minutes of the second half.
The 80-71 victory moved No. 4 Duke to an 8-0 start for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
The game was played at Chicago’s United Center, where Boozer’s father, Carlos, played four seasons for the Bulls.
CHICAGO — It took Cameron Boozer some time, but the Duke basketball freshman quickly figured it out.
Much like the rest of his team, Boozer needed a few minutes to settle into Duke’s Thanksgiving Day matchup with No. 21/22 Arkansas. The Blue Devils opened a collective 1-of-9 from the field, with Boozer starting 0-for-2 and committing a pair of early turnovers. His first basket didn’t come until a layup at the 10:06 mark.
But the flip switched.
From there, Boozer made five of his final six shots to close the half, scoring 15 points in the final 10 minutes. He fueled a 10-0 Duke run in the closing stretch, scoring three times and assisting the others as No. 4 Duke erased a sluggish offensive start and built its first double-digit lead.
Boozer finished with 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting, tying a career high he set vs. Indiana State on Nov. 14. He powered the Blue Devils past the Hogs, 80-71, at United Center.
Duke is off to its first 8-0 start since 2017-18.