It was only Army.
But in his first start at Duke, Carlos Boozer showed why he's the Blue Devil most likely to score in the paint this year. The freshman scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds Saturday in the Blue Devils' 100-42 thrashing of the overmatched and undersized Cadets.
"He gives us a good target in there...." said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. "He was trying to be a physical presence inside. His shots were to the basket and he wanted the ball."
The youngest member of the Blue Devils celebrated his 18th birthday Saturday with a breakout performance Duke badly needs repeated. Despite his youth, the 6-foot-9, 260-pound Boozer is easily the most physically developed of Duke's first-year big men. Against Army, he showed his strength, agility and scoring touch, getting inside position and converting early and often.
The Blue Devils could have used play like that when they opened the season 0-2 against Stanford and Connecticut. In those games, their four big men-Boozer, Matt Christensen, Casey Sanders and Nick Horvath-shot a combined 5-of-25 from the floor, attempted six free throws and finished with 14 points.
Saturday, Boozer surpassed that scoring total and equaled the number of trips to the line.
His numbers were even more impressive considering Boozer only played 15 minutes. But his short stint on the floor reflected the one concern about the freshman. Boozer is still rounding into shape after breaking the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot in August and undergoing surgery to have a screw inserted.
"I'm definitely in better shape than I started out in," Boozer said. "But it could be a lot better. It's going to have to be day-to-day with that."
Krzyzewski probably knows more than he wants about fifth metatarsal fractures. Two years ago, he lost a freshman big man to the same injury. Elton Brand, Duke's leading scorer and rebounder, went down in a December 1997 practice and made a miraculous return in February.
But Brand never quite regained his earlier form and the Blue Devils fell just short of making the Final Four.
"If you remember when Elton came back, he was the same old Elton-and he wasn't-in the NCAA tournament, especially on the second day of the weekend," Krzyzewski said. "We're hoping that by the ACC season Carlos will be in top shape."
This year's Duke squad is fortunate to lose Boozer in August, not December. The Blue Devils can't expect to win in the conference without scoring inside, and Boozer's the man to do that.
Christensen lacks the touch to convert near the hoop, shooting 1-for-12 in New York and missing a few more shots Saturday. Sanders, who's two inches taller and 55 pounds lighter than his classmate, didn't play at all against UConn and made about the same impact in four minutes versus Stanford. And fellow freshman Horvath isn't much bulkier and looks more comfortable launching three-pointers than posting up in the paint.
Against Army, Krzyzewski revealed where he thinks the Blue Devils' future lies inside, as Boozer replaced Christensen in the starting lineup and the sophomore saw fewer minutes than Sanders or Horvath.
Duke made a concerted effort to go to Boozer from the opening tip, and he didn't disappoint. Before 30 seconds ticked off the clock, the Cadets fouled the freshman twice and Boozer scored inside to give the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead. Less than a minute later, after Army tied the score 2-2, Boozer's hook shot gave Duke a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Sixty-two seconds later, though, Krzyzewski decided Boozer needed a rest, a reminder of his lack of fitness. The freshman returned with 14:29 to go in the half, and promptly pulled down an offensive rebound and drew a foul on a missed jumped. Boozer hit both free throws, then banked in a layup off a Jason Williams no-look pass for eight points in less than eight minutes.
"It's good as long as the players inside are finishing," Boozer said of the Blue Devils looking inside. "I thought we finished well tonight."
Finishing against Army is no guarantee of finishing against North Carolina. But so far, Christensen, Sanders and Horvath have failed to show they can score in the paint. Duke needs somebody to put up points inside if it wants to avoid another two-game losing skid. Once Boozer gets in shape, he has the tools to be that somebody.
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