The Duke Blue Devils suffered 1 of the more epic collapses in NCAA Tournament history in an Elite Eight loss to UConn. It was a game that saw 1 freshman become a hero in UConn’s Braylen Mullins and 1 freshman put his name alongside some of the greatest choke jobs in tournament history with Duke’s Cayden Boozer.
While Mullins’ game-winning 3-pointer likely propelled him into a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Boozer’s turnover to set up that shot and made him … whatever the opposite of a lottery pick is.
At least it seemed that way to everybody but the 6-foot-4 Boozer after Duke announced he was returning to school for his sophomore season in 2026-2027.
“Breaking: Duke guard Cayden Boozer will return for his sophomore season at Duke, the team announced,” ESPN wrote on its official X account on Thursday.
It was a befuddling announcement in that there was zero NBA buzz around Boozer after he averaged 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists as a freshman, including shooting a miserable 30.3 percent on 3-pointers.
Twin Brother Cameron Boozer Projected Top 3 Pick
While Cayden Boozer will return for his sophomore season, his twin brother Cameron Boozer is almost certainly headed to the NBA.
Cameron Boozer, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward, earned National Player of the Year honors as a freshman after he averaged 22.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals in what should be his lone college season.
The Boozer twins are the son of former NBA All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer.
Yahoo Sports NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor has Cameron Boozer going No. 3 overall to the Brooklyn Nets in his latest mock draft.
“The Nets need a leader,” O’Connor wrote. “Boozer fits the bill. He’s a do-it-all offensive talent who can post up, run pick-and-rolls, set screens, spot up and crash the boards. He doesn’t need to rely on bully ball to make an impact as a scorer or passer. Defensively, some of the questions about him popped up in Duke’s heartbreaking Elite 8 loss to UConn: He wasn’t big enough to defend Tarris Reed, and he got smoked by Alex Karaban on a key 3-pointer on the perimeter. But he plays hard and has improved at every weakness in his game so far. That approach is exactly the type of player Brooklyn needs.”
Cayden Boozer Devastated Following Loss to UConn
The loss to the Huskies left Cayden Boozer understandably devastated.
“With 10 seconds remaining in the showdown, the Blue Devils had the ball and led by two points,” On3’s Grant Grubbs wrote on Thursday. “They inbounded the ball and swung it around the backcourt before it ultimately landed in Boozer’s hands .. Boozer attempted to toss the ball over the Huskies’ defense into the front court to ice the game. Instead, the ball got tipped and, thanks to a selfless pass from Alex Karaban, UConn’s Braylon Mullins hit a 35-foot 3-pointer to win the game.”
Boozer had to face the music after the game.
“I turned the ball over. I should’ve been stronger with the ball,” Boozer said. “I cost our team our season … I could’ve been stronger with the ball, and I let our team down.”
Duke’s Cayden Boozer Makes Final Decision on NBA Future