Duke basketball quickly shifts focus to playing Louisville, weather or not
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Blue Devils plan hotel stays and flexible logistics if winter storm disrupts travel
- Coaching staff and players maintain game-ready approach amid scheduling uncertainty
- Duke relied on interior scoring, rebounding edge and balanced attack this week
For any college freshman, especially away from home, the first year can be filled with new experiences.
Duke’s Cameron Boozer is no different, even if he does have a higher public profile than the average Duke freshman.
Boozer is the leading scorer on one of the best teams in college basketball. He has new teammates, new coaches. He and his twin brother, Cayden, were raised in Miami and now are in Durham, living 800 miles from home. That’s all new.
Now comes something else: a wintry storm.
“It’s my first time in a storm like this,” Cameron Boozer said Saturday after Duke’s 90-69 win over Wake Forest. “But we’re not getting the worst. Praying for everyone who has to deal with the storm, It’s going to be a rough one in a lot of places. Thankfully, we’re going to be safe here.”
The forecast at the time was for the Triangle to have more freezing rain or sleet than snow.
How will the Blue Devils handle it if the power is disrupted?
“Stay in a hotel probably,” Boozer said, smiling.
The Washington Duke Inn is always an option. The Duke players know it well.
After the victory over Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium, with Boozer scoring a game-high 32 points, the No. 5 Blue Devils quickly shifted gears. Louisville, ranked No. 23, is due in Monday for another game at Cameron, a quick turnaround for both teams.
But will it be played? If the winter storm persists, it could make travel difficult for the Cardinals and cause a possible postponement.
“We’re not going to think about it like that,” Boozer said. “We’re just going to prepare for a great team coming on Monday. If things end of changing and moving around, then we’ll figure it out then.”
Louisville rematch, whenever it’s played
Again, Boozer and the Blue Devils will adapt and adjust. They’ll be facing a team that built a 15-point halftime lead Saturday over Virginia Tech and went on to an 85-71 win over the Hokies as freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. returned to the lineup and had 20 points.
The Blue Devils, now 18-1 overall and 7-0 in the ACC, came from behind to beat Louisville, 84-73, in the Jan. 6 road game at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals (14-5, 4-3) played that night without Brown, out with an injury that had sidelined him since Dec. 13. But they will have him Monday.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer, eyeing a stat sheet after Saturday’s game, liked most of what he saw.
The Blue Devils throttled the Deacons in the paint, scoring 48 points. They had a 43-22 rebounding edge, highlighted by 16 offensive boards. They shot 50% from the field and made their free throws (21-24).
Boozer and Patrick Ngongba II combined for 45 points and 16 rebounds, and Maliq Brown had eight rebounds and a team-high five assists.
“I thought Maliq gave us incredible energy, I thought he was disruptive,” Scheyer said. “He was as close to perfect as can be. He just had a great way about him.”
The Devils used a 13-0 run in the first half to snatch a double-digit lead. Wake Forest could get no closer than nine points, early in the second half, and Duke’s lead grew to 25.
Now, it’s on to Louisville. If the weather allows it, that is.
Saturday’s game initially had a 5:45 p.m. starting time. Because of the threat of winter weather, the ACC moved it up to a noon start. For now, the Louisville game is on for Monday at 7 p.m.
“Our mentality is whatever time, wherever we’re playing, we’ll be ready to go,” Scheyer said. “We’re planning on playing Monday night and we’ll be ready to adjust if anything comes up.”
This story was originally published January 25, 2026 at 6:05 AM.
