Cameron Boozer scores 27, hot-shooting No. 6 Duke rallies past No. 20 Louisville 84-73

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Duke forward Cameron Boozer (12) attempts to get past Louisville guard J'vonne Hadley (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Duke guard Nikolas Khamenia (14) attempts to get past Louisville forward Sananda Fru (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley) — Duke forward Cameron Boozer (12) attempts to get past Louisville guard J'vonne Hadley (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

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6:38 PM on Tuesday, January 6

By GARY B. GRAVES

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Cameron Boozer scored 27 points, including seven during a 16-6 run early in the second half, Isaiah Evans added 23 and No. 6 Duke shot 71% after the break to rally past No. 20 Louisville 84-73 on Tuesday night for its third consecutive victory.

The Blue Devils (14-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) erased a 47-38 halftime deficit by making 5 of 7 field goals and 6 of 9 free throws over 6:24, including two by Boozer for their first lead at 54-53 with 13:36 remaining. Caleb Foster added seven points and Evans six during another spurt for a 10-point lead with 6:58 left, and Duke didn't let up to beat the Cardinals (11-4, 1-2) for the eighth straight time.

Foster had 20 points for the Blue Devils, who made 17 of 24 attempts and 10 of 16 from the line after halftime. They made 19 of 28 free throws overall, while Louisville shot 9 of 12.

Ryan Conwell scored 24 points and Aly Khalifa added 17 off the bench for Louisville, which shot just 10 of 31 (32%) and 2 of 17 from deep after halftime to drop its second in a row.

The Cardinals were coming off a loss at Stanford and played their fifth consecutive contest without freshman point guard and assists leader Mikel Brown Jr. because of a lower back injury.

Louisville shot 47% in the first half, including 10 of 21 from long range, but went scoreless for nearly four minutes to open the door for Duke.

Up Next

Duke hosts SMU on Saturday.

Louisville hosts Boston College on Saturday.

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