Cameron Boozer leads Duke's late rally vs. Arkansas, stuffs stat sheet in CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic

Duke had played two notable power conference opponents (Texas and Kansas) coming into the night. Arkansas was the Blue Devils' toughest test to date because of the amount of talent Arkansas has. Kansas was without Darryn Peterson, and Texas will be a borderline NCAA Tournament team. The Blue Devils have several notable matchups before ACC play begins. Notably, Duke has a date with reigning national champion Florida next week, which will be Boozer's toughest test to date, too. Florida's frontcourt depth is among the best in the country.

While Boozer has been one of the freshmen discussed the most, Acuff is someone who deserves your attention. There is a strong possibility that he is a top-10 pick this summer, and some of the reasons were on display against Duke. Acuff is a skilled scorer, a threat from the outside, and can distribute (five assists) when needed. Arkansas coach John Calipari saw his streak of players drafted in the first round come to an end this past summer. However, don't expect that streak to last long. Acuff is on track to become a lottery pick this summer.

FINAL: No. 4 Duke 80, No. 22 Arkansas 71

Boozer had the most impressive performance of his young college career against Arkansas. Boozer matched a career-high in points (35) and took over the game on multiple occasions when Duke needed a spark. In particular, Boozer scored eight straight points after Arkansas retook the lead in the second half. He has looked like the most impressive first-year player. In his limited action, Kansas' Darryn Peterson showed why he will (probably) be the No. 1 pick this summer. However, Boozer might have a strong case, too.

FINAL: No. 4 Duke 80, No. 22 Arkansas 71

No. 4 Duke defeated No. 22 Arkansas 80-71 in the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic to remain undefeated behind the stellar play from star freshman Cameron Boozer. The projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft finished with 35 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to help the Blue Devils improve to 8-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign.

Boozer scored 20 of his game-high 35 points in the second half. He matched his season-high in points (35) in the win.

The Blue Devils entered this game as a double-digit favorite, and Arkansas pushed Jon Scheyer's team to the brink on multiple occasions. The Razorbacks built a seven-point lead in the first half and opened the second half on a 22-11 run.

With the loss, Arkansas dropped to 4-10 against ACC competition since the start of the 2014-15 season. Duke improved to 8-2 against the SEC since 2017 with the win over John Calipari's squad.

While Boozer was the headliner of this marquee nonconference showdown, this game featured multiple players who will be playing in the NBA as soon as next season. One of them is Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who scored a team-high 21 points. Another former blue-chip recruit, Maleek Thomas, scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime for the Razorbacks.

Duke has an upcoming gauntlet which includes games against Florida, Texas Tech and Michigan State before ACC play begins. Arkansas (5-2) has another marquee showdown against No. 6 Louisville on Wednesday.  

LATE 2H: No. 4 Duke 66, No. 22 Arkansas 64

Boozer is up to 29 points on the night against Arkansas. His career high is 35, which came against Indiana State earlier this month. Boozer is physically imposing his will down low and is drawing contact to get to the free-throw line. He already has eight attempts.

Duke leads 66-64 with 5:14 left. We are due for a fantastic finish.

MID 2H: No. 22 Arkansas 60, No. 4 Duke 58

Boozer just threw down a powerful two-hand slam to cut the deficit to 80-58 with 8:50 left. On the possession before that, Caleb Foster knocked down a huge 3-pointer. Foster has scored five of his seven points in the second half and also has a game-high seven assists. 

MID 2H: No. 22 Arkansas 57, No. 4 Duke 52

Arkansas has been in control over Duke during the first eight minutes of the second half. Acuff has a team-high 19 points, while Brazile, Billy Richmond III, Maleek Thomas, and Malique Ewin each have seven. Acuff is capable of taking this game over down the stretch, but others will need to step up to pull off the upset. Ewin, a Florida State transfer, has had some solid minutes off the bench.

Arkansas has outscored Duke 22-11 in the second half.

EARLY 2H: No. 22 Arkansas 50, No. 4 Duke 47

It's been all Arkansas to start the second half. The Razorbacks are currently on an 8-0 run over the last 1:21 and have made five of their last six shots from the floor. Acuff has a team-high 17 points for Arkansas. He has knocked down 4 of 6 attempts from the 3-point line.

HALF: No. 4 Duke 41, No. 22 Arkansas 35

No. 4 Duke leads No. 22 Arkansas 41-35 at halftime of the CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic. Duke star Cameron Boozer, a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, started slow against the Razorbacks. However, he was dominant for the back half of the first half to give his team the lead heading into the locker room.

Out of the U-12 media timeout, Boozer scored eight consecutive points -- including a corner 3-pointer -- to flip the momentum to Duke. Boozer finished with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in the first half. Duke forward Isaiah Evans scored nine points and knocked down three 3-pointers.

Arkansas started strong against the Blue Devils. The Razorbacks led by as many as seven points (12-5) during the opening five minutes of the game. Star freshman Darius Acuff Jr. finished the first half with a team-high 12 points, while Trevon Brazile scored nine.

LATE 1H: No. 4 Duke 32, No. 22 Arkansas 22

Boozer, a projected top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, started slow against the Razorbacks but has really come on strong in the last few minutes. Boozer has eight points since the last media timeout and has helped Duke stretch its lead to 10 over Arkansas. The Blue Devils have made their last four shots and are on a 12-2 run the last 2:50.

MID 1H: No. 4 Duke 22, No. 22 Arkansas 20

Duke sophomore Isaiah Evans is starting to heat up. Evans has attempted all seven of his shots from the 3-point line and has made three. He has a game-high nine points heading into the U-8 media timeout. Arkansas is forcing some really tough shots around the rim, but the Blue Devils are starting to find a rhythm from beyond the arc.

MID 1H: No. 22 Arkansas 15, No. 4 Duke 12

Duke went on a 7-0 run to briefly tie the game at 12-all before Arkansas forward Billy Richmond III knocked down a 3-pointer. Former five-star recruit Nik Khamenia has been a spark off the bench for the Blue Devils. He has four points and three rebounds in just five minutes. Duke star forward Cameron Boozer is scoreless thus far.

EARLY 1H: No. 22 Arkansas 7, No. 4 Duke 3

We have reached the first media timeout from Chicago. No. 22 Arkansas is currently on a 7-0 run and leads No. 4 Duke 7-3 just over four minutes into this game. Duke is 1 of 7 from the floor, while Arkansas has made two of its first seven shots. Trevon Brazile has four early points for Arkansas.

We are officially underway from Chicago.

No. 4 Duke

• Caleb Foster
• Isaiah Evans
• Dame Sarr
• Cameron Boozer
• Patrick Ngongba

No. 22 Arkansas

• Darius Acuff Jr.
  
• D.J. Wagner
• Trevon Brazile
• Karter Knox
• Nick Pringle

This game is going to come down to the play of the freshman on both sides. Can Arkansas slow Boozer down? That's the biggest key in this game. Boozer has looked like a force during the first few weeks of the season. He is a walking double-double capable of taking over a game. Look for Boozer to have a big performance and Duke to cover the spread. Pick: Duke -10.5

Duke vs. Arkansas prediction, pick, odds: Blue Devils, Razorbacks meet in CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic

Cameron Salerno

Duke's matchup against Arkansas will mark the second team Scheyer's program has faced this season. The upcoming stretch of games will be more of where that came from. The Blue Devils face reigning national champion Florida Gators next week at home in the ACC/SEC Men's Challenge and also have nonconference games against Michigan State and Texas Tech Red Raiders before ACC play begins.

When Calipari was the coach at Kentucky Wildcats for 15 years, he routinely produced first-round picks. That streak ended last summer, as Arkansas/Calipari didn't have a player selected in the first round. If the early returns are any indication, it's that the drought won't last long. Acuff and Thomas are both playing at an elite level. Both should be drafted high this summer. Acuff and Thomas are both in the top 10 of CBS Sports' latest freshmen rankings.

The race for the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft will likely be between three players: Boozer, Kansas Jayhawks' Darryn Peterson and BYU Cougars AJ Dybansta. While Boozer will be drafted behind those players this summer, he is off to an incredible start to the season and is on track to become the latest member of the Duke program to be drafted in the top three. Last season, Cooper Flagg won National Player of the Year as a freshman and became the No. 1 overall pick. Through three weeks, Boozer should be in the conversation for both.

Ranking college basketball's best freshmen: Duke's Cameron Boozer earns Freshman of the Week honors

Cameron Salerno