Cam Boozer Reflects on Duke's Historic March Madness Collapse to UConn, 'Everyone's Hurting'

Duke standout freshman Cameron Boozer reacted to the Blue Devils' late collapse in a 73-72 loss to UConn in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA tournament on Sunday.

"I'm hurting right now," Boozer told reporters after the game (0:45 mark). "We're all hurting. I wish I could have gave more for those guys. You know Caleb, Pat, and Maliq. Everyone's hurting, dealing with injuries, coming and playing. It took a lot of heart."

Duke led by as many as 19 points in the first half, but couldn't maintain the lead as UConn wrapped up the comeback with a deep three-pointer from freshman Braylon Mullins with 0.3 seconds left in the game.

The Blue Devils led 44-29 at halftime on Sunday's contest, but couldn't hold on for the win. It represented the largest blown halftime lead by a No. 1 seed in March Madness history, via Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.

Boozer put together an admirable performance in the defeat, as he put Duke up 69-65 following a short jumper with three minutes left in the second half. He also connected on a floater that gave the Blue Devils a 72-69 lead with 28 seconds remaining.

The 18-year-old finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He shot 10-of-21 from the field and 1-of-4 from behind the arc.

Boozer's freshman season on the Blue Devils was an impressive one, entering Sunday's action averaging 22.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game on 55.9/39.6/79.0 shooting splits.

He could hear his name called early in the 2026 NBA draft, as he was projected to be off the board with the No. 2 overall pick in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

Despite Sunday's tough loss, Boozer's future is still bright.