Every year in college basketball, there is one player who stands out over the rest. In the past, it has been Buddy Hield, Josh Hart, Trae Young, Zion Williamson, Luka Garza, Oscar Tshiebwe, Zach Edey and Cooper Flag. This season, Cameron Boozer, is the best player in college basketball.
The best player doesn’t mean the same as the best NBA Draft prospect (although Williamson, Young and Flagg were great prospects). It also doesn’t mean the player is just putting up stats, even if that is a part of it. For someone to be known as the best player in college basketball, they have to truly stand out above the rest and be an integral part of their team’s success.
During his high school career, Boozer was twice named the national High School Player of the Year. In his senior season, he averaged 22.6 points, 12 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Boozer was the third-highest-ranked player in the class of 2025. He decided to leave the state of Florida to attend Duke and follow in his father, Carlos’s, footsteps.
While a few players stayed with Duke from last season, they had to add several new players to the roster ahead of the 2025-2026 season. Caleb Foster, Patrick Ngongba, Isaiah Evans and Maliq Brown returned to the roster. Boozer was joined in the freshman class by his brother Cayden, Nikolas Khamenia, Dame Sarr and Sebastian Wilkins.
Duke lost just one game in their non-conference schedule, which was to Texas Tech. They notched several key wins, which really boosted their stock. The Blue Devils defeated Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Florida and Michigan State. They also defeated Michigan in a game that was scheduled a bit later than the other non-conference games, in February.
The ACC is much improved over last season and Duke is sitting atop the conference with a 14-1 record. The only loss in conference for Duke was to North Carolina on the road. While Duke had some close games early in ACC play, they have now dominated most of the other teams they have played, really locking in on the defensive side of the ball. They have defeated quality teams too, including SMU, Louisville (twice) and Clemson.
Boozer has been leading the Blue Devils on the floor and it shows up in most major statistical categories. He is averaging 22.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In addition to his traditional stats, Boozer also has a PER of 35.4. If that holds, it will be a top-15 season in college basketball since the 2009-2010 season.
He has done some notable things this season, including registering 16 double-doubles in 28 games played. Boozer has scored in double-figures in each game this season. Against Arkansas, he scored 35 points and then put up 29 points when the Blue Devils played Florida. He had double-doubles against Texas, Kansas, Michigan State and Michigan, showing the ability to step up when the lights are the brightest.
There are several other players who are in the running to be the best player in college basketball.
Other top freshmen have been playing well this season. AJ Dybantsa is averaging 25 points per game for BYU. The Cougars haven’t had the same team success and he hasn’t had quite the same impact on the college game as Boozer, as he has just a 29.4 PER. Darryn Peterson has made shots for Kansas, but he has struggled to stay healthy and get his teammates involved. Darius Acuff Jr. has been great for Arkansas as well and could have a huge impact in March. Boozer still has a better PER and is leading his team to more success this season.
Boozer is among the best NBA Draft prospects. He may not be the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, although he will be in the conversation, but he is the best player in college basketball this season. He has one of the best freshman seasons in college basketball history. The results of March remain unknown, but Boozer has proven to be the best player in college basketball this season.
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