Duke freshman Cameron Boozer is drawing comparisons to three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic as he leads the Blue Devils into the NCAA tournament as one of the most complete college players in recent memory.

Howard head coach Kenny Blakeney, who played alongside Christian Laettner and Grant Hill on Duke's 1992 national championship team, coined the description after facing Boozer in November.

"If you watch the Duke game against us, Duke was closing out the game, running ball screens for a 6-foot-9, 250-pound dude to get downhill and make decisions," Blakeney said. "He shoots it well. He's an incredible passer. He can do whatever he wants to do on the low block. It's like the criticism from what I hear is that he's not bouncy enough. Well, you can't stop the stuff that he can do, so he doesn't need to be."

Boozer is averaging 22.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, surpassing Cooper Flagg's celebrated freshman numbers across nearly every category. His 135.3 offensive rating would set a KenPom era record dating to 2003-04.

Boozer has guided Duke to a 28-2 record, the program's best start since 1998-99. The Blue Devils enter Saturday's regular-season finale against North Carolina with the ACC title already secured.

Projected as a top-three NBA draft pick, Boozer lacks the above-the-rim athleticism of fellow prospects AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. But his basketball intelligence and clutch production have distinguished him throughout the season.

"He plays as hard as anybody out there," Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said. "It looks like winning's really important to him."