Heroes, zeroes from St. John’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke

Heroes and zeros from St. John’s 80-75 loss to Duke in their Sweet 16 matchup on Friday night in Washington:  

Hero

The likely consensus National Player of the Year, Cameron Boozer, led Duke in crunch time.

His three-point play with 3:06 left pushed the Blue Devils’ lead to three.

The son of former NBA standout Carlos Boozer had 13 points, nine rebounds and two assists in the second half.

Cameron Boozer looks to make a move on Bryce Hopkins during the first half of St. John’s 80-75 loss to Duke in their Sweet 16 matchup on March 27, 2026 in Washington. Amber Searls-Imagn Images

He finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Zero

The St. John’s backcourt was badly outplayed by its Duke counterparts.

The quartet of Dylan Darling, Ian Jackson, Oziyah Sellers and Joson Sanon were a combined 7-of-28 from the field.

Dylan Darling reaches for a loose ball as Maliq Brown defends during St. John’s Sweet 16 loss to Duke. AP

Unsung hero

Less than three weeks after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right foot, Duke point guard Caleb Foster was a difference-maker.

The junior had all 11 of his points after halftime and didn’t commit a single turnover in 18 quality minutes off the bench. Coach Jon Scheyer said his lead guard had “no business playing today.”

Key stat

57.1: Duke’s field goal percentage in the second half. The Blue Devils shot 16-of-28 from the field after halftime.

Quote of the night

“You can’t have mistakes like that at this time of the year, and it cost us. It cost us the game. It cost us our season.”

— Dillon Mitchell on St. John’s miscues at both ends of the floor late in the second half.