Caleb Wilson, Cameron Boozer set to define UNC–Duke showdown

When North Carolina takes on Duke on Saturday at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, all eyes will be on the matchup between the two freshmen in Duke’s Cameron Boozer and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson.

At 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, Boozer has been a force for Duke this season. He is the favorite to win the ACC Player of the Year award and is projected to be a top-five pick as a power forward. He is averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game, all of which are team highs. Boozer has helped propel the Blue Devils to a 21-1 overall record and a 10-0 start in ACC play.

Wilson, who is also a projected top-five pick, has had arguably the most electric season a freshman has ever had. So far, Wilson has averaged 20.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game this season and broke Tyler Hansbrough’s record for the most 20-point games by a freshman, a record that had held for more than 20 years.

With everyone so focused on these two former blue-chip recruits, here is a look at both players.

Caleb Wilson

The Atlanta native has had a great season so far, as he leads the ACC in rebounding, is fourth in the ACC in scoring and is seventh in blocks per game (1.3). He is also averaging 1.5 steals per game. He has been an effective shooter as well, as he is fourth in the ACC in field-goal percentage (58.1%), 12th in true shooting percentage (62.6%) and 15th in effective field-goal percentage (59.2%).

He has recorded 11 double-doubles this season, which is the second most in the ACC behind his frontcourt mate, Henri Veesaar. He also leads the ACC in 20-point games with 15.

In conference play, Wilson has averaged 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The one area where he has improved has been his passing ability. Wilson has been averaging 3.6 assists per game since the ACC slate began, and his assist rate went up from 18.4 to 20.7. He has still been active defensively, averaging 1.7 steals and a block per game.

Wilson has been shooting 62.6% from the field, the second-best mark in the ACC in conference play. He also is seventh in true shooting percentage (65.2%) and ninth in effective field-goal percentage (62.6%).

Cameron Boozer

Being the son of former Duke standout and NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer has to be hard to live up to for the younger Boozer. However, he has easily surpassed expectations. He leads the ACC in points and rebounds, is tied for third in steals and is 12th in assists, leading all big men.

Boozer is tied for the most 30-point games with Stanford’s Ebuka Okorie, with four this season. He is also tied for second with 13 20-point games with Malik Reneau and is third in the ACC in double-doubles with 10.

In conference play, Boozer is averaging an ACC-best 23.2 points, 9.8 rebounds (second in the ACC), 4.1 assists (12th in the ACC) and 2.2 steals (tied for third in the ACC) per game. He is also second in the conference in true shooting percentage (68.1%), third in field-goal percentage (60.1%) and fourth in effective field-goal percentage (66.1%).

While Boozer and Wilson are efficient scorers and strong rebounders, there are several differences between the two.

The biggest differences are perimeter shooting and rim protection.

Boozer is a much more effective 3-point shooter, hitting 37.5% from beyond the arc, a mark that has improved to 42.5% in conference play (15th in the ACC). Boozer has taken more 3-point attempts in conference play (40) than Wilson has all season (24). Of those 24 3-point attempts, Wilson is shooting 25% from beyond the arc.

The defensive difference shows up in shot-blocking. While Boozer is a solid defender, Wilson has a higher block percentage (4.2%, 3.3% in ACC play), while Boozer has a block percentage of 2.1% that drops to 0.4% in conference play.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Inside the Caleb Wilson–Cameron Boozer matchup