St. John's vs. Duke could come down to the battle of elite big men

The résumés of St. John’s star Zuby Ejiofor and Duke phenom Cameron Boozer read quite similarly.

Both lead their teams in scoring, rebounding and assists.

Both won Player of the Year in their respective conferences.

They are two of only four players to be named a semifinalist for both Naismith Player of the Year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.

And by all accounts, they are two of the top big men in the country.

But one thing will separate Ejiofor and Boozer on Friday night. Only one can advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight — and the deciding factor may very well be which one of them performs better in their teams’ marquee matchup in Washington, D.C.

“It’s really a blessing to be able to play in March,” Ejiofor, an outgoing senior, said ahead of the Big Dance. “It’s my last go-around here. It is for not only me, but for like half the team, honestly. So we have an opportunity to make something special out of this year. … It’s six games; one game at a time.”

Ejiofor and Boozer are always the focal points of their respective rosters, but they take on extra importance in a game that should be nothing short of a gritty, grind-it-out slugfest.

Entering Thursday, fifth-seeded St. John’s (30-6) boasted the most efficient defense over its past 10 games of any team in the Sweet 16, according to CBB Analytics. Top-seeded Duke (34-2) was a close second.

And for the season, Duke owns the most efficient defense among Division I teams, while St. John’s ranks eighth, according to the analytics website KenPom.

To put it simply: Offense should be hard to come by Friday at Capital One Arena.

Ejiofor is averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game in the tournament, but his rebounding might be even more important against the Blue Devils.

That’s because Duke is among the top rebounding teams in the country with the 6-9 Boozer at power forward and the 6-11 Patrick Ngongba II at center.

The Red Storm lost the rebounding battle (44-36) against Kansas in their 67-65 second-round win, and it nearly cost them. The Jayhawks turned three offensive rebounds into six second-chance points in the final 2:50, helping them rally from behind to tie the game before Dylan Darling’s buzzer-beating game-winner.

That is an area where St. John’s can improve, and where Ejiofor — who is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game this season and 10.0 in the tournament — could loom large.

Ejiofor managed 18 points against Kansas’ hulking frontcourt, albeit on 6-of-14 shooting. But St. John prioritized 3-point shooting in that game in an effort to avoid the Jayhawks’ rim protectors.

Although the Red Storm finished 11-of-35 (31.4%) from behind the arc in that game, they could deploy a similar strategy against Duke’s towering tandem.

The Johnnies’ hyper-physical frontcourt, meanwhile, poses a challenge for Boozer, a 6-9 freshman, whom Duke is leaning on more than ever amid a rash of injuries.

The Blue Devils’ offense has not been the same without starting point guard Caleb Foster, who hasn’t played since March 7 due to a fractured foot. Foster has an “outside chance” to return Friday, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer told CBS Sports this week, but even if he does, his minutes could be limited.

That was the case with Ngongba, Duke’s third-leading scorer, who returned against TCU from a foot injury of his own but played only 13 minutes as he eased back into action.

Of course, if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s Boozer, the 18-year-old son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer.

He averages 22.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 56.3% from the field and 39.8% on 3-pointers.

Most project Boozer as a top-three pick — and potentially the first overall selection — in this year’s historically deep NBA Draft.

And while St. John’s just limited Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson — perhaps the favorite to be drafted No. 1 overall — to 21 points on 5-of-15 shooting, Boozer has been the superior college player.

Boozer is widely expected to win Naismith Player of the Year and the Wooden Award, the sport’s two most illustrious national individual honors.

He is averaging 20.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s not to say Boozer’s introduction to March Madness has been seamless. Duke was nearly upset by 16th-seeded Siena in the first round before escaping with a 71-65 win. And in the Blue Devils’ 81-58 second-round victory over TCU, Boozer managed only two points in the first half before finishing with 19.

“I just didn’t have a lot of looks, really,” Boozer said after that win. “Second half, we figured out some things that got me going downhill, got some high-lows. Sometimes, it’s just the flow of the game. You try to get the best shot available. Sometimes, it’s not you. Sometimes, it’s the other guys.”

One area where Boozer has been less than stellar? Turnovers. He is averaging 5.0 per game in the tournament — a deficiency the Johnnies could exploit with their unrelenting full-court press.

Boozer’s less-heralded twin brother, Cayden Boozer, has performed admirably at point guard in Foster’s absence, averaging 14.0 points, 5.0 assists and 1.0 turnover per game in the tournament.

But he is yet to face a defense as ferocious as the Red Storm’s, and if Foster is unable to go, the Blue Devils will be forced to confront Rick Pitino’s patented press without a true backup point guard.

Another factor in the Red Storm’s favor? Experience.

Friday’s game will be Ejiofor’s seventh in the NCAA Tournament. It will be Bryce Hopkins’ fourth and Dillon Mitchell’s ninth.

Without Foster, three of Duke’s starters — both Boozers and Dame Sarr — are freshmen.

“There’s just a different feeling associated with it,” Scheyer, 38, said after surviving the tournament’s first weekend.

“It’s the first time you’re playing where it could be the end of your season. It’s your first time playing where the other team doesn’t want to go home. I thought there were incredible lessons there for me, for our staff, for our program, but most importantly, for our players.”

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