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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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…
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Publish date : 2026-03-26 20:45:00
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