DURHAM, N.C. — Injured Duke center Carlos Boozer was cleared to practice Monday and is expected to play when the Blue Devils take on UCLA in the East Regional semifinals.
How much Boozer plays in the NCAA tournament remains a question mark for the Blue Devils (31-4). But the team has done quite nicely without its third-leading scorer during one of the roughest periods of the schedule.
Top-seeded Duke is 6-0 since the 6-foot-9, 270-pound Boozer, who was averaging 14 points and 6.5 rebounds, broke a bone in his right foot in the second half against Maryland on Feb. 27.
"I don't think you can find too many teams in the last two weeks of the season can add a talent like Carlos," All-American Shane Battier said. "We're all excited to see how he's going to fit in with this team."
Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Boozer would not start Thursday against the No. 4 seeded Bruins in Philadelphia.
"If all of the sudden he comes into practice and tells Shane Battier to go take a hike, and tells Jason (Williams) to quit shooting and 'just give me the ball, I'm taking over,' we may re-evaluate that," Krzyzewski said Monday. "I don't think that's going to happen."
When Boozer went down, Krzyzewski inserted freshman guard Chris Duhon and slender 6-11 Casey Sanders into the starting lineup.
Duke then won at North Carolina, took three games in the ACC tournament and its first two NCAA games.
Boozer, a sophomore, admitted Monday his foot was a little sore after running last week.
"I've watched them practice and seen them play in the games and I'm just going to adjust to how we're playing," Boozer said. "If I can play for 15 or 20 minutes great or however long I can play with that pace that's fine with me. I just have to throw myself into it. I have to let nature take its course."
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