A lot of great shooters hailed from the Duke basketball program. JJ Redick, Shane Battier, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Brandon Ingram are just a few names that have helped the Blue Devils through their insane knack for knocking shots from far out. Now, a new name enters the pantheon of legends in March Madness. Jared McCain's ascent to legendary status was crucial for Coach Jon Scheyer's squad as they sent James Madison packing early in the NCAA Tournament.
Jared McCain now holds the Duke basketball all-time record for made three-pointers in the NCAA Tournament, per the Blue Devils on X. The crafty guard managed to sink eight out of his 11 attempts from deep to get the feat. More than this, he also went two-for-two on the free-throw line and recorded two two-point field goals. All of this netted him 30 points which led Duke in the scoring department.
Jared McCain was also a big help in other aspects of the game. He was able to rip five rebounds straight out of the air while also dishing out an assist. His all-around game was rounded out by a steal. The Duke star actively seeks these opportunities to heat up and it just so happens that it came at the expense of James Madison, via ESPN.
“I feel like every game, I’m always ready to see if I’m going to go off. As a shooter when you hit some early, obviously they want to press up on you. So it definitely makes the game wide open for drives, for kicks,” he said.
Duke bounces James Madison out of March Madness
Coach Jon Scheyer also saw the other members of this Duke squad torch James Madison. Kyle Filipowski solidified himself as one of the best bigs in the NCAA Tournament through his 14 points and five rebounds. His two steals and block on the defensive end also prevented the opponents from gaining any sort of momentum. Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach then combined for 33 points to bury James Madison in a deficit that they never recovered from. Everyone was able to eat and the Blue Devils ended the game with 22 assists.
Jon Scheyer's Duke basketball squad was suffocating their opponents in both halves. Their head honcho's schemes limited the Sun Belt Conference team to 22.2% from three-point range. James Madison's overall field goal percentage was also horrid. They only got to sink 19 out of their 50 attempts from all three levels of scoring. It also did not help that Duke forced their opponents to commit 14 turnovers. A whopping 12 of them came directly from steals.
Now, this Duke squad will have to replicate that same success heading into the Sweet Sixteen. There is still a lot to improve like how they allowed James Madison to notch 16 offensive rebounds or missing five of their free throws. However, Coach Scheyer noted that this win will be the benchmark that they will continue to build on en route to the national championship.
“You’re not going to score 93 points every game, but I do think our offense was a lot better in these two games,” the Blue Devils head honcho declared.
Will they be able to take down whoever wins between Texas A&M and Houston?
Follow Us
Subscribe