One Player: Jared McCain
The Duke offense was criticized by many for its poor showing on Friday night, as it found it difficult to score consistently for most of the game. Even though the squad shot a pitiful 19 for 45 from the field and had 20 made free throws, the Blue Devils’ score total was greatly increased despite the fact that four starters finished the game with double-digit points.
After two days and three lectures, Duke’s rookie guard Jared McCain led a comeback and once again demonstrated his ability to dominate a game from behind the arc. The native of Sacramento, California, was unstoppable offensively, finishing with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 8 of 11 from three-point range. McCain’s 30-point haul was his second-highest of the season, trailing only his historic 35 points against Florida State on February 17. Specifically, his statline from the first half was particularly noteworthy. With 22 points, he played a significant role in the Blue Devils’ 47-25 lead heading into the second half.
With another rapid triple to start the second half, he set the tone for an even more dominant 20 minutes from the team.
Duke’s offense has stagnated this season when it starts to rely too much on its standout sophomore center Kyle Filipowski, passing the ball in the post on possession after possession and waiting for him to score.
The guards are driving the offense, making good long ball shots, and releasing Filipowski so he can work without having all of the opposition’s attention focused on him when head coach John Scheyer’s attack is clicking. On Sunday, McCain demonstrated his ability to be this offense’s engine, which will be crucial going into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
One Word: Balance
Even while McCain was outstanding, it is important to recognize the efforts of the other members of his team. Tyrese Proctor, a sophomore point guard, scored eighteen points, while Jeremy Roach, a senior guard, added fifteen, and Filipowski, a fourteenth. The squad shot 52.4% from the field, including 50% from three-point range. The high pick and roll routinely resulted in simple layups or open threes for the other guards, even when McCain attracted a lot of attention from the James Madison defense.
Because the Blue Devils don’t have a player capable of leading an offense to a championship, Duke will need consistent performances from all five of its starters in order to keep winning tournaments. According to KenPom, the Blue Devils will take on Houston, the nation’s second-ranked defense, on Friday. It will be difficult to find the points. Duke needs to make sure that they can score from a variety of sources, as they did on Sunday night, in order to win.
One Stat: 14 3-pointers
Throughout the season, Scheyer’s club has been one that shoots the three effectively and frequently, but Sunday was an exception. Against the Dukes, the Blue Devils shot 50% from outside the arc, which is worse than their season average of 38.1%. While Duke’s ability to make only half of its attempted threes is unsustainable, it will allay some fears regarding the absence of a legitimate second threat on the inside if it can continue to huck it at a greater rate than typical.
But in order for the Blue Devils to win in the Sweet 16, sophomore forward Mark Mitchell needs to do better. After scoring 15 points on Friday, including five dunks, the Kansas City, Kansas, native was limited to just two points on six shots in the contest.
There is a chance that Duke’s offense will falter at some point during this tournament because 3-pointers are frequently the “sword on which teams live and die.” The Blue Devils will need to combine their deep threat and powerful inside presence, each of which has shown well in the last two games, to defeat the Cougars and advance to the Final Four.