3 Key Observations From Duke's Impressive Win Over James Madison
The Blue Devils put forth perhaps their best performance of the season in this dominant victory
By Joe Summers
Duke put forth a spectacular second-round effort in a 93-55 win over James Madison highlighted by a Jared McCain masterclass and a stifling defense. The Blue Devils will now face Houston in the Sweet 16 and will need their best effort once again to take down the No. 1 seed in the region.
In a game that was out of reach essentially from the opening minute, Duke looked like one of the very best teams in all of college basketball and certainly one capable of beating the Cougars.
Houston barely survived Texas A&M in overtime and the Blue Devils might have them right where they want them. With plenty of time until opening tip on Friday night, here are three exciting observations from the Blue Devils' dominant victory:
3 Key Observations From Duke's Win vs. James Madison
1. We Need to Talk About Jared McCain's Record-Breaking Game
Holy smokes, what in the world got into Jared McCain? He broke the Duke freshman record for most three-points in an NCAA Tournament game with eight, scoring 30 points in the best performance of his career.
Through 14 minutes, McCain and James Madison both had 17 points and it was painfully obvious to everyone watching that the Blue Devils would be advancing over the trendy underdog pick. The freshman wound up shooting 10-of-15 from the field and 8-of-11 from three-point range for 30 points, five rebounds while adding an assist and steal with zero turnovers.
He was handily the best player on the floor and his effort should have the Cougars terrified.
JARED MCCAIN HIT SIX THREES IN THE FIRST HALF π±π₯ pic.twitter.com/TfcpKBw4sY
β Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2024
The performance was particularly impressive given James Madison ranked fifth in the country in opponent three-point shooting percentage (29.7%). Houston ranks 11th (30%), so McCain should have a lot of confidence heading into this matchup.
While the Cougars are a much better defensive team than James Madison, that doesn't make McCain's performance any less spectacular.
If McCain can put forth even a fraction of this kind of effort, the Blue Devils will be in great shape to pull off the upset and advance to the Elite Eight.
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