Duke Basketball: J.J. Redick’s record remains in sight for R.J. Barrett

R.J. Barrett still has a shot to break a monumental Duke basketball program scoring record, and a monumental point total today could go a long way in making that happen — while also giving his Zion-less squad its best chance to snatch a sweet rivalry win.

With 28 points during the Duke basketball team’s 71-70 home win over Wake Forest on Tuesday, R.J. Barrett set two program records:

• Most points in a season by a Blue Devil freshman (now 698 and counting, besting the 694 from Marvin Bagley III last season)
• Most points inside Cameron Indoor Stadium for a season (with all home games now in the books, his 402 bested the 390 from then-senior J.J. Redick during the 2005-06 season)

With 267 more points, Barrett would break Redick’s program record for points in a season (964, also set his senior year).

As unlikely as it once seemed anyone (much less a freshman) could ever come close to breaking that record — after all, Jason Williams ranks second on the list with 841 points during the 2000-01 national championship season — it’s not out of the question the Maple Mamba will get there.

In order for that to happen, though, the Blue Devils may need to play the maximum 10 more games. Assuming they do, Barrett would need to average 26.7 points across those 10 games.

In the five games without Zion Williamson — including the 88-72 home loss to UNC on Feb. 20, when the freshman suffered a mild knee sprain less than a minute after the tip — Barrett has averaged 26.2 points.

Of course, the longer Williamson stays out — he will once again be in street clothes when No. 4 Duke (26-4; 14-3 in ACC) plays at No. 3 UNC (25-5; 15-2 in ACC) today at 6 p.m. — the less likely it becomes the Blue Devils will advance to the finals of both the ACC and NCAA tournaments.

On the flip side, the sooner Williamson returns to the lineup — he averages 21.6 points — the less likely it becomes Barrett will shoulder enough of the scoring load to break Redick’s record, regardless of how many more games the team plays.

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But there is one possible sweet solution to help put Barrett well on his way to breaking Redick’s record even if Williamson returns for the ACC Tournament next week (Zion’s return for the tournament seems probable based on coach Mike Krzyzewski’s statements this past week). And that solution would also likely serve as the simplest solution for Duke to beat UNC today.

Ready for the dream scenario?

The 6-foot-7, 205-pound Canadian, who hopefully woke up on the right side of his bed today, could just go ahead and break the program record for points in a game (58, set by Danny Ferry at Miami on Dec. 10, 1988), breaking hearts inside the Dean Dome in the process.

If Barrett was to score 59 today, he would only need to average 23.1 points, just below his 23.3 season average to date, across the remaining nine games — if the Blue Devils played that many.

If he can’t reach Ferry’s record, in order for Duke to leave Chapel Hill with a victory, Barrett may need to at least top Williamson’s freshman record for points in a game (35, set on Jan. 14 during Duke’s home overtime loss to Syracuse; Barrett has twice scored 33 points, including the first game against UNC, which set the program record for most points by a freshman in a game against the Tar Heels).

Nothing wrong with a little wishful thinking from this lifelong Duke basketball fan and GTHC proclaimer.