Jared McCain is trying to continue his stellar NCAA Tournament and keeping his shooting form consistent as the Duke basketball team preapres for its Sweet 16 matchup against Houston.
In the Round of 64 against Vermont, McCain was tied for the team-high in scoring with 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting, 2-of-6 from 3-point range, but was even more impressive in the Blue Devils' Round of 32 victory against James Madison.
The rookie had 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting, making 8-of-11 3-pointers. He set the program's freshmen record for most 3-pointers made in a game during the first half and set the overall record, passing Quinn Cook, quickly into the second half.
While McCain's triples were a Duke record, he is tied for second place for most 3-pointers made by a freshman in NCAA Tournament history. He also made eight 3-pointers in a game earlier this season against Florida State.
He also became the first freshman to have at least 30 points and five rebounds in a tournament game since Zion Williamson in 2019, as well as the first freshman with 30 points and no turnovers in an NCAA Tournament game since the field expanded in 1985.
Jared McCain was back to work on Tuesday as the Blue Devils held its first official practice since returning to Durham on Sunday night.
The Duke social media accounts posted McCain in two separate clips hitting four consecutive 3-pointers from the right wing and five straight triples from the right corner. His shooting and ability to space the floor will be needed again on Friday night (9:39 p.m. ET, CBS) against a tenacious Houston defense.
🎯 automatic @J_mccain_24 pic.twitter.com/hiQBWIaEXW
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 26, 2024
McCain is averaging 14.0 points per game this season while shooting 41.5-percent from 3-point range. The Cougars are only allowing its opponents to shoot 30-percent from distance this season.
It will be a major rise in competition for the Blue Devils but Jared McCain and the rest of the Duke guards will need to try and find the same level of production against Houston to try and advance to the Elite Eight.