The Duke Blue Devils are through to the Sweet 16 of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after demolishing the James Madison Dukes 93-55 in the second round on Monday.
Four different Duke Blue Devils scored in double digits in the victory, but the one who stood out the most was freshman guard, Jared McCain, who had 30 points, five rebounds, and one assist while going 10-of-15 from the field.
Along the way, Jared McCain joins Kyrie Irving and Zion Williamson in becoming the third freshman in Duke Blue Devils history to score at least 30 points in a single game.
Zion Williamson last did it in 2019 during a loss against Syracuse, while Kyrie Irving had 31 points in 2010 against Michigan in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. In March Madness, Williamson was the last Duke Blue Devil to surpass the 30-point threshold by scoring 32 points in a 77-76 victory over Central Florida in a second-round game in 2019.
Jared McCain waxed hot from deep for the Duke Blue Devils
Jared McCain scored 30 points against the James Madison Dukes because he got hot from three-point land. After making his first three-point attempt in the first half, the freshman guard scored 22 points to help the Duke Blue Devils lead by as much as 24 points before entering halftime with a 47-25 lead.
The 2023 McDonald’s All-American finished the game with eight three-pointers, one more than the previous record set by Quinn Cook in a 78-71 first-round loss against Mercer in March 2014.
“Just really proud of these guys and proud of our team,” said Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer after the win. “James Madison, you’re playing a team that has three losses the whole year and they had a really impressive performance against Wisconsin. I don’t know if we expected this, but I just thought our guys came out with such a great competitiveness and they were obviously ready to play.”
“I feel like every game, I’m always ready to see if I’m gonna go off,” said McCain. “I work so hard and I’m just prepared for every (contest).”
With the win over James Madison, Duke is into the Sweet 16 for the first time under head coach Jon Scheyer, who replaced Mike Krzyzewski at the head coaching helm last year.
Up next for the Duke Blue Devils are the No. 1-seed Houston Cougars, who are fresh from a thrilling 100-95 win over the Texas A&M Aggies.