Tag: Jared McCain

Duke guard Jared McCain tops On3’s freshman power rankings

Jared McCain sits at the top of On3’s freshman power rankings for Week 15 as his stellar season continues to draw eyes.

Duke guard Jared McCain’s stellar season continues to draw national attention as he ranks first in On3’s Week 15 freshman power rankings.

On3 reporter Jamie Shaw ranked McCain ahead of other talented freshmen like Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard and Robert Dillingham. McCain was the only Duke freshman to crack the top 10.

The Blue Devils’ guard has picked up a double-double in three of his past four games as he’s become one of Duke’s best rebounders on the team. He also scored at least 20 points against teams like Baylor, Clemson, and UNC.

McCain is averaging 12.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He’s also shot an efficient 38.5% from 3-point range. McCain’s play has fueled Duke to a three-game win streak and the Blue Devils are now 0.5 game back out of first place in the ACC.

Five takeaways from No. 9 Duke’s 77-69 win over Wake Forest

Taking a look at our five biggest takeaways from Duke’s 77-69 win over Wake Forest.

No players on Wake Forest’s roster were alive the last time the Wake Forest Demon Deacons beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

For another year, that streak will continue as No. 9 Duke outlasted Wake Forest 77-69 in a cagey affair to keep themselves in pursuit of the top spot in the ACC standings.

The last time Wake Forest won on the road against Duke, a halfway decent player named Tim Duncan was a senior for the Demon Deacons in 1997. Wednesday’s game was a close affair as Wake’s talented assortment of scoring threats gave Duke all it could handle.

The teams played a very physical, sloppy, and low-scoring first half for two of the best offensive teams in the ACC. The Demon Deacons shot just 28% in the first half, while the Blue Devils were 36% from the field. Neither team could find the touch from the 3-point range in the first half, with the Demon Deacons going just 4/19 and the Blue Devils going 3/14.

Mark Mitchell put Duke on his back in the second half, and foul trouble with Wake Forest big man Efton Reid made it nearly impossible for Wake to slow down Duke inside. Some timely shots and defense from Duke were enough to seal it away.

Duke completed their three-game homestand undefeated and will now embark on their Florida road trip. This trip will see them play road games against both Florida-based ACC schools and a trip to Winston-Salem for a rematch with these same Demon Deacons in 12 days.

Before we turn the page, here are our five takeaways from the game.

Duke outduels Wake Forest at home despite ugly first half

The Demon Deacons and Blue Devils combined to make nine of their first 35 shots on Monday night, but Duke made the shots it needed to in the second half for the eight-point win.

Duke basketball didn’t make it pretty or stress-free on Monday night, but a win is a win. The Blue Devils dispatched Wake Forest for a 77-69 win, the team’s third straight in front of the home crowd to move to 19-5 on the year and 10-3 in conference play.

The first half was, to put it as politely as possible, some of the least efficient basketball ever seen at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils took a 29-27 lead into the locker room after Wake Forest finished 11/39 (28.2%) from the floor and 4/19 (21.1%) from beyond the 3-point line.

Guard Hunter Sallis scored 14 of his team’s points, but the other four Demon Deacons starters were a combined 3/18 (16.7%) in the first 20 minutes. Three separate Wake Forest players finished the first half 0/3 from beyond the arc.

It wasn’t much better on the Duke side of the aisle. The Blue Devils outrebounded Wake Forest 28-23, but they shot 11/31 (35.5%) from the floor and 3/14 (21.4%) from deep.

On top of that, Duke also turned the ball over eight times. You’d be forgiven for not noticing that, though, because Wake scored no points on any of those giveaways.

Kyle Filipowski offered some first-half bright spots for the Blue Devils at least. The star big man finished the half with 10 points and seven rebounds, taking advantage of Wake Forest’s Efton Reid battling foul trouble.

Freshman Jared McCain pulled down eight rebounds before halftime, too, adding to his astounding recent form on the glass.

The lid came off the basket a little after halftime with the two teams combining for 19 points in the first four minutes of the second half.

Duke’s Mark Mitchell stepped up bigger once play resumed. The sophomore scored seven points in the opening half, but he dropped 10 more in the first six minutes of the second. He made a tough layup through contact early, and he finished his explosive run with his seventh 3-pointer of the year.

Mitchell ended with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds.

Filipowski added another tough layup of his own, charging into the lane and adjusting around a defender beautifully, to give Duke a five-point lead with 12 minutes to play. About a minute later, McCain buried a 3-pointer to build the lead a little more and cement his third double-double in his last four games.

The Demon Deacons wouldn’t go away, however, answering both Filipowski’s layup and McCain’s deep shot with baskets of their own to keep it a two-score game. A tough layup from Reid through Filipowski made it a three-point game inside eight minutes to go, and Duke’s grasp on the game felt precarious.

McCain and Filipowski came through again, however. Over the next two minutes, the freshman made four free throws and the 7-footer finished two physical layups to grow the lead back to eight.

Both players put together a double-double for the game. Filipowski ended the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds and McCain finished his game with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior Jeremy Roach finished with 12 points too, including a mammoth 3-pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions in the final five minutes to keep the Blue Devils narrowly in front.

Wake Forest kept making tough baskets down the stretch, but Duke kept earning trips to the free throw line, and the Blue Devils never led by fewer than five points in the closing minutes.

The Blue Devils get an extended break before their next game, a Saturday road game against Florida State.

Is the secret weapon for Duke…Jared McCain’s rebounding?

Jared McCain, a 6-foot-3 freshman guard, has at least 10 rebounds in three of Duke’s last four games, and his effort might be massive in March.

There’s nothing revolutionary in the idea that rebounding is important once the college basketball postseason comes around.

A team needs to win six straight games to cut down the nets, often needing to survive at least one nailbiter in the process. An extra two or three possessions, or stopping the other team from an extra two or three possessions, can be the difference between a trip to the Final Four and an opening weekend exit.

It wouldn’t take a mad scientist to tell you Duke’s best rounder is the 7-foot sophomore Kyle Filipowski. The potential All-American leads the Blue Devils with 8.2 rebounds per game, and the Blue Devils are a top 20 team in the nation in defensive rebounding by KenPom’s metrics.

However, there’s a less expected name who demands attention when you break down Duke’s prowess on the glass, and he might be the difference in the biggest games: freshman Jared McCain.

The 6-foot-3 first-year Blue Devil weighs less than 200 pounds, according to the official team site, so one would be forgiven for overlooking him at first glance. He’s also a sharpshooter, averaging more than 38% from beyond the arc.

However, he’s grabbed at least 10 rebounds in three of Duke’s last four games, including double-doubles against North Carolina and Boston College. He’s finished with double-digit rebounds in five college games so far, and his 4.7 boards per game are the third-most on the team.

Even when you dig into KenPom’s advanced rebounding metrics, McCain’s 15.4% defensive rebounding rate is behind only Filipowski and sophomore Mark Mitchell among Duke players averaging more than 15 minutes per game.

The answer to his production on the glass is simple: effort.

Head coach Jon Scheyer praised McCain’s hustle after Duke’s loss to North Carolina, saying the freshman impressed him with his dedication and routine. If a ball gets tipped out of the paint during a Duke game, there’s a high chance McCain is racing after it a little harder than anyone else.

No, the Blue Devils probably can’t rely upon a 6-foot-3 guard averaging 4.7 rebounds per game as a primary board-getter during March Madness. However, as we discussed off the top, the difference between a win and a loss in the postseason can often come down to a possession or two, and McCain gets one or two more rebounds than most guards his size.

He can’t replace Filipowski if the 7-foot star has a truly off night, but if Duke needs an extra surge to flip a one-score game, the freshman has proven himself to be reliable.

What’s been going on from beyond the arc?

After averaging nearly 39% from beyond the 3-point line through 20 games, the Blue Devils are shooting 28.4% from deep in their past three games.

What happened to the Blue Devils’ perimeter shooting?

Through 20 games this season, Duke was arguably the best team in the ACC from beyond the 3-point line. Five different players were shooting 38% or better from long range, and the team made 38.7% of its 3-pointers through the end of January.

In fact, the Blue Devils were on a tear during the first month of 2024. They made at least eight 3-pointers in every game they played during January, and they shot 41.7% for the month.

The heater came to a peak against Virginia Tech on January 29 when Duke made more than 50% of its attempts (9/17).

Since they took the court against North Carolina on February 3, however, a switch flipped.

Against the Tar Heels, Duke made just five of their 19 attempts. In the next game against Notre Dame, the Blue Devils went a measly 4/18. They even fired 30 attempts against Boston College on Saturday, but they only made 10 of them.

Across the past six halves of basketball, Duke has shot 19/67 from beyond the arc. After a full month above 40%, the Blue Devils have made 28.4% of their 3-pointers in February so far.

There’s not one ice-cold shooter to point a finger at, either. Freshman Jared McCain, one of the team’s best sharpshooters, finished 2/6 against UNC and 1/8 against Boston College. Star forward Kyle Filipowski made one of his six attempts against the Tar Heels, and fellow sophomore Tyrese Proctor only found the net on three of his 11 attempts over the past two games.

Even senior Jeremy Roach, who leads the team in 3-point shooting this season at 44.3% for the year, finished a combined 4/11 against North Carolina and Boston College.

From a casual viewing perspective, it’s hard to find a tangible reason for the regression on tape other than, well, regression. The team is finding open looks, they’re historically good from long-range across their careers, and they haven’t fundamentally changed the offense too much.

The answer is probably that the Blue Devils need to shoot their way out of this funk. A team as good as Duke from deep will naturally take more than 20 3-point attempts per game, and sometimes you go cold at the wrong time. The last three games are far too small a sample size to say something needs to change, especially considering the Blue Devils won two of those games.

However, with postseason tournaments looming in the distance, it isn’t reassuring to know the team has some games like this in their system. Better to go cold in February rather than March, but shooting well for all six of the consecutive wins they’d need for a national championship would be a lot to ask for.

Duke doesn’t live and die by the 3-pointer, but it’d be reassuring if they did more living than dying over the final eight games of the regular season.

The five biggest takeaways from Duke’s win over Boston College

The Blue Devils struggled from beyond the 3-point line against Boston College and couldn’t build a big first-half lead, but which of those two things is more worrisome for the future?

The Blue Devils trailed late in the first half against Boston College, but they persevered for a 15-point win that never felt close in the closing minutes.

Sophomore Mark Mitchell led the team with 17 points, and he made multiple 3-pointers for just the second time this season. Freshman Jared McCain had an off day, making just five of his 15 attempts from the floor, but he still finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Boston College is by no means one of the top teams in the ACC, with Saturday being the Eagles’ seventh loss in their last 11 games. However, which side of the coin matters more? Is it the fact that each of Duke’s starters scored 10 or more points, or is it the fact that the first half required some sweaty palms?

Here are the most important takeaways from the Saturday win.

Duke outlasts Boston College despite first-half lull for second straight win

The Blue Devils lost the lead for a minute after a 14-5 Boston College run in the first half, but Duke dominated the rest of the game.

The Blue Devils didn’t have their best day from long range and briefly lost the lead in the first half against Boston College, but Duke pulled through for a comfortable 80-65 home victory.

The game couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for the Blue Devils from a statistical standpoint. Duke outrebounded the Eagles early, jumping out to an early 10-6 lead on the boards and finishing the first half with a 21-15 advantage behind high-motor performances from Mark Mitchell and Jared McCain.

Boston College also made just one of their first 10 3-point attempts, firing up desperation heave after desperation heave in a discombobulated effort.

Even Boston College’s leading scorer, Quinten Post, who came into the game averaging more than 16 points, scored just two in the opening half after not hitting a shot from the floor.

However, the Blue Devils couldn’t put the Eagles away. Star forward Kyle Filipowski made three of his nine first-half attempts, and Duke only led by six points midway through the half despite Boston College’s offensive struggles.

Duke not landing an uppercut early came back to haunt them near the end of the first half when the Eagles went on a 14-5 run to take the lead. They figured out the deep shots weren’t falling, and guard Jaeden Zackery made three consecutive mid-range jump shots to get his team on the board.

The 3-point lid finally came off for Boston College with back-to-back triples a minute later, and Duke head coach Jon Scheyer called a timeout to regroup.

The Blue Devils figured something out during the break, outscoring the Eagles 9-4 over the closing minutes to take a 36-32 lead into the half.

The run continued after the break with Duke scoring the first seven points of the second half, stretching the lead to double-digits for the first time and finally getting some distance between them and the Eagles.

Boston College’s early struggles from beyond the arc were well-detailed, but Duke didn’t fare much better from long-range early on. The Blue Devils made just five of their first 21 3-point attempts for the game despite working in some open looks.

The struggles existed beyond Saturday, though, as Duke is shooting just 31.9% from the 3-point line over the past three games.

However, the form from earlier in the season came back in a big way at the right time. Senior Jeremy Roach drilled one from the corner to stretch the lead to 12, and Mitchell made just his fifth 3-pointer of the year just two possessions later.

Mitchell was outstanding the entire game for the Blue Devils. He made another 3-pointer in the final minute, a rarity for the sophomore, and he finished the game with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds.

Filipowski and Proctor each made a 3-pointer to keep the run going, and Duke finally looked like the team that led the ACC from beyond the arc through the end of January.

Once their lead became commanding, the Blue Devils coasted for the remainder of the game. All five Duke starters ended the game with at least 10 points, including 16 from Filipowski and Roach each.

McCain finished the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double in the past three games, and Tyrese Proctor also added 10 points.

The victory moves Duke to 18-5 and 9-3 in conference play, within striking distance now that North Carolina has lost two ACC games. They get the chance to keep their momentum with the final game of their home stretch against Wake Forest on Monday.

Midseason Awards for Duke Men’s Basketball: Jared McCain and Jeremy Roach have been stars

Handing out midseason awards for the 2023-2024 Duke basketball team.

Duke is fresh off the heels of a 71-53 win over Notre Dame to complete a season sweep of the Fighting Irish and now sits just 1.5 back of first place in the ACC behind only the North Carolina Tarheels and the Virginia Cavaliers.

It’s been an up-and-down season by Duke standards. Of course, they aren’t in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, but it’s reasonable to believe that one or two head-scratching Duke losses have impacted how we view them in totality.

That said, the Blue Devils have everything in front of them, and they have the offensive firepower to beat any team in the country on a given night. Other components must continue to come together, but Duke is a threat.

With over half of their ACC games done, the Blue Devils are just past the midseason point of their conference schedule, so now’s the perfect opportunity to hand out our midseason awards.

Check them out below.

Notre Dame struggles on offense in loss to Duke

Not like this was unexpected, but still.

Notre Dame ending its losing streak at No. 9 Duke was a tall order. Not since the Irish got blown out at Marquette was it so obvious that the Irish did not belong on the same court as their opponent.

Incredibly, the Irish held their own against the Blue Devils much better than against the Golden Eagles. They can at least hang onto that as their skid reached seven games with a 71-53 loss.

Any realistic chance the Irish (7-16, 2-10) had at completing the upset was gone in the first half when the Devils (17-5, 8-3) scored 17 unanswered points over eight minutes. To the Irish’s credit, they kept the deficit respectable enough under the circumstances and got within nine a couple of times during the second half.

Had the Irish shot better than 33.9% from the field, we might be talking about a closer final score. A team that knows how to score, which is not the 2023-24 Irish, certainly would have made things more interesting. It also would have been more of a contest had the Irish not given up a season-high 21 second-chance points.

Mark Mitchell did the most for the Devils with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Caleb Foster scored 13 off the bench, and Jared McCain added 11.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] had game highs of 19 points and four assists. He made three 3-pointers, as did [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag], who made the first conference start of his collegiate career and scored 13 points.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

2024 NBA Mock Draft: Latest first-round projections at midway point of season

Rookie Wire took a look at the 2024 NBA draft class and where the top prospects stand as of Feb. 1.

The top NBA draft prospects worldwide have collectively reached the second halves of their respective seasons as they look to showcase themselves in front of scouts and executives.

The class this year has seen several players help their stock, while others have struggled and fallen down draft boards. Some players have also dealt with recent injuries and other factors that have prevented them from reaching their potential.

The draft is widely considered open at the top of the board, with several prospects in the conversation to be the first selection. Unlike last year, when Victor Wembanyama was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut choice this year.

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Prospects will continue to see their standing fluctuate over the remaining two-plus months of action on the court as scouts have more time to evaluate them. The sheer unknown atop the draft board should create plenty of storylines to follow over the remainder of the season.

The NBA announced on Wednesday that the draft will be expanded to a two-night format, with the first round set to take place on June 26 at the Barclays Center. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York the following night.

Rookie Wire looked at the class and where the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The order was determined by the reverse order of the NBA standings as of Feb. 1.

Note: Player fit wasn’t necessarily taken into account with each pick. Pick protections and other notes courtesy of Tankathon.