By ADAM ZAGORIA
NEW YORK –– Duke freshman Jared McCain came out bombing against James Madison and set the program record for 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game with eight.
The 6-foot-3 freshman shot 8-of-11 from deep and 10-of-15 overall, finishing with a game-best 30 points as No. 4 Duke obliterated the No. 12 Dukes 93-55 at Barclays Center. They advanced to the Sweet 16 and will meet the Houston-Texas A&M winner.
Tyrese Proctor added 18 points and Jeremy Roach 15 despite a dislocated finger that will require an X-ray.
“I’m always ready to see if I’m going to go off,” McCain said. “I worked so hard so I’m just prepared every game.”
In the second half, McCain hit his 7th and 8th 3’s, breaking Quinn Cook for the Duke NCAA Tournament record. Former Duke stars Shane Battier and JJ Redick each hit 9 3’s in a regular-season game. Asked if he gave an MJ shrug after one shot, McCain said, “I don’t know what I was doing. I wasn’t really conscious out there.” Said JMU coach Mark Byington: “We knew he’s a great shooter. That wasn’t a surprise. It was easier to figure out where he was when it was in the halfcourt action, but when they got the rebounds and kick-outs, we couldn’t find him and transition, we didn’t find him. “He got off to a hot start and he put us behind and then we started compounding our mistakes by how well he was playing.” McCain hit for a season-high 35 points against Florida State earlier this season when he made 8-of-11 3-pointers. McCain is the projected No. 20 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, per ESPN. Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookHere in Brooklyn, Duke's Jared McCain is feeling it and is 3-of-3 from deep for 9 points as the Devils lead 15-7 https://t.co/Tbcn20Lfeb
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 24, 2024
