The bright lights didn’t bother Jared McCain.
While other rising freshmen have struggled in the NCAA Tournament, especially Kentucky’s one-and-done prospect, Duke’s young guard has thrived.
On Friday night, he played a key role in helping the fourth-seeded Blue Devils pull away from Vermont late.
He was even better on Sunday.
McCain, a freshman starter at Duke University, made a memorable first-half shot to defeat No. 12 James Madison, 93-55, in a South Division second-round game at Barclays Center. He broke it and delivered a knockout punch.
His eight 3-pointers set a program record in an NCAA Tournament game.
Shane Battier and J.J. Redick shares his regular season stats with nine other players.
The ACC powerhouse will face the winner of No. 1 Houston and No. 9 Texas A&M in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Dallas.
McCain sank his first six 3-pointers and scored 30 points, fueling the rout.
After his sixth trey late in the first half extended the Blue Devils’ lead to 24 points, he jogged downcourt and shrugged his shoulders like Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA Finals.
By halftime, he had 22 points, just three fewer than James Madison, and Duke made as many 3-pointers (eight) as he made field goals (eight).
Overall, Duke (26-8) went an impressive 14-of-28 from deep against the Dukes, who entered the game ranked No. 6 in the nation by defending three teams (29.1 percent).
As a team, the Blue Devils shot 52.4 percent from the field.
Tyrese Proctor had 18 points and five assists, Jeremy Roach had 15 points and six assists, and Kyle Filipowski had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Duke on Sunday. Jason Suzens of the New York Post
Terrence Edwards Jr. led JMU (32-4) with 13 points.
After losing in the second round last March in John Scheyer’s first season as head coach, replacing Mike Krzyzewski, Duke was determined to avoid a similar fate.
They talked about their motivation from the loss to Tennessee after defeating Vermont, and certainly played like a team with something to prove.
This is not a team of freshman stars.
Five of Duke’s top seven scorers were part of last year’s team, most notably Roach and sophomores Mark Mitchell, Filipowski and Proctor.
James Madison scored from the start, building a 10-point lead with just 5:03 left in the game.
Things just got worse for the Dukes, who had won their first NCAA Tournament main game since 1983.
Duke led by 22 points at halftime and by 37 points in garbage time in the second half.
The Blue Devils had their way against the Sun Belt champions and were unchallenged.
It’s been a strange season for Duke, who hasn’t been able to get much attention.
They finished second in the ACC behind North Carolina, overwhelming their rivals.
It was a one-and-end in the ACC tournament and was not considered a major factor entering this tournament.
But after a dominant weekend in Brooklyn, Duke is back in the Sweet 16 for the fourth time since 2018.
