Jared McCain from Duke is on fire, and Houston proudly showcases the leading defensive squad in the nation.
Anticipation rises when McCain and the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (26-8) go head-to-head with top-seeded Houston (32-4) in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in the Dallas South Region.
In Sunday’s second-round obliteration of 12th-seeded James Madison where Duke secured a 93-55 triumph, McCain etched his name in the Duke NCAA Tournament record books by nailing eight 3-pointers. Formerly, Quinn Cook held the record at seven, during Duke’s stunning loss to Mercer in the first round of the 2014 tournament.
“I feel like every game, I’m always ready to see if I’m going to go off,” said McCain, who has a team-leading 81 treys this season. “I worked so hard, so I’m just prepared every game.”
Against the defensive powerhouse Cougars, who are at the forefront in scoring defense (57.7 points per game) and field-goal-percentage defense (37.8), McCain might encounter more difficulty finding open shots. Houston also ranks tied for 14th in 3-point shooting defense at 30 percent.
McCain, averaging 14 points per game like Jeremy Roach for the Blue Devils, follows closely behind star player Kyle Filipowski, who leads the team in scoring (16.6) and rebounds (8.2).
Scoring 30 points against James Madison, McCain became only the second Duke freshman to reach this milestone in an NCAA Tournament game. The record of 32 points in a tourney game is held by Zion Williamson against UCF in 2019.
Coach Jon Scheyer applauded McCain’s astounding performance, recalling the career-best 35 points McCain scored, where he also landed eight 3-pointers leading to a triumphant victory over Florida State on Feb. 17.
“We’ve had some pretty good shooters here,” Scheyer said.
Filipowski is gratified that Duke has made it to the second week of the tournament.
“Obviously, Jared wasn’t here last year to experience what we went through, but none of us forgot about what happened with Tennessee in the second round,” Filipowski said of a 65-52 loss. “I think that just added a little bit more fire to us, to the returning guys.”
Maintaining a streak of five consecutive Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, Houston feels it underperformed last season. The team was eliminated by Miami in the Sweet 16 with a score of 89-75.
Houston barely escaped a probable defeat on Sunday, narrowly surviving in overtime with a 100-95 win against ninth-seeded Texas A&M.
Despite holding a 13-point lead with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, Houston faced a fierce resurgence from the Aggies, resulting in a tie on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Andersson Garcia. Notwithstanding four starters fouling out, Houston managed to clinch the victory.
“We just found a way,” Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said. “All these years I’ve been doing this stuff, I don’t know if there’s a more satisfying win. Just can’t tell you how proud I am of this group. Just really, really proud of this team.”
Eminent point guard Jamal Shead displayed a commanding performance with 21 points and 10 assists.
Shead attributes the success of the Cougars to the approach adopted by Sampson, underscoring why they stand as one of the premier programs in the nation.
“He only gives credit when it’s earned,” Shead said. “He makes you work for it. And he always tells us, trust your work. That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned here: If you put the work in, he’ll give you the opportunity to show that you put that work in.”
“He has the ultimate trust in us, and we have the ultimate trust in him. He’s the best motivator I’ve ever been around in my life. Best coach I know in America. And when a guy like that trusts you, your confidence level is through the roof.”
Following a dislocated left pinkie finger incident against James Madison, Roach underwent X-rays which confirmed no fractures, reassuring his plan to partake in the upcoming game on Friday.
