It was a "Roach Party" in Cameron last night as Jeremy Roach scored a game high 19 points to help lead the Blue Devils over the Cardinals 84 - 59.  With the win Duke (22 - 6 overall and 13 - 4 in the ACC) clinched a double bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament.  There are a lot of highlight plays to look back on from last nights win.  From the Mark Mitchell reverse dunk to Spencer Hubbard's three-pointer in the last minute of the game that had the crowd exploding in cheers in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke got the win over a struggling Louisville. 

Now the schedule gets tougher...  Duke next plays at home this Saturday against a Virginia team that is looking for another quality win to move up in NCAA projections.  They then make the short trip down the road to NC State on Monday.  Duke will then finish at home the following Saturday against rival UNC looking to get revenge from the previous loss in Chapel Hill.  I believe every game from hear on out will be a battle or better yet a war.  

I write this realizing today is February 29th... but tomorrow is March and the madness we all love to watch will start soon.  


Keep reading below for notables and quotes from the win over Louisville from Duke Sports Information

NOTES

• With the win, Duke clinched a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils will begin postseason play in the quarterfinals, on Thursday, March 14.
• The Blue Devils limited Louisville to 23 points through the first 20 minutes, matching the lowest first-half total from an ACC opponent this season (at Pittsburgh, at Miami).
• Duke's defense held Louisville to 59 points, 13.6 points below its season average of 72.6. The Blue Devils have held 24 of their 28 opponents to below their respective scoring average.
• Duke won the rebounding battle, 43-24. The Blue Devils are now 17-1 when out-rebounding their opponent.
• The plus-19 rebounding margin matched the team's season high (vs. Bucknell) and was the best margin in conference play.
• The Blue Devils dished 23 assists, a conference-play best and one shy of the team's overall season high.
• Duke's 23 assists on 32 made field goals matches the team's best assist rate this season (71.9%), established against Bucknell on Nov. 17, 2023.
• Duke has won eight of the last 11 meetings with Louisville, including five straight, and leads the all-time series 15-9.
• Jeremy Roach made his 100th career start and scored a game-high 19 points, including 3-of-4 from deep.
• The senior has made at least three 3-pointers in six games this season and 16 in his career. The Blue Devils are 14-2 when he reaches that threshold.
• Mark Mitchell scored 17 points, his sixth game in double-figures across his last eight games played, along with a career-high three steals.
• Duke is now 31-3 when Mitchell scores at least 10 points and is 13-0 when he scores at least 15.
• Jared McCain connected on four 3-pointers, finishing the game 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, en route to 14 total points.
• McCain has made at least three 3-pointers in 12 games this season and Duke is now 10-2 in such games.
• Kyle Filipowski grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and dished six assists. The sophomore finished one point shy of a double-double with nine points.
• Tyrese Proctor tallied seven assists, a season-high in conference play, with just one turnover. The sophomore also scored eight points and grabbed three caroms.
• Proctor has 19 assists to just five turnovers, a 3.8 assist-turnover ratio, in his last five games played.
• Sean Stewart contributed nine points, nine boards and two assists in 11 minutes of action.
• Spencer Hubbard electrified the crowd in the closing minute of the game when nailing his first career 3-pointer, representing his career-high in scoring (3 points) and his first career points against an ACC opponent.

QUOTES

• “Great to get that win. I thought our sharing was terrific overall. I thought we were a little sloppy in the first half, but once we settled into the game, overall our defense was really good. Besides they got a few transition baskets in the first half, I thought we did a really good job." - head coach Jon Scheyer
• “Guys are sharing the ball. Guys are hitting shots. When we’re playing like that, it’s fun. You don’t know who’s scoring. It’s going from inside to out, good to great passes, so that’s something we’ve got to keep up.” - senior guard Jeremy Roach

Look.. if Jared McCain is open, pass him the ball!  He went to Jared, and then he went to Jared, and then...  I could go on but you get the point.  

Jared McCain was on fire against Florida State in Tallahassee this past Saturday as he scored 35 points which matched the Duke freshman scoring record also held by Zion Williamson.  He broke the Duke freshman record for 3-point field goals making 8 of 11.  Throw in the four double-doubles he has has logged in for Duke basketball this season and Jared is heating up at the right time for the Blue Devils.  March is just around the corner and Jared McCain has and continues to be one of the main go to guys for Duke basketball.

Keep reading below as Jared McCain is named ACC Rookie of the Week for the 2nd time.

From Duke Sports Information 

Duke guard Jared McCain has been named ACC Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Week for the second time this year after his record-setting performance at Florida State and his fourth double-double of the season versus Wake Forest, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Monday.

A native of Sacramento, California, McCain averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game during the Blue Devils’ 2-0 week.

In a 76-67 road win at Florida State on Saturday, McCain broke the Blue Devils' freshman record for 3-point field goals made by connecting on 8-of-11 (.727) from long distance and matched Zion Williamson for Duke's freshman scoring record with 35 points, the sixth-most points posted by a freshman in ACC history. He also contributed four rebounds, three steals and an assist as the No. 9 Blue Devils improved to 20-5 on the season.

On Monday (Feb. 12), the 6-3 guard showcased his versatility by amassing 17 points, 10 boards, four assists and a steal in a 77-69 victory over Wake Forest for his fourth double-figure rebounding effort during a five-game stretch.

After averaging 7.6 points per outing in the first eight games of the season, the sharp-shooting freshman has reached the 20-point mark in seven of the last 17 games, averaging 15.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest during Duke’s 15-2 run.

Overall, McCain is averaging 13.8 points, 4.9 boards, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 30.2 minutes per contest as a starter in all 25 games. He is shooting 46.2% from the field (122-264), 41.1% from 3-point range (58-141), and 84.0% from the free-throw line (42-50).

McCain scored a career-high 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4-of-9 from long distance, to lead Duke to a 106-69 victory over Queens on Dec. 30. In a top-10 rivalry matchup at North Carolina on Feb. 3, more than 3.2 million TV viewers witnessed his second double-double of his freshman campaign with team highs of 23 points and 11 caroms.

He has made three 3-pointers or more in 10 games this season. The Blue Devils are 9-1 when McCain makes at least three triples.

Up next, McCain and the No. 8 Blue Devils (20-5, 11-3 ACC) make a return trip to the Sunshine State to play Miami (15-11, 6-9 ACC) on Wednesday, Feb. 21.  The ESPN broadcast is slated for 7 p.m.

Below is Notables from Duke Sports Information 

Notables

• All five Duke starters scored in double figures for just the second time this season. The first-five also hit that scoring benchmark against Baylor on Dec. 20, 2023.
• Five Blue Devils finished in double figures for the first time since the Louisville game on Jan. 23.
• The Blue Devils' 19 assists equal a season-high against ACC opponents. Duke also distributed 19 helpers against Virginia Tech (Jan. 29), Pittsburgh (Jan. 9) and Syracuse (Jan. 2).
• Duke's defense held Boston College to 65 points, 10.7 points below its season average of 75.7. The Blue Devils have held 20 of their 23 opponents to below their respective scoring average.
• The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle, 38-33. Duke is now 13-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
• Duke remains unbeaten in 14 home games against Boston College.
• The Blue Devils now lead the series with BC, 29-3, including nine consecutive victories over the Eagles.
• Mark Mitchell made 6-of-7 field goals, including both of his 3-point shots, to finish with a team-high 17 points, with 15 following halftime. The scoring effort marked the sophomore's fifth game in double-figures across the last six contests.
• The Blue Devils are now 28-3 in games where Mitchell scores at least 10 points.
• Jared McCain tallied his third career double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds, along with a team-best five assists with no turnovers.
• The freshman's efforts on the glass helped him register his fifth career game of double-digit boards, and third in the last four contests.
• Jeremy Roach and Kyle Filipowski posted 16 points each, while adding four and three assists, respectively.
• Tyrese Proctor rounded out the double-digit scoring for the starting lineup with 10 points.

​

Up next Duke will take on Wake Forest in Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday February 12th with a 7:00 PM tip-off.  

Check back here at the blog soon as we will have a short video  from our Youtube channel  "5 Questions with the Cameron Crazies"