TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jared McCain set a Duke freshman record with eight 3-pointers and tied a school freshman mark with 35 points as the No. 9 Blue Devils defeated Florida State 76-67 Saturday.
McCain hit seven 3-pointers in the first half and shot 60% overall (12 of 20), including 8 of 11 from long range in his seventh game scoring 20 or more points. His point total tied Zion Williamson's 35-point performance against Syracuse in 2019.
“That's crazy,” McCain said. “That's crazy. I just thank God… They're amazing company to be with.”
Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton was comfortable with his club's defense against McCain and ultimately attributed the performance to an opponent having a moment.
“It seems like every team will have a player, or several players, who are capable of putting up big numbers against you,” Hamilton said. “And I thought our defensive game plan, for the most part, was fine.
“But everyone who's played basketball seems to have had one of those nights where they can't miss, no matter how they defend you. And I thought McCain had one of those nights.”
McCain's accuracy from 3-point range was a surprise. The 6-foot-3 guard had made a total of seven 3-pointers in his four games.
“It was a big win for us; they're a dangerous team. They make it difficult to run the offense,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “Jared, it's really special what he did, coming into this atmosphere as a freshman. It was just a really special performance.”
Jeremy Roach scored 15 points and Duke (20-5, 11-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its fourth straight game. The Blue Devils have 20 or more wins for the 27th consecutive season. Kyle Filipowski had eight points and eight rebounds, helping Duke to a 35-22 rebounding advantage.
Jamir Watkins scored 15 points, his 11th straight game in double figures for Florida State (13-12, 7-7), which has lost three in a row and five of six.
Even without Tyrese Proctor, the Blue Devils took a 19-16 lead on McCain's 3-pointer with 13:04 left in the first half and never looked back. They won for the eighth time in nine games in Tallahassee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
