Three points: McCain's performance, 3-point consistency crucial for Duke men's basketball against Queens

After a statement win against Baylor, No. 16 Duke men’s basketball returns home to take on Queens. Before the matchup, the Blue Zone is here with three keys to a Blue Devil victory:

Freshman of the week

In Duke’s matchup against then-No. 10 Baylor last Wednesday, freshman guard Jared McCain tied his season high with 21 points, making him the game’s leading scorer. He was 7-of-11 from the field, made three triples and scored all four free throws, aiding the Blue Devils in their 78-70 win. His strong performance in the roaring Madison Square Garden arena earned him the CBS Sports/United States Basketball Writers Association Freshman of the Week award. In Duke’s last three games, McCain has averaged 18.3 points — twice scoring 21 against both the Bears and Charlotte — making him a crucial piece to the Blue Devils’ three consecutive wins. His continued scoring effectiveness and overall presence on the court will help Duke maintain this winning streak as it faces Queens Saturday. 

3-point consistency

While the Blue Devils have come away with three wins in its past three games, including against highly-ranked Baylor, both increasing the volume of 3-pointers taken and scored is critical to Duke’s continued success. Against the Bears, the Blue Devils’ 3-point percentage was a mere 33.3%, as they went 4-of-12 from beyond the arc. In the preceding wins, it went 11-of-22 against Hofstra and 10-of-18 against the 49ers, making their 3-point percentage of the last three games 48.1%. With the talented long-range shooters of head coach Jon Scheyer’s lineup, including freshmen guards McCain and Caleb Foster — with 3-point percentages this season being 44.9% and 38.5%, respectively — the team should continue to shoot threes at over a 40% clip. Consistency in this area will make Duke difficult for its future opponents to defend, including the Royals.

Minimizing turnovers

As the Blue Devils have continued winning, their number of turnovers has been decreasing. Duke had 11 turnovers against Charlotte, 10 against the Pride and eight against Baylor. In each of these games, it had either the same or fewer turnovers than the opposing team, helping it gain the three consecutive victories. Queens, meanwhile, currently has a season average of 12 turnovers per game. If the Blue Devils continue to keep their turnovers in single digits while taking advantage of the additional possessions as they face the Royals, they will be in a good position to dominate the game and continue their rise back up in the AP poll.