Duke needed a big win in the worst way last week when they faced previous No. 10 Baylor at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils were in danger of potentially dropping their fourth game before the turn of the calendar year and simultaneously likely dropping out of both Top 25 polls with a loss.
Enter freshman guard Jared McCain. The top-ranked player from Duke’s 2023 recruiting class recorded the best game of his young career in a 78-70 win over Baylor and tied his career high in points (21) and knocked down three 3-pointers in the upset win.
McCain has been in the Duke starting lineup since the season-opener against Dartmouth on Nov. 6, but his role has increased since star guard Tyrese Proctor went down with an ankle injury in the ACC opener to Georgia Tech earlier this month. While Proctor’s return is on the horizon, McCain has certainly benefited from his absence and has given Duke another reliable freshman they can count on as the season progresses.
Let’s jump into our rankings and get to our CBS Sports/USBWA Freshman of the Week for the the 2023-24 college basketball season
Freshman of the Week: Jared McCain, Duke
Welcome back to the Frosh Watch, our weekly ranking of the five most impressive freshmen in college basketball. CBS Sports has once again teamed up with the United States Basketball Writers Association and its Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award to present this every-Tuesday feature. Each week we’ll start by announcing the national Freshman of the Week honoree. The cycle for FOTW runs Tuesday-Monday.
It’s no secret that the absence of Proctor has forced McCain into a larger role within the Duke offense. In three games without Proctor, McCain is averaging 18.3 points and hit his career high in points (21) twice during that span. McCain was considered one of the best 3-point shooters in his class coming into the season and he is certainly living up to that billing —…
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