Jared McCain explains how Duke bounced back after first-half shooting woes vs. NC State

The shots weren’t falling in the first half for Duke against NC State on Monday, but Jared McCain wasn’t worried. The Blue Devils freshman was confident that the basket would open up in the second.

It turned out he was right as Duke found a rhythm over the final 20 minutes to pull away for a 79-64 road victory. The Blue Devils shot 62.5% from the floor in the second half after managing to make just 33.3% of their attempts in the first.

Speaking with ESPN postgame, McCain explained that he trusted himself and his teammates to turn things around despite the cold start.

“Me personally, if I see shots not going in, I work so hard that I know they’re gonna go in in the second half,” he said. “Coach was telling us that. ‘Trust your shot, trust your work. It’s gonna come. It’s really gonna be our defense that will carry us to the win.’ But yeah, shots will come. Shots will fall. Especially if you start missing early.”

NC State began the game on a 9-0 run as Duke missed its first four shots. The Blue Devils responded with an 11-0 run of their own to take their first lead, but things remained close and they held just a 33-30 advantage at halftime.

Things remained close in the second and the Wolfpack actually held a 46-45 lead with 11:42 to go. However, Duke would go on a 10-1 run from that point to take the lead for good. The advantage soon ballooned over double digits as any hope of an NC State upset faded away.

McCain in particular had a big second half to score 14 of his 16 points after going 1-for-7 from the floor in the first. He was one of four Duke players to score in double figures along with Jeremy Roach, Tyrese Proctor and Sean Stewart.

It’s a testament to the number of weapons the Blue Devils have and something McCain believes bodes well for them with the NCAA Tournament on the horizon.

“Last game me and Jerm didn’t score in double digits,” he said. “We have so much talent on this team. We have so many hitters. That’s what’s gonna take us in March Madness.”

With the win, Duke improved to 24-5 (15-4 ACC) with one game remaining in the regular season. The Blue Devils will face No. 7 North Carolina at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday with a chance to claim the ACC regular season championship.